What is addictive thinking? Well, the answer is actually quite simple. It is the bridge that allows us to deny what we intellectually know to be true and allows us to continue to engage in addictive substance use.
Intellectually, virtually every addict knows that drinking and drugging is not good for them. At some level they realize that their life is in shambles, they are putting poison in their bodies, health, relationships, and finances are rapidly deteriorating. These are intellectual facts that are difficult to ignore. But the reality is that an addict wants to continue drinking and drugging. How can they make this possible when they know is not a genius thing to be doing?
The answer is to employ addictive thinking.
Addictive thinking is simply the BS, blather, and fantasies that make it appear to be okay or even logical continue to drink and drug. Here are some examples:
1. I’m not that bad.
2. I deserve it.
3. I don’t have a problem, you have a problem.
4. Nobody can tell me what to do, I have a right to do whatever I want.
5. The only person I’m hurting as myself.
6. This is the only way I can have fun.
These addictive thoughts are repeated so often the addict actually believes them to be true. The strange thing about addictive thinking is the one coldly in a reasonably challenged, they fall apart and disintegrate quite readily. For instance, let’s take this statement “I deserve it”. On the surface it appears to make sense but do you really deserve the poisoning your body? T. really deserve to be inflicting pain and hurt on the people you love? Do you really deserve to have low self-esteem, shame and anger as a daily companion?
The trick to combating addictive thinking is to challenge the veracity and reality of the thought. Ask yourself is this really true? One defining principle of addiction that makes challenging addictive thinking very difficult is that addictive thinking and denial go hand-in-hand. The deeper the entrenchment of the addictive thoughts and thought processes the deeper the denial and the more difficult to break through.
- Dopamine: why it’s so hard to “just say no” (psychologytoday.com)
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This site content really informative. I need these tips for my drug addicted friend
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The issues of drug and alcohol dependence are complex and varied and the same solution may not work for every one at all times. I have found 12 step programs very useful in early recovery. However, as I have grown as a person, I needed more, and I have found it hard to look at one particular approach and say, this is it, this is all I need. Each recovering person needs to find the way that works best for him. Thanks for this website and the interesting posts on it.
an older post on my blog that speaks of addictive thinking: http://secretchords.blogspot.com/2010/03/careless-love.html
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i need help my daughter is 23 meet a man when she was 17 she lost her job they take all kinds off drugs
he abuses her mentaly and physicly,. shes lost all her friends ,. she did leave him for six weeks but whent back, it killing her and me her mother .what can i do.