u003ch3u003eRelapse Workshop: Addictive Behaviorsu003c/h3u003ernu003cemu003eIn this lesson, we’re going to talk about other addictive behaviors.u003c/emu003ernrnSo as humans, we tend to solve our problems by avoiding them or controlling them. And this works fine with external things, but it typically doesn’t work well with internal processes such as thoughts, feelings, physical sensations or memories.rnrnThere are things that we do as humans that we use to deal with our inner world. We tend to want to get rid of unpleasant feelings and thoughts. In other words, we want to avoid. And we tend to want to hold on to pleasant thoughts and feelings. We want to control them.rnrnWhen we rely on these strategies repeatedly, they can become addictive and unhealthy as a coping mechanism. This may seem a little strange, but stay with me.rnrnThis includes seemingly healthy things like working, cleaning or exercising.rnrnSo getting to know our other addictive behaviors can really help us to maintain sobriety from drugs and alcohol. The more awareness we have, the less likely we are to react in impulsive ways.rnrnu003cstrongu003eSo some potential cross addictions we may have is:u003c/strongu003ernu003culu003ern tu003cliu003eUsing nicotineu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eSexu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eCaffeineu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003ePornographyu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eWatching TVu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eMasturbationu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003ePlaying video gamesu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eGamblingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eCleaningu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eOrganizingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eWorkingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eUsing social mediau003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eShoppingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eEating when you’re not hungryu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eDietingu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eExerciseu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eSleepu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eGossipu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eCutting or harming yourselfu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003eIsolationu003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003ernAre there any others you can think of? Often we develop addictions as a way of coping with emotions. Now I want you to realize these behaviors that are listed are very normal behaviors that humans do. They aren’t always addictive just because you’re using them. We will work through and talk about how to know when they’re getting to be addictive for you.rnrnWhen we stop using alcohol or drugs, we can feel overwhelmed by the emotions that we now have more exposure to. It’s common to use these other behaviors in an addictive way to replace the drugs or alcohol that we were using to cope with them. It’s also common that these behaviors were used in conjunction with drugs and alcohol. So we need to get to know all of the ways in which we numb our feelings to begin to develop more effective, less destructive ways of coping with difficult emotions.rnrnFor any of the behaviors you identified as a potential cross addiction, I want you to explore the following. This is a way of identifying whether or not this is a harmful behavior for you.rnrnSo what would happen if you use this behavior every day for six months? How might it impact your physical health, your mental health, your productivity at work or school, your relationship with friends and family, and your finances?rnrnAnd if it doesn’t have an impact on these things, then there’s nothing wrong with continuing that behavior. If it does have an impact, it might be something you want to take a look at as a thing you’re using ineffectively or in an addictive manner. And you might also want to ask yourself….. What if you used it every day for 10 years? Would that change anything about it?rnrnu003cstrongu003eAnd so next we are going to be developing an action plan and an escape plan.u003c/strongu003ernrnThank you for choosing The Recovery Village. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse and would like to find out more about the programs we offer, please reach out to us directly atu003ca href=u0022tel:855-387-3291u0022u003e 855-387-3291u003c/au003e.
