Breaking Habits: A Real, Human, Soul-Led Guide to Addiction, Homeopathy and Better Choices
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- 9 min read
Sometimes we wake up and realise a habit has quietly taken root. One minute it’s a harmless little thing, and the next minute it’s woven itself into our day with surprising strength. I’m no stranger to this. I can absolutely be hooked on movement, activity/restlessness, and chocolate. And whilst you may be like…’umm Martine, get a grip, it's not heroin, I am very much as watching the energy I do something from and my need for activity, movement etc. has definitely come from some weirdo energies in the past.
Some habits we keep in check….I’m not adverse to someone having a coffee a day for instance. Others slip in gently and suddenly we’re in a pattern we didn’t consciously choose….like when we look for sugar after every meal…
Addiction (heavy word I know, but stay with me) has many facets. One of them is simply being human. We really do need to lighten up a little with the 500‑hour morning routines and the pressure to be perfect. The truth is, we are here as souls to learn. It is okay to make mistakes. It is okay to fall down. It is okay to mess up. Life moves in tides, and sometimes those tides bring wake‑up calls. They might be health-related. They might come from something someone said. Or they might come from that quiet inner voice that says, I want to be a better human being.
When we decide to shift a habit, we’re not just dealing with the physical pattern. We’re dealing with the emotional and mental layers underneath it. Homeopathics used in an acute nature can support this process beautifully, but they are not here to save the day. They are companions. They work alongside whatever else you’re doing to break the pattern, soften the edges, and help the body and mind recalibrate.
We save the deeper work for constitutional homeopathic prescribing and other things you are drawn to to help you along the way.
Let's look at a few different forms of addiction we see floating around in our world these days and take a deeper look at common habits, why they form, and the remedies that can support the transition — with expanded explanations so you understand why each remedy helps.
Caffeine Addiction
Caffeine habits often form around exhaustion, adrenal depletion, overwork, and the belief that we must keep going. Emotionally, caffeine can reflect fear of slowing down, fear of being unproductive, or fear of facing what comes up in stillness. Essentially, it is our adrenals out of whack and seeking homeostasis through trying to function through the dips in our energy…
Homeopathic supports for both the caffeine addict and the one wanting to make better decisions
Nux vomica
For the wired‑tired person who pushes themselves too hard. Supports irritability, overstimulation, digestive strain, and the “I must keep going” mindset.
Coffea cruda
For racing thoughts, mental overstimulation, and the internal buzz that caffeine amplifies. Helps calm the mind without sedation.
Ignatia
For emotional tension, perfectionism, and suppressed frustration — often the emotional drivers behind caffeine reliance.
Phosphoric acid
For burnout, mental exhaustion, and depletion from chronic stress.
Holistic supports - ok these lists could be so big, but I shall endeavour to keep it super simple for each one:
Protein in the morning
Hydration before stimulation
Nervous system down‑training
Restorative movement instead of intensity
Adrenal support
Liver support
Exercise in nature
Emotional perspective
Louise Hay names this form of addiction related to a deep fear of slowing down. Inna Segal, adrenal depletion and inability to receive rest.
Sugar Addiction
Sugar addiction is often tied to comfort, soothing, emotional buffering, and childhood patterning. Sugar is a hug in disguise. It’s also a dopamine hit when life feels flat.
Homeopathic supports for sugar
Saccarum officinale - this was the one that resolved my addiction, which was a result of growing up on lollies from the corner shop and a pantry filled with spacefood sticks, honey jumbles, jelly and cordial in the fridge - you name it - it was there!
For emotional sweetness, comfort seeking, childhood wounds, and the desire for reassurance.
Argentum nitricum
For impulsive cravings, anxiety-driven eating, and the “quick fix” mentality.
Lycopodium
For late‑day sugar cravings, fatigue, digestive sluggishness, and emotional overwhelm - this remedy still remains one of my main go-to remedies
Calc carb
For emotional eating, overwhelm, and the need for grounding.
Holistic supports
Protein and fat at every meal
Removing hidden sugars
Nervous system regulation around emotional eating
Being an ‘ingredients house’ - ha!
Emotional perspective
Sugar cravings often reflect a desire for sweetness, comfort, reassurance, and emotional safety.
Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol habits often form around social anxiety, emotional numbing, stress relief, or the desire to soften the edges of life. One thing I have always seen in my clients is the quickness of this substance to really hook in tentacles of energy. Because it can be (initially) such a relaxer, such a vibe on the nervous system, it is also such a reach for many because they haven't learnt how to regulate their nervous systems in other ways - plus: it is STILL such a massive part of our society!
Homeopathic supports for alcohol
Agaricus
For alcohol cravings, nervous system imbalance, and the tendency to self-medicate intensity…warning, I have heard feedback about this one being one that can create a big aversion to alcohol so be ready!
Nux vomica
For irritability, overindulgence, liver strain, and the aftermath of alcohol. This is essentially known as our hangover remedy
Sulphur
Supports detox pathways, sluggish liver, inflammation, and the internal heat alcohol can create.
Quercus
Specifically indicated for alcohol dependence patterns and liver support.
Holistic supports
Liver nourishment
Nervous system grounding
Replacing the ritual with something nourishing
Emotional perspective
Alcohol often reflects avoidance, emotional buffering, or fear of feeling too much. We really need to understand just what this one is covering up.
Cannabis Addiction
Cannabis habits can form around anxiety, overstimulation, trauma, sleep issues, or the desire to escape intensity.
Homeopathic supports for cannabis
Cannabis indica
For overstimulation, dissociation, mental fog, and the desire to escape reality.
Avena sativa
Nourishes the nervous system and supports habit change gently.
Passiflora
For calming, sleep support, and anxiety.
Staphysagria
For emotional suppression, trauma, and boundary issues — often underlying cannabis use.
Holistic supports
Sleep hygiene
Trauma-informed nervous system work
Replacing the evening ritual with grounding practices
Emotional perspective
Cannabis habits often reflect a desire to escape intensity, soften emotional pain, or create artificial calm. In a world where many of us feel as though we don’t fit into the hustle and bustle, this one can be super appealing for bringing in ‘bob Marley’ chill the F out vibes…. But again, how can we learn to be in this peace without external ‘assistance’?
Overworking
A socially acceptable addiction that burns people out quietly. We are taught to work hard… omg, I can go into this so much but we get the gist of it - we are all trying to find that ‘balance’ in a world that challenges self sovereignty….again, I can go on about this but you get the point…
Homeopathic supports
Nux vomica
For the driven, exhausted, irritable overworker.
Arsenicum album
For perfectionism, anxiety, and fear of losing control.
Carcinosin
For childhood conditioning, people-pleasing, and over-responsibility.
Sepia
For depletion, emotional detachment, and burnout.
Emotional perspective
Fear of not being enough….the foundation of every human need… Childhood approval patterns. Perfectionism.
Doom‑scrolling / Phone Addiction
A modern addiction that hijacks dopamine and nervous system regulation.
Homeopathic supports
Phosphorus
For overstimulation, sensitivity, and emotional absorption.
Coffea cruda
For mental buzz, racing thoughts, and overstimulation.
Argentum nitricum
For impulsivity, anxiety, and compulsive checking.
Gelsemium
For nervous exhaustion, fear-based anticipation, and overstimulation.
Emotional perspective
Avoidance, overstimulation, fear of stillness, craving connection.
The real point
Breaking habits isn’t about perfection. It’s about awareness. It’s about noticing when something has crept in and deciding to shift it. Homeopathics can support the emotional, mental, and physical layers of that shift, but the real transformation comes from the soul-level decision to grow.
Now, you can end this blog here if you have had enough, but for those wanting to take the journey further, I want you to answer the ‘general habit’ questions, then scroll to the ‘habit’ you most relate to and do some journaling on them….
Questions That Reveal the Real Reasons Behind Our Habits
Habits don’t form out of nowhere. They grow out of exhaustion, unmet needs, emotional buffering, nervous system patterns, childhood conditioning, and sometimes just the simple fact that being human is messy. These questions may help you understand what’s underneath the behaviour so they you shift it with clarity rather than shame.
General Habit Insight Questions
These work for any addiction or pattern.
What does this habit give you in the moment that you feel you can’t give yourself?
What feeling are you avoiding when you reach for this habit?
What feeling are you trying to create?
When did this habit first become comforting or familiar?
What part of you feels safer when you do it?
