Almost everyone has at least one bad habit they’d like to kick. Whether the habit is expensive, detrimental to your health, or simply jeopardizes an important relationship, breaking it will greatly improve your life – both mentally and physically.
Some vices are harder to get rid of than others because, as the common saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy. To help you muster up the motivation, here are the five most important vices to ditch.
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Toxic Cookware
Most people don’t realize that their cookware could be exposing them to toxins that, over time, can build up and cause health problems. Certain materials used to make pots and pans can leach into your food, and while it may not be enough to cause issues alone, your exposure through other means (microwave popcorn and cosmetics, for example) in addition to your toxic cookware can spell trouble.
Aluminum and Teflon-coated cookware are the most dangerous. Look in your cabinets, and choose one or two pans to replace at a time. When shopping for new cookware, look for non-toxic, non-stick pans made from safe materials like ceramic or stone. This will help you prepare safer and healthier meals for yourself and your family.
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Smoking
Besides the calming effects most smokers claim, there really aren’t many positives to smoking. The habit is expensive, causes serious health issues, raises insurance premiums, and shortens your life expectancy by an average of ten years. Everyone who smokes knows the consequences, but they never fully accept that anything bad will happen to them. If you’re hooked, the sooner you find a way to kick the habit, the better off you’ll be financially, medically, and socially.
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Alcohol
Some people drink occasionally to be social. Others – some 15.1 million, to be exact – live with chronic alcoholism. Not only is excessive alcohol use expensive, but it’s also dangerous to your health and the health and safety of those around you.
Nearly 89,000 people die annually due to alcohol-related causes, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. If you fall into the excessive alcohol use category, finding a rehab facility to help you stop drinking can literally save your or someone else’s life.
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Fast Food
Fast food is unhealthy, no matter how you look at it. Fried, fat-laden foods contribute to high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more. Eating a diet of mostly fast foods will ultimately lead to poor health and financial loss.
Your busy life may leave you little time for grocery shopping or cooking, but making time for these things and cutting fast food from your diet (except for occasionally) will save you money and help you live longer.
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Online Shopping
Are you addicted to online shopping? It’s so easy and convenient that many people find themselves shopping online for everything from clothing to household supplies and more. The problem is that they do this whether they need the items or not.
An addiction to online shopping can empty your bank account fast and drive credit card balances up even faster. Your relationships may suffer as money woes take over. You may even end up having to declare bankruptcy because of your compulsive spending habits. As with any other addiction, there is help for a shopping addiction.
Everyone has habits they turn to that help them cope with their feelings and stress. It’s when these behaviors disrupt your life and wreak havoc that they need to go. If you use any of the vices listed above, kicking the habits will greatly improve your life.
