The day I quit drinking, I bought a pack of cigarettes and laid a bet on the horses. This was at around 10 in the morning.
I would exhibit many other forms of "filling the hole" for the next 3 years. I would exhibit shopping addiction and food addiction. I have shared in my AA rooms how I chased a jacket on sale for 3 days....following it from one warehouse outlet to the other in an almost manic state.
The difference? I can now identify when I am going into addictive behavior. I could never do that before, when I drank. Thanks to the steps when I find myself going for that chocolate bar or that sale item...or that vacation....I think: am I trying to meet a need here? The same need I filled with alcohol?
Now I have the freedom to identify and then stop that behavior.
No, it is not easy. Sometimes I want to shop/eat like there is no tomorrow. But at least now I know when it is happening and what I can do about it.