I’ve enjoyed some of your posts in the past, but while reading this, I was set back and very surprised about some of the statements.

I find a statement like…

If you’re trying to stop drinking alcohol, you must stop being 1) around people that drink alcohol and 2) at places that serve alcohol. Your willpower will fail if you don’t.

… simple wrong and outright dangerous.

Willpower is one of the most important, if not THE most important ingredient to even start a change! It is, therefore, concerning to read that willpower gets you nowhere and you will crumble if you don’t change your environment.

Since, the will to change, is actually the spark and also the ongoing drive to keep on going on this path, I strongly believe that one has to surround himself with things that benefit and support his decision. If you have a strong mind, i.e. willpower, you will be able to resist temptations, independent of the environment.

Simply changing the environment will not do you any good as you will come upon the temptation in one form or the other and then will succumb to it again (unless you decide to move into a cave away from civilization). Hence, willpower is one of the strongest things to develop and to cultivate.