Stoogy

I was today thinking about a lot of things that I have changed for the better in the last 6+ months and I am truly thankful for so many of these things! quitting alcohol was the single biggest change I have made and my life has more meaning generally these days, and this got me to thinking, things like coffee, sugar, TV, Internet and the list would go on and on no doubt, but what some consider to be addiction other people may consider these things to be a habit!

Does a habit eventually become an addiction? Maybe so as I hated my first ever taste of alcohol, thoughts?

Hope you guys are having a happy Wednesday.

ScottFromWI

That's a tough question, and I personally don't know if there is even an answer. If we knew what triggered a habit turning into an addiction, we could probably cure it - maybe we actually will someday.

LBrain

habits can become addictions, it is the reward section of the brain that makes us addicts, getting pleasure from doing something over time will 'train' your brain. you become addicted to it.

I am not having a happy wednesday. I finally got a call back from HR about med benefits and the internet fixer shows up. HR scheduled to call me back at 1130. Cable co was here 1/2 hour and left. Still waiting for my phone conference again... 1.5 hours later.
I'm handcuffed to the waiting game.

Stoogy

Sorry to hear that Brain, good luck with HR.

Nuudawn

Funny you should bring that up as I have been giving alot a thought to that very thing this past few weeks...in all areas.
A couple weeks ago I was out for breakfast and I had an upset tummy (ya..I had a hangover) and my knee jerk was to order coffee..and for some reason I thought how I really didn't want coffee...so I ordered tea with milk (like first time ever) and it was lovely but it got me thinking......
I make so many decisions just from rote...without pausing to think is this what I want, need etc...
Sorry..I think I deviated from the question a bit but I do think habit has a stranglehold in addiction yes.
Years ago I couldn't drive my car, or put on makeup without a cigarette in my hand...thought I never could. I still battle nicotine addiction (on the patch...again) but I haven't put on makeup or smoked in my vehicle in years.

PurpleKnight

How many newcomers come to SR, who can't break the habit/cycle of drinking?

The phrases used are, how do I live without drinking? what do I do in the evenings? I'll be bored without drinking!! . . . so I do think habit has a huge part to play in addiction.

Doing what we've always done for years is tough to change, habit is right up there with dealing with addiction, whether it's the same thing or not on some levels, it certainly is an issue in taking those first few steps of Sobriety for many!!

Stoogy

So on some level, does anyone think people who may have issues can sometimes play down an addiction by calling it a habit? It does make it sounds a bit more benign doesn't it?

PurpleKnight

I'd say so, I came home from work and drank until bedtime, that was a habit, a daily routine, in my head I was lying to myself by saying I can cut my drinking out anytime I want, I'll do it next year, maybe join a gym, take up a few hobbies, yeah I can do that at anytime, drinking isn't an addiction, just a habit that I'll cut out in the future.

The problem was, when I actually tried to "cut it out", it took almost a year to deal with it, does that sound like something on an even par to biting your finger nails or not making your bed in the morning?

It was a tad more serious!! . . . Drinking had taken a greater hold on me, the line between habit and addiction had been blurred!!

Verte

Fun question Stoogy, really.

I've thought so much about this one because I function really well on my own, in my own environment. If left to my own devices I would 'dirtbag' it for as long as I possibly could. Habits run rampant in an environment like that...and they have really.

Reading, studying, working, coffee, smoking, thinking, drinking, isolation. Of course...this is the negative spin. I personally still loved all my bad habits until I learned to hate them or moderate them.

Luckily I have had people call me out on my bad habits...at least the socially unacceptable ones. But I never really had anyone call me out on drinking though and probably only because I do not tolerate alcohol, even in small quantities - this says a lot about our society in general and my environment in particular.

**I should add, or just remind, that marketing capitalizes on our habit and addiction capacity in every area possible. Once you start looking for this it becomes a sort of game. One of my favorite dreams is to one day click on the 'buy the entire collection' button at the bottom of every single new seasonal Chanel make-up presentation. I definitely have the capacity to live in a house alone, 'dirt bagging' it while surrounded by the loveliest rose-smelling collection of Chanel, ever! - for now just one or two blushes will do with that.

Moderation when possible. When not possible then recovery.

