froscow

hello everyone.

i'm 15 months sober from alcohol...and life now compared to life before I quit is like night and day. I can't even imagine going back to that place.

however....I find I still indulge in other things compulsively from time to time (food,sex,cigarettes,marijuana). the marijuana can sometimes give me mixed feelings because some people wouldn't even consider me sober technically. I justify it with the fact that it doesn't obliterate my life like drinking did, and that I'm not a heavy smoker...but then there's a small part of me too that feels guilty that I haven't completely curbed that addictive part of my brain. And that applies to other things I mentioned too (food, sex, cigarettes)

I would say that I don't smoke weed heavily, it doesn't interfere my job and relationships, etc. It gives me a new perspective on certain problems and situations... but it just sounds like i'm trying to justify myself.

Does anyone else have addictive behaviors continue on long after quitting alcohol?

Despite all being said, I'm still proud as hell for being 15 months free from the poison.

joey8262

well in for staying the 15 months-the weed thing is more like a crutch, you can live without it whereas a drink would have you like a withdrawing heroin addict within hours of you waking up and having none, oh and it can also kill you stone dead !! I've just hit 2 years off the off the stuff and you know what-i'm not doing cartwheels around a field full of unicorns...........but it's better than waking up every day with that dread you get until you have that first mouthful.

besides that-if weed's so damaging-then why is half of the USA selling it legally......and lots of it ??? alcohol leaves you with chemical dependency-weed leaves you with a spotless house and money in your pocket.

PeacefulWater12

I have a whole selection of addictions. I have to work hard to keep them all dormant.

joey8262

it's definitely a personality trait-i have 2 brothers close in age to me and they don't bother with drink. . . . .so it's not a surroundings/upbringing thing-it's in your personality-it's got to be.

I've noticed that since i've stopped drinking i've got to have TWO of everything-literally 2 of everything......if i have 1 it'll go in a cupboard or the bin until i get another to make the 2 up-doesn't matter what it is-i've got 2 coffee makers and I live ALONE !!!!! it is, it's a personality thing-I'm convinced of it.

Stayingsassy

Lord, yes.

I struggle hard with food addiction. Binging on alcohol kept me slim, I just switched it for food, but in sobriety food binging is just my reality. It’s not going to stop. I gotta broken brain .

How I handle it is my obsession with exercise. I boulder, lift weights intensely most days of the week. I am so into exercise that it borders on addiction, I have to make myself not go to the gym. I binge every single time I eat, without fail; even when in a fed state, even boring food. So I exercise in a fasted state, then eat as nutritiously as I can after exercise. The end result is my weight is higher than it used to be, but my shape isn’t too bad, and I’m pretty stacked for a woman. .

I fast, I workout a ton, I binge on food. I do not use marijuana mainly cause I hate it, I just feel stupid on it. I don’t use any drugs at all. I am married so my propensity to abuse sex (long history of that) is channeled appropriately.

I’m an addict. Completely. Through and through. I just work around it the best I can. I have a brain that doesn’t do balance, and it doesn’t do moderation. It is what it is.

courage2

Hi froscow -
I sympathize with you. I know a woman who used to say of me that I have 5 trashcans and only 4 lids. I indulged in abuse outside my primary addiction for a few years after getting sober and it really messed me up in ways I'm still paying for. Since then I try to express my compulsivity in the most benign ways. Now, it's computer solitaire -- and even that is becoming a problem for me lol!

Re weed: When you go to smoke , do you have an argument with yourself and feel like "you" lost when you light up? Do you decide not to, and then suddenly "find yourself" smoking? Is that "new perspective on certain problems" helping you solve them?

You sound like a self-reflective person. Get a handle on this while you can.

And huge congratulations on 15 months!

froscow

thanks for the replies everyone


^^ very true. I just have to accept it and channel it in healthy ways.

No I don't feel like I lost or feel guilty about it. The new perspective on certain issues I get is refreshing...I have big OCD and anxiety issues and I think it allows me to look differently at certain problems that stem from those and not overthink everything. It also allows me to appreciate little things in life which I otherwise overlook.

I think doing other things like food, sex, cigarettes etc. compulsively are more destructive. For me anyway. The only reason I brung up the weed subject is that some people wouldn't consider me "sober" technically because it's a drug. In my mind, I'm sober. But other people would disagree. It feels odd.

Stayingsassy

Some people quit booze but still smoke weed. I don’t, but some do: just FYI there’s a no tolerance policy on promoting weed use at Sober Recovery. It’s considered substance abuse here, and there is a sub forum to help marijuana users quit.

I think mods don’t want people struggling to quit marijuana to be triggered by positive talk of marijuana use. it lets SR be a safe space for all sobriety seekers.

