If anyone can relate please share and help. How do you deal with your addictive personality and behavioral traits? For me I’m struggling as i keep looking at my life and the way i have been living the last year. If its not drinking, its smoking pot, if not that then biting my nails or over indulging with food. Retraining the brain is so hard.
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I am the same. I really need to retrain my brain. I have no idea how to do it though…
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I hear you! I definitely have the predisposition to addiction…sex, cigarettes, nicotine, cocaine, sleeping pills, alcohol, caffeine, downers, shopping, sugar, carbs…I have taken quite a few turns around the dance floor with all of them. I also keep a ‘freakishly clean’ house as one friend put it. 
I also enjoy eating the same foods or meals over and over and over…for years sometimes. Made for easy lunches and breakfasts back when I was working.
I don’t know if I have retrained my brain or not, but I do work on WHY and WHAT I am responding to with xyz addictive substance/ activity. Why/what am I avoiding? Covering up? Usually it is some type of emotion or boredom…looking for that zing of dopamine or the rush. Forever chasing my original high.
Finding healthy zings/highs has been good for me…yoga, meditation, bicycling, weight training, hiking, gardening, running…even reading a great book, cleaning!, organizing, finding the zen in everyday activities…all this helps me stay here in the now and that keeps me from looking for an external escape or high. Idk if that all made sense. 
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The issue is not the thing one is addicted to but rather the things you are hiding from. For me if is insecurity/low self esteem. I’ve just used many different things to either hide from that, or try to “fix”. Alcohol, laxatives, exercise…
Yes, alcohol was the one thing I used that was an actual addictive substance but my reasons for using have always been the same.
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I found whatever emotions i had happy sad tired hungry u name it i would find any excuse to drink or take drugs … finding aa and ca have changed the way i think and feel about myself and how i behave… ive got so much work to do on myself but the meetings are my god send . X
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AA = free therapy for me!!!
Just by hearing others stories and what they’ve done to heal is healing to me too.
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I know how u feel… wish i went years ago !!! X
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I try to limit my exposure to destructive habits. No alcohol in my house, drugs, etc. Avoid places and people that are harmful to my health. Some addictions arent as serious as others. I try to spend most of my effort keeping the worst ones under control. Im not there yet, but keep pushing forward to improve.
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I used to think that an addictive personality was a myth and that I just needed to learn self control. Then I stopped drinking alcohol and it wasn’t so bad until I found myself up until 3am most nights watching porn, using that as an escape instead of alcohol was just as destructive.
This is my personal experience so I’m not by any means saying it’s the correct way but trying to “fix” my addictive personality is like trying to change my sense of humour. It’s me, it’s who I am. I try to harness it for good, like a super power. I’ve started a new course and my god without the distraction of alcohol and hangovers I’m on it! It’s a lot of self learning so I let my addictive personality take over and I read about the subject more than anyone, I fly through the modules with the reward centre of my brain getting all the dopamine from doing that rather than something destructive. I started working out, doing pushups in between at home, rather feel really good and healthy focusing on that than on something negative.
So yep, try taking up a new hobby, anything, as long as it doesn’t get to the point you’re hurting yourself or others!
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Exactly! We can’t change our DNA, but we can change our behavior and what we choose to focus on.
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If definetly made sense, and thats exactly what i need healthy outlets. With summer around the corner maybe i won’t have the winter blues anymore. Thank you so much for sharing
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That’s true…i also find its hiding or not wanting to face the real issue at hand.
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I myself love AA…it has become my new family
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My latest hobby/addiction is quilting. I just finished my first quilt. It is so relaxing to go to the fabric store and wander thru the aisles. It’s very creative, too, bc I designed
and planned the whole thing on my own.
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My personality is pretty addictive and I tend to have an all or nothing attitude. I’ve learned that some addictions are okay. Caffeine for me. Playing cards.
Alcohol, no. It’s one of the worst addictions.
So you can trade up or trade down.
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That is super cool. I will look into that. 
Yeah alcohol and pot were my two worst addictions but im off everything now. I cook alot and watch alot of hulu these days
Oh wow, I thought you were describing me at first. This is 
me (minus a few drugs listed). My zings are pretty much the same… working out, gardening, music, reading, cleaning/organizing, basking in the sun 
Working out helps the most, followed by something really relaxing like reading and laying out or sitting outside with your eyes closed listening to nature/your surroundings. Let us know when you discover what your “zing” is.
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Please forgive me, I am not a doctor but you sound compulsive. There are light antidepressants that can help you a great deal.
All the best.
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