Breaking my Amazon Prime Addiction

The title of this article probably hit a cord with some of you reading this.  Because Amazon Prime has made shopping extremely convenient and we don’t have to leave the comfort of our home.  We can order anything from food to electronics and it normally arrives within two days.

When you are a busy, working individual, this is incredibly appealing.  You also have the benefits of reviews, to see how other “purchasers” feel about their purchase.  We have the option of choosing only the products that are available on Prime, and we can choose only 4-5 star reviewed products.  It is like we have all these friends who are telling us, “yes I loved that gadget,” to “don’t waste your money.”

When I hit the road on my “Flying Solo” journey, I knew I would have to take a break from Amazon Prime, but did I ever give it a good final run before leaving.  I bought just about everything I needed from my Coleman Cook stove to my Igloo fridge.  I bought extra batteries, battery operated lanterns, solar chargers and special gadgets to make my trip, more comfortable.  Some things worked out and others were in the category of “don’t waste your money.”  In the end, it was more positive than negative, which is why I continued to remain addicted.

The Amazon delivery trucks visited my home in Arizona, almost daily.  There was always something I needed.  But as I was getting ready to go on my journey, I had to assess the difference between what I actually needed and what was just feeding my addiction.  I actually had a bit of anxiety as I realized I didn’t have two days left to place any last-minute orders.

The “wake up” call came when my Quickbooks program revealed that I had over $6,000 dollars worth of Amazon purchases last year.  Some people would say that was low.  I purchased a new computer and various business necessities, but it was a reality check for me.  I had to ask the question “how much of this do I actually need and how much is just filling a gap?”

As I pulled out on my “Flying Solo” journey, I actually had far more packed in my Van than I needed.  I was ready to start throwing things out the window, or giving them away.  Instead, I reorganized and made what I was actually using or wearing on a daily basis more easily accessible.  The moral of that story….”next time pack lighter.”  More space, less stuff, has become my new motto.

It takes approximately thirty days to break a habit, or form a new one.  If this is truly the case, then thirty days into my trip, my habit was changed.  This was a great benefit of the journey.  I was no longer addicted to Amazon Prime, because I no longer had access to my drug.  Sure, I could find a friend or family member where I could order while visiting and the merchandise would arrive during my visit.  I did think of that.  But I didn’t follow through.  It seemed rather ridiculous.  After the first thirty days, I could see just how ridiculous it was.

Lack of availability of one’s drug, makes it so much easier to break an addiction.

Okay, so now I am going to get really honest.  I work with addictions!  I know what it is to be so addicted to something or someone, our ability to function in the world is slim to none.  I have had a severe eating disorder and also the same addiction to an ex-narcissistic partner that most people experience in this situation.  My Amazon Prime addiction was nothing like that.  Once I left my house, I didn’t really think about it, unless I felt I needed something, I normally ordered through Prime.  So, it was really more a habit than an addiction.  A habit becomes an addiction when our life becomes unbalanced and unmanageable as a result and we lose healthy functioning.  This happens a lot with Computer/Internet/Cellphone addiction.

Another benefit of my Flying Solo journey is that I have spent far less time on the computer and Internet.  It was so easy, in the evening, to just plug in and tune out the world as I watched youtube video’s and read interesting articles.  When I don’t have electricity or Internet, which was frequent on this trip, the temptation is removed.  As I said, lack of access to our addiction makes it much easier to stay away from it.

For me if Internet and electricity was truly an addiction, I would have had to plan my trip around locations where I had access.  Sometimes this was important, such as on my work days.  But I enjoyed being further out in nature where there was no signal.  Where I am camping, while writing this article, I’m fourteen miles out of town, where there is no signal.  I drive the 28 miles a day so that I can work.  But I have gained a new appreciation for not always being “plugged in.”  I appreciate the ability to “plug in” to nature and get fed from this powerful energy.

What will happen when I return home and have all the conveniences of Internet, electricity, a large clothing closet and Amazon Prime?  It is my hope, I will have learned from this journey and incorporate a much more minimalistic lifestyle.  I hope to take my van often to natural places and just kick back and write.

I’ve taken to writing in my journal because it is always available and doesn’t require anything but a creative mind and a functional pen.  I have to go through the inconvenience of transposing later, but this is okay, because it gives me the opportunity to refine and edit my writing.

Learning to be more minimalistic and “unplugged” is probably the greatest gift of this journey so far.  It is something I can take with me.

Learn to be happy with less. 

It is so ironic that as I write this, I am listening to Matt Kahn, a favorite spiritual teacher of mine, and he is talking about how too many options actually creates unhappiness.  Wow!

Yes, I am writing and listening at the same time.  Multi-tasking.  But so interesting how the same lessons come to us from all directions, when it is time to learn them.

I am an eager student of life and so very grateful for these lessons; the lessons that make my life richer, deeper and more spiritually connected.  Some lessons are easier to learn and others much more difficult, but they all are valuable, nevertheless.

And so the journey continues…..