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Road to Recovery

Mistaken Belief #1

Mistaken Belief #2

Mistaken Belief #3

Mistaken Belief #4

Mistaken Belief #5

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Mistaken Belief #12

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Mistaken Belief #14

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Mistaken Belief #17

 By: Terry Gorski with additions by: Lee Jamison

A MISTAKEN BELIEF IS SOMETHING THAT YOU BELIEVE TO BE TRUE AND ACT AS IF IT WERE TRUE WHEN, IN FACT, IT IS FALSE.

Mistaken Belief #14: There are "positive addictions" that can be substituted for negative addictions to promote comfortable and meaningful sobriety.

Fact: All addictions are negative! According to the dictionary, to be addicted means to surrender oneself to something obsessively. By its very nature “addiction” is a condition characterized by compulsion and obsession.

Even behaviors that can be good for you, when used appropriately are harmful if they are used compulsively or obsessively. Some addictions are less destructive than others. Addiction to caffeine is less destructive than addiction to alcohol, but both are harmful. Caffeine addiction is not positive just because it is less harmful than other addictions.

Substitute addictions are still addictions. They create short-term pleasure at the cost of long term pain. They produce withdrawal symptoms when the addictive chemical or behavior is removed. They produce an obsession or compulsion to use.

Substitute addictions may be exercise, AA/NA, church, work, dieting, achieving, or risk taking. These can all be positive experiences that can support and enhance sobriety. But if they are done obsessively and compulsively in such a way that they cause you to neglect other important aspects of your life, they are addictions and they are not positive. Although some addictions are more destructive than others, changing the nature of the addiction does not get rid of the problem. It trades one set of symptoms for another. A person who is compelled to run three hours a day in order to evade feelings and problems still has an addiction-centered lifestyle. The compulsion and obsession to run will create other problems, and addictive living continues. The goal for a recovering person must be addiction-free living; balanced living for stable recovery.