Often times, someone doesn't just suffer from one addiction.
And when you put down one thing, other things can pop up.
In this video, we'll be going over the dangers of cross-addiction.
And how can protect yourself from them.
Addiction is a very tricky thing.
It's a brain disease that cripples the brain's ability to think straight.
You might have gotten over an addiction to alcohol, gotten some sober time, and things
are getting better.
But then you're caring for a sick parent or maybe you're having relationship problems.
The stress piles up.
And then you might find yourself taking some old pain medication, or taking more than prescribed.
Slowly but surely you find yourself in a full-blown opioid addiction!
How could it have happened, you ask?
I'm just an alcoholic!?
Let's answer 4 Things You Need To Know About Cross-Addiction.
First, what is Cross Addiction?
It means to trade one addiction for another.
I've known someone personally that was a heroin addict and when he quit heroin, he
continued to drink, because he said he never had a drinking problem. But then his intake
started increasing.
And with lowered inhibitions, he found himself using other drugs, as well.
This condition often affects new people to recovery, as it did myself, because when I
was getting sober, all I had was a "drinking problem".
I had never done heroin or meth or other drugs.
I didn't understand that I was using drinking to get that "feel good" feeling — and
it didn't matter what substance would do the trick.
And lots of people I talked to in rehab said they were addicted to drinking, went to rehab,
then quit for some time, and then started doing meth or opioids.
And that was my introduction to cross-addiction.
Why Are Cross Addictions Dangerous?
It's easy to minimize the effects of a new addiction because it usually starts off slow,
like the primary addiction did.
Maybe instead of doing heroin, you find yourself just drinking a beer here and there.
And it could be with friends that also drink responsibility So, compared to a heroin addiction,
drinking seems a much more rational behavior.
But if a behavior starts having physical, emotional, or financial consequences on your
life — then it would be a good idea to address it.
Another reason why it's dangerous is because it can often lead you into bad environments.
If you give up drinking, but you find yourself gambling more, you end up in casinos that
often give away alcohol for free.
As discussed in an earlier video, putting yourself in places that have people using
in them is often a good way to develop strong cravings.
And with strong cravings often comes a relapse.
Why Do Cross Addictions Start?
Well, it's because addiction isn't about a substance.
It's about the brain.
And the brain has evolved to reward behavior that helps it survive.
Like Sex, or Eating, or sleeping — it all stems from the old part of the brain, the
lizard brain.
And dopamine is the chemical the brain uses to reward.
And that's why many addictions center around those core survival behaviors of sex or eating.
Because addiction is a malfunction of that part of the brain.
Depending upon the drug or behavior, it's all about dopamine and having too much of
it released.
It tricks the brain into thinking that this behavior is super essential to survival.
So I didn't just have a drinking problem — what I had was this disposition to use
substances to try to achieve a high that I got from drinking.
Or, simply, my brain wants to use anything it can to get that "feel good" feeling
again.
So, in short, these addictions start because after the original addiction stops, any new
drug or behavior that makes you feel good works on that same reward pathway, and makes
it easier to develop the same cravings to achieve a high.
How Do I know If I'm Cross-Addicted?
Well, this can actually be as easy or as hard as it was to admit your primary or first addiction.
So, for me, I admitted I was an alcoholic but it was not easy to admit an addiction
to shopping or codependency.
And I needed to ask myself if a new behavior or drug is affecting my body, my emotions,
or my finances negatively.
If you're lying about using, or being irritable if you can't use, and getting harsher consequences
by using — those are often obvious warning signs.
But, to me, addiction is addiction.
So all addictions have some similarities when it comes to the consequences you face.
Some drugs have more severe consequences, But an addiction to smoking marijuana might
not have such punishing consequences A crippling gambling addiction can wipe out household
savings and ruin relationships.
But a tv binge watching addiction may not be as devastating.
The important thing for me to remember is, if I have shame about doing a certain behavior,
or if a certain behavior is negatively impacting the other areas of my life, then I probably
should stop.
I had to stop playing video games — not because it cost too much or because I was
doing it too much.
But because I was doing it to distract myself and feel better — and it was wasting time
that I could've been using to improve my knowledge or connect with others.
So it's important to ask yourself, "is there something new I'm doing that's negatively
impacting my life?"
And you can work from there as you may have done with a primary addiction.
Thanks for watching today's video on Cross Addiction!
We answered what it is — a new addiction.
Why are they dangerous — because they're easy to minimize Why do they start — because
your brain is still seeking pleasure.
And How Do I know I'm cross-addicted?
— Because it's essentially a new addiction that has similarities to your old addiction.
Please hit that like button if you enjoyed the video.
Also, please subscribe for your daily dose of soberness.
And I will see you all tomorrow in the next video.
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