Verte

Hi Stoogy,

If you could have an injection, an immunization, for addiction...what would it do for you?

What would the side effects be for you? (no side effects is not a option)

How long would you want the immunization to last? Why?

Stoogy

Waw, that's a real thinker, I will get back to you on that one!

Verte

Stoogy. Right back at you. I first responded to your thread and then kept asking and answering questions until your original question was drowned out somewhere in there. So scrapped it. Then I wondered what all the people in addiction medicine have figured out and wish and hope for people?

What are the thoughts and dreams for people after seeing so many struggle? I'm so new to the whole ball-game but cannot help but wonder if an immunization is even desirable for something like addiction? And then what would it 'snuff' out?

Yes. I'm thinking today. It is raining here. Great weather for the thinking cap

Definitely NOT intending to hijack your thread with this and can start another if you like. I am just curious about your thoughts

zjw

yeah I think a habit can become an addiction. Take a poor diet for example so many folks have such a hard time cleaning up there dietary choices and sticking too good food choices etc.. I'd go so far as to say most of these same people suffer from food addiction to all the wrong foods etc... I'd even say its probably just as bad for your health as booze or drugs even etc.. and many people suffer from this.

Stoogy

You make great points, you really do. This thread may really take off here once we get everyone here sharing your thinking cap.

Raining here too, but then again it is Scotland ☁️⚡️⚡️☔️☔️☔️

Boleo

When I quit smoking, I simply resisted the urge to smoke ODAAT till the urges went away. It took about 3 weeks but by that time, the urges were small enough to where I knew I had tobacco licked. I then bragged to my sister about my accomplishment and she told me:

"You only smoked for 10 years. All you had was a bad habit. I smoked for 30 years. What I had was an addiction. You have no clue what it was like for me."

Aellyce

My answer is that some habits may become addictions but probably most don't. Habit is simply something that we do repeatedly, with some sort of regularity. Many routines are actually highly positive and beneficial. I think we do need a certain amount of habitual behavior for our life to be satisfying. Structure.

The problem starts when some of these become excessive, destructive, and we continue doing them despite of negative consequences.

grubby

Here's how i look at it: habits don't leave you with "withdrawal" symptoms once you stop.

Addiction is pretty simple, you're body grows accustomed physically, mentally, or both to XYZ substance over time........ and then when you stop or when XYZ substance is suddenly taken out of the equation, your body reacts violently.

That's what i've gleaned from around these parts anyway, habits are no big deal really............ i've gone from one habit to another habit to another habit pretty seamlessly throughout my life.

As a kid i got very into Pokemon cards.......... then one day i just lost interest and moved on.

I used to play WoW 4-6 hours a day........ then one day i just lost interest and dropped the habit.

I used to drink lots of soda pretty regularly........... then when i got smarter about all the bad stuff they put in it i lost interest and dropped the habit.

None of these things left any "residual effects" on me, addictions affect you long after you stop. Habits just disappear or change overnight. Also, everyone or 99.99% of people have their own personal habits............ but addictions are un-common.

My 2 cents.

jdooner

I might change to Hobby or Addiction. A hobby adds to ones life and an addiction takes from it. I learned this from Gabor Mate's In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. In his book a hungry ghost is an addiction, never satisfied (hungry) and not real (ghost).

A habit can turn into a hobby or an addiction.

DoubleBarrel

I was able to lie to myself for a long time that my excessive drinking was nothing but a bad habit.

When I quit, and went through PHYSICAL WITHDRAWALS, there could be no more denying that not only was I psychologically addicted, but physically as well.

Not really sure when the addiction crept in, but it certainly went hand in hand.

If you drink excessively on a regular basis, its inevitable.

jdooner

For me stopping a habit forming into an addiction is about mindfulness. I cannot rewire my brain completely. Between my genetics and my environmental stimulus I developed into and will always be an addict. What I have the power to change is how aware I am of my compulsive and obsessive behaviors. This means being honest and realizing as an addict I cannot drink any alcohol, ever. It means I cannot use a drug or mind altering substance ever. It means I need to be careful in terms of my nutrition so I don't substitute processed sugars, fats, and complex carbs to gain a high.

I have not changed but through mindfulness and self awareness I can build a program to cope naturally and abstain from the things that will steal for my life (addictions).