I am glad you are not a famous personage and are therefore able to share how it really is for you as you live your frequently-inspiring life, putting your money where your mouth is.

Encouragement to AdifferentBeth: A woman I admired once told me she was simply crazy for a year after she stopped smoking so when I stopped, which I never expected I would or could, I decided to give myself a year in which to be crazy. That year was HARD, but it was worth every minute of craziness and discomfort to finally stop missing my former best friend and crutch, cigarettes.

Can't wait to be close to a Whole Foods again! I will be doing the above named!

How many books have been written about celebrities in which the title subject turns out to be a monster though we, the audience, love the on-stage or on-screen persona? The person may be in a private hell but we see incredible things take place when this person seeks relief under the spotlights.

This isn't to say you are a monster, only to say that we all are, more or less, driven by something or other to seek relief or, better said, balance.

Ludwig von Mises said it was the human condition to endlessly relieve "uneasiness" – hence we consume and capitalism is the best answer yet to this human condition of seeking relief.

Remember the classic movie Koyaanisqatsi which means "life out of balance"? If anyone hasn't seen it they should, because it shows how our entire culture is a kind of individual madness writ large – an ant colony on speed.

What is Buddhist practice but a way of stepping out of this relentless addiction to churning action that brings no relief and when was this philosophy put forth? 2600 years ago.

You know by now that I am a materialist – there is nothing about us that cannot be explained by our physical existence as a bag of chemicals. We are more elaborate than an ant or a plant but all life knows some kind of pleasure in the sense of this relief from unbalance because life is by its nature unresting.

Our brains are incredibly complex chemical organs, so how surprising is it that humans should exhibit an incredible range of pleasure-seeking, addictive behaviors? We are all looking for an out.

And, most important, we are all losers. From Bill Gates to the bum on the street we all lose everything after a few decades at most. That is the ultimate relief from our condition yet, ironically, it is the thing we fear the most!

In this way, what is life for anyone but simply pick your poison?

To me, the only solution is one you are pursuing as well – to seek escape from inherent human madness by looking at life in a different way. That is the only meaningful relief – to be able to stand apart in a quiet mental state and observe without judgment, gaining peace from the simple knowledge that things are, that you yourself are, and that when you are not it will be no more to be lamented than a pebble sinking beneath the water with ripples that only momentary disturb the smooth surface of what is.

I found your blog through 100 Must Read Blogs… By Women, and have just finished working my way through the archives.

One of the things I've noticed from reading about two years of your life in a few days is that you have made such incredible changes not only to your own life but to the world around you. It's a bit difficult for you to see, living day-to-day, but seeing the big picture I am inspired & filled with incredible amounts of love for you. More people should have your wonderful nature.

Addiction is a bitch. Try your best &try to remember all the good you do despite it. No-one and nothing is perfect, right?

There – I've admitted it. I'm an ex-fattie (yep, as in card-carrying, over 200 pounds/100 kilograms, kick-starts jumbo jets type fattie).

I've managed to keep my weight in the healthy range now for four years, but don't think every day doesn't present its own challenges. Because it does.

The key to a successful life isn't being having no weaknesses. It's accepting you have weaknesses and then fighting them, and winning the fight overall, even if some days you still lose.

I think you're a winner. Keep on fighting the good fight, Beth!

I'm happy that the cats are able to help you clean out your pantry. But I"m still going to look for plastic free kitty treats because that's what I do – look for and try out all of those little green options. :)

I'm even happier that you're taking care of yourself. I send healing energy and good thoughts your way. -Lisa

Fresh and Feisty — I have actually been working on maintaining a gluten-free diet for the past two weeks or so, ever since another reader of this blog suggested it. Not sure yet if it's helping, but I'm determined to hang in there for at least a few months to see if I notice a positive difference. And yeah, it's pretty hard not to eat bread, cookies, brownies, and all the other goodies I've depended on. That's the reason I've started keeping little boiled potatoes in the fridge.

MonkeyJen – you are so clever! (Hugs)

Cheers and props to anyone else dealing with addictions. I'm right there with you!