Cosima11

Cigarettes were by far the worst for me as it was an all day, every day thing. It was horrible to quit but I'm so glad I did. Then there was sex or even worse being addicted to a specific person/relationship- that one is rough too and still not really "resolved". But I've learned the hard way that flames of passion need air to breath if they're going to stay alive, lol.

I don't know the exact date but it's been over a year since I smoked weed, I used it rarely for sleep but I sleep fine these days. Thought it might be ok to take some xanax this one time, I was wrong. I had to quit sugar entirely for a while but now allow myself to have it about once a week. It's an elaborate ritual though, I have to go out and buy a single serving of something as I don't trust myself not to binge if I bring home a whole package. I've started doing yoga religiously and have been thinking of adding extra workouts on the days I don't go... so we'll see about that.

I'd probably be addicted to my career if I could manage to get it off the ground.. that may actually be the healthiest or at least most productive way of channeling my obsessive tendencies.

So yeah there's been a lot to untangle in this process of learning to live a balanced life. Still have things to improve on but it's good to acknowledge how far we've all come too. I'm not the person I was 20 months ago, that's for sure.

dsmaxis10

I vape a lot I'm on disability so I hit my vape 1,000 times a day . But I used to smoke 3 packs of cigs a day. it cost 21$ to smoke cigs and 6$ to vape all day. But I'm sure I can quit right now I'm weening myself of it. As far as the weed thing if person doesn't have a script and someone was taking Vicodin would you consider it a relapse. I know a lot of NFL players smoke weed for pain I know it's frowned upon in AA. Me go to the Big Book we don't have opinions about outside issues . Congrats on quitting drinking and improving your quality of life. Me I would I would not smoke it I hate weed it gives me real bad anxiety all forms of it . Some states it's legal I live in Michigan it is.

PeacefulWater12

Well said. This.

froscow

Sorry if it appeared that way, I'm definitely not trying to promote it, just talking about my own personal experience. But I can see how it could be perceived that way..I didn't really think before I typed.. I kind of regret mentioning it now.

Rd2quit

I was a heavy drinker up until 7 1/2 months ago. I also smoked weed 2 or 3 times a month. When I quit drinking I also quit smoking weed. I decided i want to be totally sober, not just quit drinking. I quit smoking 10 years ago and I never drank coffee so I'm good there. My biggest issue right now is sugar. I really like chocolate. I'm not overweight on hight/weight charts but I have about 15 pounds around the middle that I would like to lose. I started running and other cardio exercise. That has made me feel better but the sugar intake still needs to be addressed.

froscow

I feel your pain...I have such a sweet tooth and I've loved chocolate since I was little. I try to eat dark over milk as much as I can.

ScottFromWI

I personally feel that my addiction is part of me and that the substance itself is not the most important factor. Certainly alcohol was the substance I abused most, but even after I quit drinking it I exhibited some of the same behaviors towards other things. NA beer for example - I hid it, I chugged it and obsessed about it. Same with some of my OCD/anxiety tendencies. That's why for me sobriety means staying away from all substances that might make me "feel good" as I'd likely use them absusively - pot, alchohol of course, nicotine, etc.

But I also feel strongly that I needed to address my mental health issues to fully move forward. I couldn't do that until I quit drinking, but now that I have tackled some of them ( anxiety especially ) I see the interaction between them, and the need to continue to address them.

Rd2quit

Scott - interesting comment about NA beer. I know some people drink NA beer when they stop drinking. I did not, I felt it would not be good for my recovery.

Stayingsassy

I thought your post was fine, I just didn’t want your thread closed because of MJ talk! My post came off kind of harsh. Cross addictions are my main issue right now and I think it’s a valuable thread, I have been working to figure out how to deal with “my addict within.”

Stayingsassy

I drank whole six packs of n/a beer for a few months when I first got pregnant. N/a’s fire me up. In fact just you guys talking about it makes me want to buy it.

Not good. But again, I have issues. . That’s why I stay on SR even though I am sober.

tomsteve

Does anyone else have addictive behaviors continue on long after quitting alcohol?
i can be addicted to anything i perceive to make me feel good. it doesnt have to be a substance that goes into my body,too.
something to think about on this:
I would say that I don't smoke weed heavily, it doesn't interfere my job and relationships, etc.
are you truly sure about that? have ya asked the boss and coworkers if theyve noticed its interfering with your duties?have you asked people in in those relationship if you smokin pot is interfering with the relationships?

ScottFromWI

Yes, it's a hot-button topic for many around here, especially over in Newcomers. Every time I drank it I always ended up moving back to the real thing in short order.