DELBERTM

Has anybody else found that they can become addicted to other things quite easily,I myself am addicted to caffeine and sweets

ds13099

OH yes, i became addicted to gaming online...
I was addicted to different things the Steps helped me with all of them...

silentrun

The sugar got to me too. It was such a good substitute in the beginning. The intensity of the urges are no where near as strong though.

nomis

I think science has a name for this, instead of addictive personality. It's called a reward-deficit disorder. Essentially your brain, usually due to stress-related reasons, doesn't produce enough of the good, pleasure seeking chemicals on it's own. So those who suffer from this grab and hang onto to any substances, which basically take a bat to the dopamine hive, and get the brain to start producing them.

NYCDoglvr

Alcoholism isn't a disease of the elbow, it's classified as a mental illness by the American Medical Association. It's the norm for addicts to "trade up addictions" ... gambling, shopping, anything. In AA and therapy we get the tools to stop acting out on these obsessions: if one is good, 27 is better.

zjw

I dunno that I get addicted. I think I kinda am addicted to exercise. But i dont feel so bad about that. My main thing is I obsess. I'll pick a topic problem or issue and i'll obsess over it endlessly. I have such a hard time changeing my train of thought. I've been better about it since I sobered up but I'll obsess over having enough money to make ends meet endlessly. Or if something breaks that needs fixing I will obsess over it till its fixed then when its fixed i'll continue to obsess over it thinking about if the fix will work etc.. its stupid too it could be a minor problem and i'll think ok i can fix that in 5 days when i have the time for the next 5 days i'll obsess over it. its really maddening.

doggonecarl

The words "addict" "addicted" and "addiction" tend to get thrown around quite easily. Is coffee and sweets making your life unmanageable?

Berrybean

I found that sugar WAS actually making my life unmanageable - not that I realised how much until I stopped having it (I've only been eating things with less than 3% sugar) about a month ago (much easier than quitting alcohol, obviously- first 2 days hard and easy after that). If I ate high sugar stuff then I just couldn't stop - so a whole box of fudge would go in ten mins, even if I'd genuinely only intended to have one bitty piece. A whole pack of biscuits easily noshed, despite promising myself I'd only have one or two. I was struggling with depression and anxiety big time, and was always hungry / eating, which had obvious implications for weight and self-esteem. I have also stolen chocolate bars and biscuits at work when I've started my cravings for the days and had no legitimate access to more. Since stopping it my moods have levelled out and I'm coping much better with stress. My appetite has also normalised - I can tell when I'm full now - so I'm losing weight. My pupils would seriously dilate when I'd started on the sweet stuff as well - is that a sign?

I think the same brain / pleasure signals may have also been the reason for me acting like a bitch on heat since I was 12 years old as well. I never, ever planned for things to go too far, but once the fun started I wouldn't be able to control myself no matter what I'd promised myself beforehand. I could never understand how things could spiral so far out of control.

I'm sure I read in an old Runners World magazine that in some prisons they'd discourage(d) recovering addicts from taking up running as it could get too addictive and they'd end up doing too much too soon and risk seriously injuring myself.

I definitely feel like my reactions to anything that are pleasurable are extreme compared to a lot of people. Yet if I stay away from those things completely I can cope well.

I'll just have to make sure I don't do anything pleasurable eh!! Lol

dsmaxis10

Nicotine junky off smokes almost a few a day vaping saving money. Caffeine I use to drink like 16 ten ounce cups of coffee a day down to 3 or 4 better sleep.

alaina742

Actually food addiction makes a lot of people's lives unmanageable. That's why there's OA.

GoesWithTheFlow

Yes, I think I do have an addictive personality. If I find something I really like, I want to do that particular thing until I don't get pleasure from doing it anymore or if there is an end to my particular addiction the until it's over. I try really hard not to get involved with other things that can become vices if I start.

Della1968

That's why I never tried most drugs I was always afraid I would get hooked.

thisisme

I get addicted to anything I like.

If I buy a video game I will play it all the time.
If I buy a bag of cookies I will eat the whole bag.

The trick for me was getting addicted to good things, like financial planning, e books, career courses like lynda.com and CBT Nuggets,outdoors- Kayaking and walking.

I love my addiction, IT SERVES ME well now, yet always tugs it's leash. Always trying to escape. I won't let it. It serves me now, not the other way around.

zjw

I feel in my case my food issues where very simlier to my alcohol issues. I used the I learned to beat alcohol to help me stick to a better diet etc...

It seems there should be more support / awareness out there for folks with food issues.

I find people can have worse trouble kicking bad dietary habits then kciking drugs and booze etc..

its seems like society doesnt see dietary issues from the same viewpoint as they see drug issues.

Of course I dont think society sees alcohol issues in the same light as it sees drug issues either.

I almost wonder if we could have greater success combating obesity etc.. if we went after it like we do drug addiction etc..?

course we go after all these other addictions and we still have addicts so I guess it is what it is.