ressurectJ

i was just curious on whether being addicted to something and then getting off the addiction creates compulsive behavior ???

eJoshua

I'm not sure I understand the question.

neferkamichael

I believe the addiction is the complusive behavior.

Threshold

Many people find they "switch" addictions. Put down one compulsive behavior, such as substance abuse, and start something else.

If we are putting a substance or behavior between ourselves and dealing with reality, compulsively, it is addiction.

Many people in recovery find they are addicts beyond their substance abuse. That compulsive behavior is evident (and sometimes dangerous or crippling) in many areas of their life.

I myself have multiple ways that addiction shows up in my life. I can use (and do use) many of the same tools to address them, but also some tools specific to each. I find that my underlying issues with life are what keeps me running to addictions rather than embracing life itself.

Many people address their most dangerous addiction first, to save their lives and stabilize them. Sometimes in treating that, we find some of our other addictions falling away, and sometimes we find them ramping up. Paying close attention can help us identify problem areas.

I have found that diving back into any of my addictions makes me prone to acting out on all of them.

ressurectJ

yeah i seem to have a compulsive behavior ..looking at porn .it used to be over eating.ive actually been able to keep that under control ..but the porn thing i know is abnormal.

augustwest

addiction IS compulsive behavior, with a large dose of obsession thrown in.

wpainterw

This corresponds to my personal experience. My impression is that, like many alcoholics, one of my personality traits is compulsive and also I have a tendency to perfectionism. As has been pointed out on this thread by another post, addiction is in itself compulsive behavior. When I stopped drinking I found that I had become compulsively dependent on my dog and I still am. I worry about what might happen to the dog if something happened to me. For another striking account of post alcoholic dog dependency see the late Caroline Knapp's book, "Pack of Two".
In a way I am addicted to this website, SR. Is it fair to describe some AA enthusiasts as "addicted" or compulsively dependent on AA? I recall one instance back in 1992 when I had to put a dog to sleep because she was senile and unhappy and I went to an AA meeting right after that because I was so upset and the man leading the meeting scolded me and said that I had been paying too much attention to my dog and not enough to my "higher power". I could have picked up a drink after that meeting, never did but never went back to it. Since then I've acquired more dogs, put another one to sleep (that time because she was diabetic and lost control of her hind quarters) and now I have another smaller dog that I worry about a lot. Worry about it compulsively. I don't bring this out at meetings for fear of being reprimanded again.

W.

ressurectJ

compulsively ..ive been having issues with spending as well as gettin caught up in Pornography ..thats why i try not to go out as much soo i wont be tempted to buy its like i always have to buy something when i go into a store

macknacat

sure- obsession and compulsion are definitely part of my personality matrix. And recovery [mostly NA] have helped me recognize when i am falling over a behavioral edge. Balance is within my reach but Yeah,i have to maintain vigilance.

I feel like i am susceptible to "filling the void" in all sorts of ways. So when i am back to my center, back to loving myself , those behaviors [as well as me] get "right sized"...