dustyfox

Here I am nearly nine months sober, which is great, thanks in no small part to the all support here. So things are slowly improving, many of health benefits, anxiety has decreased and life seems much , much more positive.
My concern is that I have noticed that I seem to have swopped one obsessive thing for another.

- So instead of drinking huge amounts of alcohol in the evening, I now drink very strong home made ginger 'toddy'( for want of a better word), it has a kick like a mule and I drink loads of it every night and feel almost anxious if I have run out or if I am going out and may not have time to make some. There is NO other ingredient other than water, fresh ginger root and lemon not even sugar!

I recognise the feeling around 'needing' to drink it as the same feeling I used to have over drinking alcohol , it seems crazy to me that I am behaving like this - if someone told me now I could have nothing but a cup of tea or water this evening I feel like I would fly into a panic! What is this? Some kind of delayed reaction? Addiction to evening routines of just the act of 'drinking' anything?

It seems a small problem compared to the bigger one when I was drinking but it's disturbing me. I have no desire to drink alcohol. Maybe it's just a non problem?

Forwards

Hi Dusty, many congratulations on your near nine months.

I went through a similar obsessive phase in my second year sober just as you describe but with diet coke. I had to have a supply of diet coke available to me at all times or I would feel lost and anxious. As long as I had diet coke, everything seemed manageable and OK. It truly was a feeling of 'needing to drink' just as I had with alcohol. Given time however it has faded and I'm ordinarily happy now with any beverage in 'sane' and usual quantities...

There's still that nagging feeling of 'needing something' though... I wonder if it too will pass?

All the best, Forwards.

dustyfox

Thanks Forwards - That's interesting to read -maybe my odd obsession is just the last vestiges of 'neediness' round addiction and it too will pass. I hope so!

fishkiller

It's a bowl of raisin bran for me. Have one every night. Hungry or not. Down to my last box I get a little anxious.
We alcoholics are known to obsess over things.
If it bothers you then maybe there is something to it. I don't know.

Surrendered19

I think we folk are wired a bit like that Dustyfox, but I wouldn't over-worry it unless it is interfering with or causing problems in other parts of your life, or with your mind and body. I do definitely think that we can be addicted to many things and that no addiction is healthy. But drinking ginger tea by the gallon and having your brain and body crave that each day seems ok to me at first blush.

Anna

Me, too, Fishkiller. I don't think I obsess about it, but I love routine. And, loving routine got me in the habit of drinking at the same time every day. But, loving routine has an upside, too. It keeps me on track with exercise and walking.

nez

I know I am being obsessive, if I find myself spending too much time trying to figure out whether I am obsessive or not. :~)

dustyfox

LOL Nez! that's me.
Yes Anna I think part of my addiction to alcohol in the later years especially was being wedded to a routine or cracking open bottles and drinking at the same time each evening.
I suppose I don't like that actual feeling of anxiety it produces if I think I wont have it - but perhaps you're right Fish Killer and Surrendered maybe us alcoholics are wired like this -
I think it is all part of my 'real issues' surfacing after years of blocking them and the point I guess is to recognise them and work through them one by one.....it may take some time.......

dwtbd

I was the same way with Hersey's Special Dark Chocolate, something 'said' I had to make sure I had enough on hand at all times to ensure the nightly two or so squares. Your post brought it to mind ( and the fact that I forgot all about that) I think I have a bar in a cabinet or nightstand but the funny thing is , I'm not entirely sure lol! But don't get me started on sweet tea , always a pitcher in the frig my daughter and me are big fans

dustyfox

Ah yes dwtbd - dark chocolate - I have that as a go to treat as well!

I suppose I feel as if I 'should' break all my addictions - coffee, obsessive ginger drinking, probably a host of others - but maybe I don't need to -I find it hard to very switch my brain 'off' or even 'down' and I guess the routines seem necessary in some way but perhaps they are not!

calmself

Dusty, you are doing awesome. Based on the fact that it does not even have sugar, looks great to me, a healthy way of hydration. Not all routines are bad and you know that, don't beat yourself up!!!

Hodd

Probably.

I drink tea and coffee by the bucket load. If my wife buys snacks, I scoff the lot! I obviously have some sort or compulsive thing going on, which was obviously a factor in my drinking days. Tea and coffee are harmless. Snacks are unhealthy, but if there are none in the house, it’s not a problem.

Dusty, maybe you’ve got a compulsive thing too, but if it’s only for this ginger lemon drink (sounds great), I wouldn’t fret.

adair

During my drinking days, I poured a ton of energy into maintaining and sustaining my drinking habit. Energy spent plotting my drinks - where to get them, how to hide them, when to consume them so no one would suspect. Energy spent trying to act as a normally functional adult even though I felt like death warmed over most days.

When I stopped drinking, that energy didn't just evaporate. It was still there but needed a new home, preferably something it could obsess over as much as it had obsessed over alcohol.

I noticed this addictive tendency and tried to harness it for something that I can benefit from - weight loss.

If a week goes by and I don't have my workouts, my agitation skyrockets until I get back to it. I need to be actively working my routines and making progress towards my goal.

Your ginger toddy habit is a wonderfully healthy compulsion to have. If you get bored with that obsession, see if you can't take the reins of any addictive tendencies and move it to something else of your choosing. Milk this post-drinking effect for all its worth. It won't last forever.

anxiousrock

damnnnnn I love raisin bran, havent had it in years!!!

Dee74

The good thing about ginger beer, Diet Coke, or chocolate or raisin bran is it’s a lot easier to put those down if we decide they’re a problem

D

MrPL

Hi dusty,

I noticed the same obsessive personality in myself, but….. if you focus, and really think about it, you can point the obsession to whatever you want…. Now I see it as a kind of super power!

Worth a try!

advbike

I think it's mostly compulsive thinking, as someone else mentioned. I get the same way, especially around food and exercise - doesn't have to have sugar. Of course anything that lights up the brain receptors and dopamine will do it, but almost any regular, enjoyable behavior can become a ritual. Compulsive? Maybe, but not a huge worry. I see nothing wrong with a healthy ritual - ginger root has awesome properties. Have you thought of adding turmeric? That combination (ginger root and turmeric) is what my very healthy GF drinks.

soomer

As the saying goes, we are creatures of habit, that is always normal and healthy within certain contexts and limitations. I often struggle with routines and like to take non-harmful, non-excessive habits as welcomed changes over addictive behaviors. Probably addiction and recovery can increase vigilance over those things and we sometimes start to worry even if something is objectively a non-issue?

aasharon90

Lessons learned and applied in moderation and
balance in life and recovery is important in helping
us achieve a healthy and happy way of life.

DriGuy

It's a problem if it's a problem. The word "addicted" is used casually in ways that don't mean the same thing to everyone. Computer games are described as "addictive". Parent's see that as bad, but advertisers use "addictive" to describe how good it is, and addictive games are highly sought after by users.

But we all know what you mean in your title. For me it's not an issue. People become addictive-like around many worthwhile activities and excel at some of them. It's when something starts wrecking your life when it's time to take stock.