Addiction vs habit vs compulsion
Addiction vs habit vs compulsion
Addiction - continued involvement with an activity, chemical or substance despite ongoing negative consequences.
Habit - related action or behavior that may be unconscious.
Compulsion - discomfort is experienced if a behavior is not performed.
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Holy cow? I don't stand a chance! Lol .... but then I look back..... And.....
As I have come to accept that I am an alcoholic and an addict I have spent periods of time where I was convinced of one thing or another. Almost anything i could come up with but the reality.
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For instance - 3pm - any day ... does not matter - I tell myself this is the time I drink. Very matter of fact. Ken drinks at three. I have a habit of doing this daily so I never suspected anything more sinister than that's just what I do at that time. Much like I wash the dishes after I eat.
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Ever get that Sunday feeling? The Sunday feeling is when I feel this uncomfortableness about Monday. Either I was drunk and feel shame. I know I may not be sober when I leave for work Monday morning. I acted like a damn fool at the bar. But somehow Sunday evenings have a feel all their own. I get uncomfortable. So I drink more.
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I was arrested during my DUI. I wasn't supposed to drive that night. My partner was. But he got to drunk and I was the least drunk. That makes no sense since drunk is drunk.... But off we went.
I have been warned at every job I have had in the last ten years about controlling my use of sick time or calling in on vacation.... Yet I rode the line and knew when to pull back just enough. Then I did it again.
I have lost friends and family to drinking. I lost my childhood to drinking. My deepest relationship.
Yet I refused to use the word addiction. Compulsion and habit seemed more comforting. Less like something was wrong.
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I am an addict. I have learned to unconfuse things a bit. (I know that's not a word but it fits)
I have habits that I do grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. It would be odd for me to go Wednesday because I always do it Saturday. No need to change anything. Saturday works just fine.
I have a compulsion to keep my house tidy and everything in its place. If I don't do this I cannot relax. OCD? Perhaps but it hurts no one and I feel better.
If I have a single drink.... I will have 10 or 20. Then I order drugs. That is no habit. No compulsion. It is a damn addiction. I don't hide it under any other name these days.
That's why I am here.
K
Habit - related action or behavior that may be unconscious.
Compulsion - discomfort is experienced if a behavior is not performed.
----------
Holy cow? I don't stand a chance! Lol .... but then I look back..... And.....
As I have come to accept that I am an alcoholic and an addict I have spent periods of time where I was convinced of one thing or another. Almost anything i could come up with but the reality.
----------
For instance - 3pm - any day ... does not matter - I tell myself this is the time I drink. Very matter of fact. Ken drinks at three. I have a habit of doing this daily so I never suspected anything more sinister than that's just what I do at that time. Much like I wash the dishes after I eat.
----------
Ever get that Sunday feeling? The Sunday feeling is when I feel this uncomfortableness about Monday. Either I was drunk and feel shame. I know I may not be sober when I leave for work Monday morning. I acted like a damn fool at the bar. But somehow Sunday evenings have a feel all their own. I get uncomfortable. So I drink more.
----------
I was arrested during my DUI. I wasn't supposed to drive that night. My partner was. But he got to drunk and I was the least drunk. That makes no sense since drunk is drunk.... But off we went.
I have been warned at every job I have had in the last ten years about controlling my use of sick time or calling in on vacation.... Yet I rode the line and knew when to pull back just enough. Then I did it again.
I have lost friends and family to drinking. I lost my childhood to drinking. My deepest relationship.
Yet I refused to use the word addiction. Compulsion and habit seemed more comforting. Less like something was wrong.
----------
I am an addict. I have learned to unconfuse things a bit. (I know that's not a word but it fits)
I have habits that I do grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. It would be odd for me to go Wednesday because I always do it Saturday. No need to change anything. Saturday works just fine.
I have a compulsion to keep my house tidy and everything in its place. If I don't do this I cannot relax. OCD? Perhaps but it hurts no one and I feel better.
If I have a single drink.... I will have 10 or 20. Then I order drugs. That is no habit. No compulsion. It is a damn addiction. I don't hide it under any other name these days.
That's why I am here.
K
Mine is an addiction to. I have, for a number of reasons, had to change many huge things in my life...so my habits and routines changed to fit the new circumstances.
My addictions don't give a crap about circumstances. They seek to change all circumstances to fit THEM.
they pushed me to ignore reality and keep chugging.
My addictions don't give a crap about circumstances. They seek to change all circumstances to fit THEM.
they pushed me to ignore reality and keep chugging.
Wow, Ken, another powerful post. This is one to bookmark and also to print out. It totally speaks to me. I have had almost the exact same experiences as you describe, along with the thought processes and rationalizations, and reading it laid out like that was a nice and always needed reminder.
"Compulsion and habit seemed more comforting. Less like something was wrong."
So very, very true.
Thanks for this again! Great post.
"Compulsion and habit seemed more comforting. Less like something was wrong."
So very, very true.
Thanks for this again! Great post.
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