5 Bottom-Line Questions for Honestly Looking at Addictions

When we think of addictions we think of drugs and alcohol, but addictions come in many different forms. Are you confused about what you are doing and often wonder if you are addicted? Here are 5 bottom-line questions we all need to ask ourselves so we stop making excuses and look honestly at our addictions.

How Do I Know If I Am Addicted?

1. Do you constantly need more of whatever you are doing to get the desired result?

• Be honest. Is whatever you are doing increasing?
• Do you need more today to feel the same way you did a month ago?
• Are you drinking more, shopping more, binging more?

2. Do you spend a large amount of time thinking about your “addiction”?

• If you are addicted to pornography, do you think about staying up late, after everyone has gone to asleep, and get on the internet?
• Do you anxiously wait for five o’clock so that you can have a glass of wine?
• Do you sneak away to binge eat?

3.  Do you neglect other things, important things, as a result of your “addiction”?

• Do you miss special occasions or times with your partner, with your family, because you are involved with your addiction? 
• Have you ever missed something really important because your addiction came first?
• Do you feel badly having missed those events but know you would miss them again if you had to choose between them and your addiction.

4.  Do you continue your “addiction” despite having psychological and physical problems with it?

• Is your addiction causing breaks in your life, i.e., moments when you know you are not the same person you used to be.
• Psychologically, you are further away from your problems than when you started.
• And now physically, you can feel the results as well.

5.  Do you know this is a serious problem for you and still you continue without a plan and a support system?

• If at some point you do not exert enough discipline to put a plan into practice, you will never be able to break your addiction.
• This did not happen overnight and it will not go away immediately.
• Just like you were without this addiction at some point in your life, you can be without it again.  It's up to you.

Comments

[Luke]

Thanks for the indicators. So true. I talk to so many people who have a budding addiction to pornography. Just got a great statement from a psychiatrist about this on my blog: http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/2009/06/09/porn-a-psychiatric-perspective/