Slugger O Toole

Hi

has ever wondered what it is about them that leads them to be addicted to something?
What is the issue? Is it avoidance of facing your issues? Do you think that by getting to the core of why-- will help you abstain? I don't get any kick what so ever in "using" anymore. I hate it and myself for continuing, but I cannot seem to break the habit. I have educated myself as to why and I am learning so much about myself, getting to know my inner demons and what it is that drives me to "use" ...
I know I definately want to quit, and that doesn't change. Before I "used" because I enjoyed it and was ignorant about the reasons why. I wanted to continue to "use" and didn't care about the consequences. Now I don't. I want to quit, hate "using" there is absolutely zero enjoyment in it.

How do you make that leap?

Gabe

This is an interesting question and I hope it gets some responses. From the Anon side of the fence, I have often wondered "why" the addicts in my life relapse. They are smart people who know that their lives go straight to hell when they use. But addiction seems to defy logic. I guess that is the insidious part of the disease. My mother (who is an alcoholic) once said..."it's like knowing that you're allergic to goldenrod and running head first into a field full of it anyway."

Jupiter2

Hi Slugger,

I think that the reasons we became addicted differ with each of us. It is often very complicated to sort this out and people spend years in therapy trying. I would tend to look at it the way many in AA do and that is that we are just addicts and alcoholics. I think the idea here is to simplify the cause so that effort can be put into recovery and not into figuring out "why me?". I think there is a place for both looking at the underlying causes with a professional and taking the stance that it is just so.

One of my biggest problems if have is dealing with the age old question of why my higher power would inflict such pain on me if he exists and if he loves me (why a New Orleans disaster, why 911, why hate, disease, etc.).

I can't answer this, but also not willing to give up on God.

Jup.

Phinneas

Speaking only for myself, it is because I have a disease that is fatal if not arrested. And, putting what Jup said into other words, once I accepted that, I began to live in the solution, not the problem. The problem is the disease of addiction and all the wreckage it caused. The solution is living one day at a time working an honest program of recovery. I didn't have a choice when I was drinking and using. Today I have a choice and for that I am infinitely grateful.

--phinny

lulu70

Why? Well, honestly, why not? There could be many reasons I am an alcoholic and the next person is not, but for me, the answer to that question doesn't really help me recover. The important thing is that I know I cannot drink or use drugs. They will take over my life. What am I going to do about it? The first thing I will do is not pick up a drink or drug today. I will concentrate on what is good in my life and do whatever I can to change the things in my life which I don't like.

So, in answer to your question, "how do I make that leap?" To quote Nike: Just do it. How did I stop drinking and using drugs? I got rid of everything in my house. I did not go to the liquor store. I did not call my dealer. I stopped hanging out with people who would trigger me to use. I made some very difficult, but necessary changes in my life. I went to treatment. I started attending AA. I slowly learned to talk about how I am feeling and began to learn how to deal with those feelings without mood-altering substances. I told everyone in my life what I was doing and why. (They all knew I was an alcoholic anyway. We think they don't, but they do.) This is actually just a little bit of what I did, but we can only do one thing at a time. The most important first thing is to stop putting the toxins in our bodies. Then the real work begins.

Hope this helped! Hang in there.....

Hugs--

Chy

I had to quit asking "why" a long time ago and accept the fact "I am". Asking "why" made me crazy as there is no logical answer I could ever come up with given I was forutunate to have a healthy upbringing.

Irish Virus

What exactly are you using? I don't believe that a drug is a drug like other people do so getting specific about what is your drug or drugs of choice might get you a better answer.

I guess we all started because we liked the buzz. We liked how it made us feel. After awhile it becomes a cornucopia of reasons why we drink or do drugs. We are all different on why we use. You got the answer on why you do.

Dan

It used to bug me a whole lot more, why I'm an alcoholic/addict.
When I realized I could honestly answer the question:
Why are you drinking to get drunk? with Because it's Tuesday,
the focus started shifting towards finding a solution, rather than the cause.