Risk of developing other addictions

[movnon]

I have heard a lot about switching one addiction for another and wondering if anyone here has quit using pills and found their self in another addiction... Sex, food, shopping, what most would consider the less serious addictions but as an addict we are always looking for that one little thing to bring us a moments pleasure. Anyone?

[subpop200]

I still think though...getting "addicted" or a little "obsessed" with living a healthy lifestyle is not such a bad thing.  Yea it can get bad if it leads to something like anorexia, bulemia, or what not BUT that's why i stress healthy lifestyle.  Exercise is only healthy when used within the boundaries of what our bodies can handle.  In my case, it's an addiction to exercise but I make damn sure I have enough meals throughout the day to keep my body at optimal levels so I can lose bodyfat and gain muscle and keep a full functioning and effective body in terms of fighting illness, keeping a good mindset, as exercise and quality nutrition affects all this.  Yea you're right on the one hand that one shouldn't get addicted to certain things.  Can't replace DOC with something like a person too...people can get addicted to people in a relationship and when they lose this person it's like going through withdrawal all over again.  There is a fine line...in my case I say I'm addicted to exercise but I'm addicted to it in the right way...not the wrong way.  

[worried878]

agree...an addictive personality remains so even after quitting our doc//for most i think..for me it did

things/substances we used in control like alcohol or smoking cigs in our pre-pill or active addiction to a specific doc..can come bite us when we r under stress...."smoke me"  "Drink me"  ..I think perhaps in an effort to avoid our DOC,,,we can think other substances that never gave us a problem will be ok...but i dont think this is true...we do things in excess..even a person can become A DOC for an addict..addicts just do not know how to do things on a small scale...it is all or nuttin it seems..and being aware of this trait is a huge step towards working on ourselves and watching out for the danger signs..

stats show a large majority of addicts are also smokers and continue to smoke after stopping narcs or alcohol,,,whatever their doc was...cigarettes affect more receptor sites than pills or alcohol...people who only addicted to nicotine, will not say they r an addict as a rule...if cigs did not affect our health so bad and then also the effects of second hand smoke on others/plus the smell many find offensive..it is really acceptable almost to be addicted to cigs...getting less and less so as smoking is becoming socially unacceptable/but not for the same reasons an alcoholic of pill popper is unacceptable...a fine line there is...and I do believe it is very easy to cross

[avisg]

yes I have done the exersise but belive or not you have to be healthy about that too or it get out of control

[neeshysman]

Lot of people "put down the spoon and pick up the fork."

Opiates led me to cigaretes, I'm hoping to trade them both for an exercise addiction. The first time I threw up after working out, my trainer explained to me that this was due to all the bad toxins in your body being released. I knew then that with the knowledge that exercising releases endorphins and many claim to actually get "high" from running and lifting, exercise would be an awesome substitute.

Also, smoking pot keeps me from wanting to do a pill. It's a huge parat of my recovery but I have a feeling that when that's over, the smoking will continue. It's the only thing that kills the craving for pills. Mary Jane saved my life, I don't think she's such a bad substitute.

[subpop200]

Hell yea Narla!  There is nothing like doing something about your health esp. through exercise and nutrition because it doesn't just make you look better, it helps you feel better, think sharper, have better concentration, overall reduce anxiety, and makes you feel damn good after training especially...that's all with the right nutrition in place too.  So this is an awesome addiction.  Nothing wrong with obsessing over being healthy.  That's my addiction and it's helping me destroy the opiate addiction that I had.  

And Movnon...you will get out of cravings and withdrawal WAY faster if you go into an exercise and nutrition routine.  It does in fact bring your brain back to normal much faster.  Healthy body=healthy mind.  That's a fact.  

[narla]

I'm what's wonderfully known as morbidly obese can't stand those words,but it is what it is. I weighed 139kg which is 305lb in 3months I've lost 13kg or 28.6lb.So I now weigh 126kg or 277.2lb.So I think I'll keep this addiction.  

[BornofOsiris]

Very common for a addict to switch addictions. Being a addict we look for something to make us feel good or normal by any means. Just need to find a healthy addiction. You should very much your actions especially with other substances, and yes alcohol is included in these substances.

[movnon]

Wow, Narla! That is awesome! I am thinking as soon as I get through the worst wd's I am renewing my membership to the gym. I used to go every day faithfully but that was before I was dependent on my meds to leave the house.

[narla]

I quit alcohol and opiates and became addicted to the gym I do 8 sessions in 5 days.

[movnon]

Thanks for the responses! I am afraid I have an addictive personality as well so I am going to have to watch my actions closely unless it is something healthy and positive like exercising... That is something I would like to incorporate more in my life because it does give me that great feeling minus the pill!

[merrymaria]

yeah...i switched from pills to food but that s ok with me....food won t control me.....i feel comfort when i eat for some reason....never ate much when using.  also addicted to med help but that s a good thing....maria

[gizzy32]

I have switched addictions since I was 16 without even realizing it. Anything to make me feel good I guess and it wasn't even drugs at first. I do have an addictive personality, but I have noticed since I started working on my recovery, I no longer do anything excessively, well maybe one thing, lol.

Congrats on 4 days clean now I think, right?

[subpop200]

Hell yea!  I replaced my addiction to opiates to exercise and eating healthy...being specific bodybuilding.  It won't hurt to get addicted to something healthy.  I know I'm hooked on bodybuilding now because it releases those feel good chemicals naturally and I get great results so it doesn't hurt.  Exercise would be my best suggestion.  Nothing wrong with sex too!  

[avisg]

yup most on the list you just made. Except for me it was lack of eat food the rest throw is some smoking and i was about there at one point or another.