Many people recover from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and/or substance use disorder (SUD) only to soon find out that they have replaced those addictions with something more behavioral. These are process addictions, and they can be devastating, especially after all of the work you put in to recover from drugs and/or alcohol.
Avoiding Replacing Drugs and Alcohol With Negative Behaviors
It is important to have healthy outlets to avoid replacing drugs and alcohol with negative behaviors. This may include healthy physical exercise (though one must be careful of exercise addiction) or other healthy activities like yoga or meditation.
Connecting with other people in recovery is also a good way to avoid replacing drugs and alcohol with negative behaviors. These negative behaviors are also known as “process” addictions.
Better Understanding Process Addictions
Process addictions are addictions that exist due to compulsive behaviors rather than from substance use and consumption. This also makes them very dangerous because you do not need an outside source to engage in many of them.
There are many types of process behaviors. The most common are gambling addiction, sex addiction, exercise addiction, internet addiction, gaming addiction, and shopping addiction. Often, people engage in more than one process addiction at a time.
Better Understanding the Signs and Symptoms of Process Addictions
The signs and symptoms of process addictions are going to vary based on the individual. However, one can look out for many universal signs and symptoms. The following are just a few:
- Not being able to stop once a behavior has started
- Experiencing physical ailments when not engaging in a behavior
- Feeling anxious, nervous, or overly “stressed out” when not engaging in a behavior
- Loss of appetite and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and well-being
- Engaging in risky behaviors
- Isolating from family and close friends
- Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
- Experiencing trouble at work or school (especially financial)
- Having trouble with sleep cycles
- Exhibiting excessive mood swings
These signs and symptoms can be just as concerning as those from AUD or SUD. This is why reaching out for professional help as soon as possible is critical. The good news is that there are many helpful means, methods, and modalities that can help with process addictions.
Recovering With Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be highly beneficial because it can help you to see the negative effects of your behaviors. It can also help you see the negative way you may be viewing yourself and the underlying reasons why you may be struggling. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an effective psychotherapy that can help with these negative behaviors.
EMDR is being used more and more due to its efficacy at treating issues of both addiction and mental illness. According to the peer-reviewed journal Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, “While EMDR is a relatively new type of psychotherapy, existing literature has demonstrated positive results using this form of therapy when treating patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by utilizing eye movements to detract from negative conceptualizations as a response to a specific trigger, while reaffirming positive self-assessments. Research indicates that EMDR could be a promising treatment for mental health issues other than PTSD, including bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, and depressive disorders.”
Recovering With the Help of Others
Working with others has also been shown to help with negative behaviors and can help prevent relapse. According to the primary text of 12-Step recovery (commonly referred to as The Big Book), “Practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking [and using] as intensive work with other [people in recovery]. It works when other activities fail…. You can help when no one else can.”
The key is to connect with the right people in recovery and stick with them through thick and thin. They will be able to tell you if you may be replacing your addiction with negative behaviors.
Recovering With Yoga Therapy
Holistic healing methods have been practiced for thousands of years. Originally, they were just used as religious or spiritual practices, but they have since moved into the realm of recovery. This includes utilizing yoga therapy for treating negative behaviors and process addictions.
Yoga therapy has been shown to have a myriad of benefits for treating addiction. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent, reduce, or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”
A Focus on Long-Term Success at Lantana Recovery
Here at Lantana Recovery, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why we offer the right tools to help to avoid future negative behaviors in recovery.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then the time to recover is now. You can do this! We can help.
Many people recover from alcohol and substances, only to soon discover that they are addicted to another type of addiction (a process addiction), like gambling, online shopping, pornography, or video games. It is important to know the dangers of process addictions, as well as the red flags that they may be happening. If you feel like you or a loved one may be struggling with mental illness, addiction, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the dangers of process addictions, please reach out to Lantana Recovery today at (866) 997-2870.
