Some people give up and let their addiction rule their lives. Some people just cave in. I refuse to do so. I refuse to allow my addictive behaviors to conquer me. I will conquer them!
Anyway, the point of this post is to question exactly what it is that triggers the desire for an addictive behavior to give us that temporary relief. I ponder much my own life and lately am growing and seeing maybe what is causing the problem for myself.
What I think the problem is, is that we get down on ourselves. We beat ourselves over the head because of one situation or another, sometimes even situations that are not our fault at all! We have a brain-dead moment and we forget something important. Then we have problems because of it, and we are afraid we may get into trouble or may have missed an opportunity, and then we beat ourselves over the head in the most terrible fashion.
Then later on we run to our addictive behavior to take the pain away, the pain that we inflicted upon ourselves. We are convinced in our minds that the pain is from external sources, but truly it comes from us being hard on ourselves.
I don't know if I am right or not. I just joined this forum tonight in order to discuss this.
What do you all think? Agree/disagree/want to add more?
I think the factors that trigger addiction is loneliness and insecurities. People keep on doing addictive things because they feel that they can escape loneliness or somehow it makes them happy. And, insecurities because there are things that they wished they had or envy. Tendencies are they keep on doing something addictive because they believe that they can have something that they envied through doing this addictive thing.
I HAVE BEEN READING ALOT ON WHAT TRIGGERS MY ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR. I AM FULL OF THE GUILT WITH MY CHILDREN. I HAVE ONLY BEEN CLEAN AND SOBER FOR 7 MONTHS. WORKING REAL HARD ON THIS BEHAVIOR.
I've had a real hard time dealing with this subject. I've been clean for 19 months and in the process have been working on establishing the answer to this question. I come from a long line of addicts; alcohol/drugs/other and have been paying careful attention to the behavior of my siblings in order to better assess my own.
The only real conclusion that I've come up with, based on personal experience, is that we are all taught skills as were are growing up that we eventually use as the tools to deal with situations that we encounter on our own. We respond based on what we have learned.
Ultimately, however, it is up to each individual person to decide what is best for them and what is best for them in order to live a happy, healthy and most of all sober life!
The only real conclusion that I've come up with, based on personal experience, is that we are all taught skills as were are growing up that we eventually use as the tools to deal with situations that we encounter on our own. We respond based on what we have learned.
Ultimately, however, it is up to each individual person to decide what is best for them and what is best for them in order to live a happy, healthy and most of all sober life!
Addiction is an incurable desease yet manageable. The rooms of AA/NA has introduced the tools I need to Manage my desease- step work, meetings, Service, finding a higher power, serenity, admitting that I'm powerless etc...changeing people,places and things was also one of many suggestions and just happen to be the hardest one for me to follow through as the people happen to be the those I claim to love eg my husband. As I failed to follow this crucial suggestion I happen to relaspe 2 weeks before my 1 year sobriety date; and this wasn't my first relapse but 2nd. I stayed in my marriage while my Partner was in Active...this decision made my recovery 100 Times more difficult leaving no Space to work on my resentments and robbing me from the Freedom of guilt and shame which is gained through making amends. My addiction is a disease and my triggers stem from doing my will and not letting go and letting God. My will has proved once again to be dangerouse for my recovery.
What triggers addiction behavior is simple,its a choice nothing more nothing less people can blame any situation they want for the reason they started using whatever they use but in the end you mae that choice,and as for being a disese I for 1 solidly disagree with that its just some people's and Dr's way of saying its not you fault don't feel bad,bulls**t it is your fault and the sooner you accept that the better,a disese is something you have no control over addiction is not a disese because you yourself have total contol of starting that addiction and stopping it,unlike a real disese,and the best 1 is oh its in your genes or you have bad genes,what a load of crap.I was heroin dependan for nearly 12 years and not once did I ever try and blame it orsay it was triggered by anything other than me saying yes at a certain point in my life,there wasn't any need for escapeism or any worries I just did it,it was a choice.
Giving in to an addiction is a way of escaping whatever it is you don't want to deal with.
I think the AA or NA programs are great as they help so many addict to stay clean and save so many lives. I still have difficulties with the disease idea or the illness. Can anyone tell me more about it? Being an illness does not mean it is an excuse for the addict behavior?
Quite often, addict apart from taking their drug of choice, do the most dreadful things to their own family and the fact that addiction is an illness would excuse their awful actions?
That is quite difficult to swallow.
Thanks for your replies
Quite often, addict apart from taking their drug of choice, do the most dreadful things to their own family and the fact that addiction is an illness would excuse their awful actions?
That is quite difficult to swallow.
Thanks for your replies
No, it does not excuse bad behavior because there is help readily available. The behavior you speak of is NOT apart from the drug use, it is in direct relation to it...the more desperate they are, the more they will do anything to get it and the more mentally unavailable they become. Some say that addicts have some sort of 'switch' that gets thrown in the brain the first time they try their drug of choice...a 'switch' that doesn't get flipped in a 'normal' brain. There is a lot of research, and details are available here on this site CLICK HERE to begin your education.
Peace ~ MomNMore
Peace ~ MomNMore
The problem doesn't have anything to do with Nancy Reagans a** "Just Say No." That is too simple, the frustrating, and demoralizing, yet baffling problem is HOW TO NOT START AGAIN. Trust me I know it sounds cliche but disect the words. I love the word Choice. It means so much to so many skeptical outsiders It really would be easier to accept that addicts have a choice. Then again thats pushing blame of how it effected you in some way. They don't when there lives have become unmanagable. Beyond Human Aide how scary is that. For all of us it should be on the VERY side of that pengilium. So whos choice is it then. There is a release of a chemical in the brain called "Dophamine." Equate that to the best feeling you've ever felt due to Love, Kids, Sex, etc. Whatever that may be for you it is not that for everyone else. Family is the quenessential force that drives the everlasting search of whats right and wrong, or Choice or Powerless. I do not always understand whats in front of me, but I try not to waste those unreturnable moments asking WHY. Love My Family
i think Karraster is right on!!
Karraster that is so right on. You sure are correct Momg
Jeff
Jeff