What part of you feels worse afterwards?
If this habit could speak, what would it say it’s protecting you from?
What would you need emotionally to not rely on this habit?
What is the version of you who doesn’t need this habit doing differently?
What is the smallest shift you could make today that doesn’t overwhelm your nervous system?
Caffeine Habit Questions
Caffeine is rarely about coffee. It’s about pace, pressure, and fear of slowing down.
What happens inside you when you imagine starting the day without stimulation?
What part of you believes you must be “on” all the time?
What are you afraid will surface if you slow down?
What does caffeine help you avoid feeling?
Where did you learn that rest equals weakness?
Sugar Habit Questions
Sugar is comfort, soothing, childhood patterning, and emotional buffering.
What emotion are you trying to soften when you reach for sugar?
What does sweetness represent to you emotionally?
When did sugar first become a source of comfort?
What part of your day feels empty, flat, or lonely?
What would you need to feel nourished without food?
Alcohol Habit Questions
Alcohol is often about numbing, softening edges, or avoiding intensity.
What part of your life feels too sharp without alcohol?
What emotions feel “too much” to sit with sober?
What does alcohol allow you to express that you suppress otherwise?
What social situations feel unsafe without a drink?
What truth about your life becomes louder when you stop drinking?
Cannabis Habit Questions
Cannabis is often about escape, dissociation, overstimulation, or trauma.
What part of your reality feels too intense to stay fully present with?
What sensations or thoughts feel overwhelming without cannabis?
What does cannabis help you disconnect from?
What would you need to feel safe in your own body?
What does your nervous system crave that cannabis temporarily provides?
Doom‑Scrolling / Phone Addiction Questions
This one is huge. Doom‑scrolling is rarely about information. It’s about nervous system dysregulation, avoidance, overstimulation, and the inability to wind down.
What feeling arises when you put your phone down and sit in silence?
What part of you fears stillness?
What are you avoiding by scrolling?
What does your nervous system crave that scrolling temporarily satisfies?
What would you be doing if you weren’t scrolling — and what about that feels confronting?
What time of day do you scroll the most, and what is happening emotionally at that time?
What does your body feel like right before you reach for your phone?
What would you need to feel “wound down enough” to read, rest, or reset without stimulation?
Overworking Habit Questions
Overworking is a socially acceptable addiction rooted in fear, approval, and childhood conditioning.
Who are you trying to prove yourself to?
What do you fear will happen if you stop?
What part of you believes your worth is tied to productivity?
What childhood pattern is being replayed through your work ethic?
What would rest look like if it didn’t feel dangerous?
Two Additional Addictions You Can Use
These are great for expanding your blog series.
Perfectionism
What part of you fears being seen as imperfect?
Who taught you that mistakes were unsafe?
What do you believe will happen if you relax your standards?
What emotion arises when you imagine doing something “just okay”?
People‑pleasing
Who are you afraid of disappointing?
What do you fear losing if you say no?
What part of you believes your needs are less important?
What would it mean to choose yourself first?
So Where Does This Leave You?
What did you just have an ‘aha’ moment about - what did you just discover???
Awareness is always the first step. Once you see the pattern, you can’t unsee it. And that’s the gift. Habits don’t dissolve through shame or force — they dissolve through understanding. Through noticing. Through choosing differently one small moment at a time.
Maybe your aha moment was realising that your habit isn’t random — it’s protective. Maybe you saw that your nervous system is doing the best it can with the tools it has. Maybe you realised you’ve been buffering emotions you didn’t feel ready to meet. Or maybe you simply recognised that you’ve been running on empty and reaching for whatever gives you a quick hit of relief.
Whatever surfaced, let it be information rather than judgement.
This is the part where you get to choose. Not perfectly. Not dramatically. Just consciously.
Homeopathics can support the emotional, mental and physical layers of change. Nervous system work can help you regulate the urges. Holistic practices can help you feel nourished enough to not need the habit. But the real shift comes from the moment you say: I’m ready to do this differently.
So ask yourself again:
What did you just have an ‘aha’ moment about — what did you just discover?
And more importantly:
What’s the next tiny step you’re willing to take from here?
Because that’s how habits change.
Not through force.
Through awareness, choice, and soul-led curiosity.
Love,
Martine x
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