We are all trapped by some kind of addiction. From more socially acceptable coffee, candies, or sports activities, to less socially acceptable ones such as cigarette, alcohol, cellphones, to the infamous addictions including drugs. Addiction is hard to get rid off, especially those that are not that harmful, or if used properly, bring more joys than the damage it does physically or mentally, so we don’t want to get rid off entirely. E.g., if we use cellphone to surf social networks less than 30 minutes a day, we don’t feel it takes a big chunk of our valuable time and mental energy, but we have a feeling of still keeping touch with friends. The same to the alcohol. Who does not enjoy a glass of wine in each dinner? But getting drunk all day long is not what we want.

In addition, if we use the addiction material excessively, the joy we get from it diminishing because our neuron gets adapted and a higher dose is needed. A rational decision is to use them less frequently.

As human beings, we are all irrational. It is very hard to control the usages of this addicting materials by ourselves, especially when we don’t have a strong goal to completely get rid off them. We always find excuse to use them more.

In this article we introduce some tools that can help you to defeat the excuse or control the usage by external force. You can give it as a gift to you, your family members or friends who also struggle with some addiction problems.

1. Kitchen Safe: Time Locking Container 

This is a single piece of the best addiction control tool. You can put cellphone, cigarette, alcohol, or whatever you don’t want to touch in the next several hours or days in this box and lock it. You have to wait the timer to count down to zero before you can retrieve you thing. There is no override or hack around it. The only way to take the stuff out before the timeout is to break it. So be serious when you decide to use it! Buy here.

2. A Cheaper Alternative To the Kitchen Safe Timer Locking Container

This is $20 cheaper than the popular Kitchen Safe Timer Locking Container, but it basically has the same functionalities. It has a variety of color and a cylinder shape. According to some comments, it seems to be not as reliable as the Kitchen Safe. But give it a try if you want to try out this simple idea with less bucks. If you cannot withstand the addiction and have to break the container to get whatever you put inside earlier before the timer ends, you break a cheaper one :). Buy here.

3. A book – Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking

This is what I believe the best book for quit smoking. It does not tell you how nasty smoking is, what is the healthy impact, what are the adverse effect on social relationships, etc. We all know those cliches. And they are hardly useful. This book aims to disrupt your mindset of why you want smoke from the deepest in your mind. Believe me you will have a feeling of enlightenment after finishing the book. Buy here.

4. A book – The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

 I’ve read many books about the dark side of the digital driven world. But this book stands out of them. As a New York Times best seller, it gives many evidences on how the internet and cellphone occupied life style can ruin our brain. It is a must read for those who want to get a comprehensive view of the current researches toward this topic. Buy here.