THE SECRET

TALES OF ADDICTION(Tackling the bad Addictive behaviors)

Most people who engage in addictive behaviors and go on to develop an actual addiction find that overcoming it is more challenging than they expected.

Even though the difficulties people have with quitting drugs are well known, when people start using, they often feel that addiction is a myth and they can quit any time they want. Or they feel that they are an exception to the rule.

This is even more likely with non-substance, or behavioral, addictions involving activities such as excessive eating, s*x, gambling, shopping, and exercise. What makes the situation even more complicated is that for every addictive behavior, there are some people who are able to engage in the behavior without developing an addiction.

This is true of all of the behavioral addictions (some of which involve healthy or necessary actions, like eating, exercise, and shopping). But it's also true of substance use. There are some cases of controlled drinking, recreational m*******a use, and even controlled heroin use.

Most people think they are one of the lucky few who won't get hooked, and unfortunately, don't realize the truth until it is too late.

By the time they recognize the need for change, they may not even want to. It can take years of being faced with the negative consequences of an addiction before realizing that it is causing significant problems.

Making the Decision to Change

But sooner or later, most people who have an addiction decide a change needs to happen. Once the decision is made, most people have a specific goal in mind. It might be to quit entirely, to quit some addictive behaviors or substances (but not all), to reduce the amount of time or money spent on addictive behaviors, or to reduce the harm of an addictive behavior.

For example, many drug users decide to quit heroin or meth but continue to drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes or m*******a. Many heavy drinkers have the goal of just one drink a day, or only drinking socially.

Getting clear on your goal before putting it into practice is helpful for success in changing an addictive behavior.

Although quitting entirely is the best path to wellness, reducing or eliminating the most harmful substance use is a huge improvement and will greatly reduce the harm caused.

The same is true of behavioral addictions: Anyone who decides to quit eating entirely is putting themselves at serious risk for an eating disorder. But stopping overeating and embracing a healthy diet is a healthy decision to change.

Complete abstinence from s*x can be another form of s*x addiction, known as s****l anorexia, yet developing healthy intimacy after a s*x addiction can be greatly fulfilling. And reducing obsessive exercise to healthy levels is likely to improve health and wellness more than quitting exercise entirely.

Making the decision to change, and deciding what that change will look like, is a process that often takes a while. This is known as the contemplation stage because it involves contemplating, or thinking about, whether to change and what the change should involve.

Ambitious goals are not always best; it is better to set a goal that you will actually achieve than to plan to quit cold turkey and end up relapsing, which can be more dangerous than simply continuing without any changes.

Consulting a doctor, addiction counselor, or psychologist is particularly helpful at this stage, as these professionals can help you understand the risks and what can help alleviate them.