I have had many bad habits and I’m breaking one after another. I feel like I can’t stop everything though. I quit drinking and it’s been almost 2 months now. I’m in the process of stopping buying things I tell myself I need but I know it’s too much. I’m also trying to spend less time on my phone. But I neeeed my movies! I am trying to not eat so I can loose weight, I’m just drinking healthy protein shakes and vegetable based drinks.
I’ve started reading and am part of a book club and I’ve added weights to my exercise routine. I’ve started painting and drawing after years of no art.
Anyone else quitting bad habits and replacing them with healthier activities? Maybe we can motivate each other.
xx
The interesting thing about addiction is that we can become addicted habitually as well as chemically. It's why some people can quit drinking or using drugs which are chemically addicting and start getting better...but gambling, shopping, and sex addiction can be equally as addicting, and often we substitute one addiction for another. It's explained that the endorphin rush is the addiction in this case. So learning moderation and understanding that over eating, sex, exorcise, gambling, shopping all do the same placebo effect of 'feeding our feeling's as drugs and alcohol are also chemically addicting. When we have unresolved issues, live in denial, or are even just simply unaware of having ‘mental injury’, depression, anxiety…etc…it’s always the first step in recovery, is to realize we have a problem. Then we begin the journey of looking for answers and solutions.
Very interesting, Faux. Thanks! I think I have unresolved issues that I’m hopefully able to understand more about and do something about it if I need to. Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s right in front of us.
It is...I used to self medicate for years before I understood my CPTSD, which didn't even have a name yet...I did group therapy, art therapy, and one on one therapy. And I also did ACOA and AA, but the meeting varied a lot and some AA meetings were too preachy, I did eventually find a couple of regular meetings. I'm not a 'follow the crowd’ kind of person, so I had to really learn to just sit and listen. You take what you need and leave the rest. It takes a lot of courage and commitment, again...not something I had an abundance of...but I did it....and it saved my life. Drinking and drugs are a depressant...and if you have depression...it's an oxymoron to drink and drug.
Good for you, that’s so great that you were able to save yourself... I keep falling into trap after trap and digging myself out it’s exhausting
It is a merry-go-round ride for sure. But it's also only one day at a time...and no amount of shame, guilt tripping, or blame is needed, it’s not helpful. It is what it is, addiction and alcohol are monsters that are always lurking when we are predisposed...I couldn't have done it in the beginning though without support. They say it's when you hit rock bottom there's only one way to go....but I think it takes a lot of rock bottoms for some of us. And when we are 'Duel Diagnosed'...having both alcoholism and depression...we have a double whammy effect. We stay sober for a while, but the untreated depression and mental injury creep back in and we self sabotage again...I did, and many I know did and do. It's just how these diseases are. Many don't like the work disease, but I do...because it acts like one. You can treat the symptoms, but your never really cured. You can live with it and not let it define who you are, just accept it's part of who you are and can be managed. Some days are harder than others....that's just the up and down roller coaster of depression...it's cyclical, we ride it out.
What do you like? The work disease? Because it acts like one... sorry, didn’t understand that part...
anyway I am confidant I won’t go back to drinking because something huge changed in me I didn’t even hit a rock bottom and it’s like the cigarettes I left and the opioids I left, it’s just not a part of who I choose to be in life anymore. I pray my meds keep working.
Do you ever feel urges to go back to your vices?
It's good you had spaced out the dropping off of each thing...I did that too....and cigarettes was the hardest for me in my early twenties. Then in my late twenties I started in program. I went down the road of addiction too back in my early twenties, back then it was cocaine, Quaaludes, and cocktails
What I meant was that some people don't like the word 'disease' used when describing alcohol addiction, or mental health issues such as depression. For me, I don't care...it's a disease to me with no negative connotation because it’s no different than if you have diabetes or heart disease, it’s just something that has to be treated, whether it’s natural management or with medication.
Oh yeah that makes sense. Yes it is what has to be treated. What’s quaaludes? Oh a sedative hypnotic (I just looked it up)
They were the first ‘hypno’ drug of choice back in the day....they made you feel dreamy and kind of spaced out....it was fun in the clubs because your anxiety was zero and you just danced and partied. But that was the early to mid 70's era.
Interesting. When I was growing up in 80s and 90s LSD was big and weed. I was never into them. I was more into sports but I did experiment a tad. Alcohol was my main thing I’d use then I wondered why the hell people smoked and I was curious so I tried that. Nowadays it’s teas for me. Calming teas and caffine sometimes even just teas can really mess with your mood. Do you take or do anything nowadays to use to get you through?