If you are an alcoholic or addict, you are more likely to become addicted to something else

There are people who occasionally drink excessively – think of major football tournaments like the Euros; there are also those that use drugs in a recreational way and who do not develop an addiction to alcohol or drugs.  Those that do develop an addiction or dependency are more likely to have a condition whereby they have an inbuilt predisposition to develop an addiction. The time line for this to develop into a problem and to when they will need professional help will depend on an individual’s genetic, environmental and developmental factors.

An addiction or dependency or substance use disorder  is classed as a brain disorder because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress and loss of self-control. It is a chronic relapsing disorder characterised by compulsive mood altering alcohol and drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences to all areas of general day to day living. 

Addiction can be successfully treated

However, as damaging medical conditions go, addiction is very easily treatable. The simplest way to deal with it is usually to be admitted to a residential addictions treatment rehab or detox clinic for, if required, a medically assisted detoxification from the drug of choice (and alcohol is classed as a drug), and to engage with a daily structured therapeutic process for up to 28 days. 

Following discharge from addiction treatment the very essence of remaining free from any mood altering substance is to stay completely  abstinent from that drug “ a day at a time”. That requires us to engage with the mental and physical changes that we need to make. We will have learnt strategies of how to manage our life free from addiction whilst we were in treatment. 

Total abstinence is key

Most addiction treatment centres will advise ‘total abstinence’ from all mood altering substances whatever was the drug of choice. So if someone became hooked on alcohol, they would be advised to stay clear of all recreational drugs and some mood altering prescription medications (benzos, pregabalin, gabapentin, codeine and other opiate based pain killers, for example). A drug addict would be advised to stay clear of alcohol (even if this had not caused any problems in the past).

There will be a temptation to take up another addiction

The problem is that our addiction may have developed because we have been using our substance of choice as a blocker and a coping mechanism. For example, we may have been drinking alcohol as a means of dealing with difficult feelings or symptoms.  By removing a daily intake of alcohol, we also remove what we perceive as our coping strategy. So how are we going to manage our feelings if we cannot numb them?  This is a sensitive situation and it is easy to “cross addict” by swapping one addiction for another.

There is a general falseness of thinking  that if we have gone into treatment then we are “cured” but this is simply not the case.  By being abstinent we will find ourselves in “Recovery” but we are not Recovered and our addiction will remain non active in the background and should we relapse our drinking or drugging will take up quite quickly from where we left off. Daily “Recovery”, certainly in the early stages from leaving residential addiction treatment, is full of challenges and requires a degree of vigilance so that we do not return to our old addictive thinking and behaviour as a mental coping mechanism.  It is also important to remember that we have an addictive nature and should view everything that we do with a degree of moderation.

Substituting our original dependency with another can be a common occurrence. Typically we can be affected with common traits that trigger a similar response in our brain as our previous addiction.  So, for example, we can fall victim to a new unhealthy relationship with food (or an old one can resurface),  we can start to have a gambling problem or the sudden need to indulge in excessive shopping, especially buying things on line.  

These “new to us” disorders, dependencies or addictions can be triggered by certain emotions or situations such as stress, boredom or depression. In the past, falling into addictive behaviour has been a way of escaping the real world. It is easy to again start to raise the dopamine levels in our brain, thus producing a pleasurable feeling, as we used to initially get with our previous drug or alcohol addiction.  The problem is only looking out to ensure the original addiction does not resurface and not recognising the risks of cross addicting into another dependency which could be equally as harmful and addictive for us.

Another addiction can take us back to the original one

Cross addiction can also lead us back to the original addiction we went into treatment for. For example, an individual with an original gambling addiction starts to go regularly to the pub, which he used not to do before being treated for gambling addiction, and starts  drinking more each day. Alcohol is known to lower resolve and inhibitions and it is not long before the flashing lights of the slot machine in the corner become irresistible and there comes that first bet and the start of going straight back to a gambling addiction plus having now also acquired an alcohol dependency. 

Conversely, an alcoholic might start to place a few bets, something not done before, and enjoys the rush of anticipation, starting to gamble more frequently and with more money. Ultimately, he finds himself in debt and with a gambling addiction. Unable to talk to anyone about his dire situation, he returns to drinking alcohol to run away from  the reality of the dire financial situation he is now in.

Cross addiction due to a feeling of ‘loss’ in early recovery

One of the biggest problems and the main cause of cross addiction is that, in the early days and months after we have left residential addiction treatment, there is a feeling of loss. This is because we are trying to mentally come to terms with and accept that we have given up something that was a big part of our life – even if ultimately in a detrimental and destructive way. 

Strangely, there is not always a relief that we have been able to remove an addiction from our life and, in a relatively short period of time, we can start to miss our addiction and start to deny the extent of the damage it was doing to us in every life area. Cross addiction can easily occur when we are unconsciously trying to find something to fill the gap in our lives that the removing of our addiction has left.

Other life areas where there is a susceptibility for cross addiction following alcohol or drug treatment to fill that gap in our life are with relationships with others including sex and online pornography. While very different types of behaviour and problem, they are still addictions and harmful and negative for an individual.   

Cross addiction due to significant life events

However, whilst cross addiction is more common in people in early “Recovery,” it is also important to realise that it does not have to be that you step from one addiction directly into another. There are also cases where there have been years of sobriety or non addictive behaviours and a life event, such as loss or bereavement, can create undue stresses where a cross addiction can develop. Loss of a partner and subsequent bereavement can lead to depression, difficulty with coping with day to day tasks and anxiety and panic attacks. 

Instead of turning, for example, to alcohol they may turn to drugs and try marijuana or over the counter opioid painkillers or non prescription medication from the internet. This then sets the individual on an addictive path. It will not be long before the body builds up a tolerance to the substance and the old feeling of ‘a need for more’ surfaces.

Do not deny it if you have cross addicted or relapsed

Friends and family will notice the changes that they see in us. It is important to listen to them and not to make excuses for our behaviour. We must not return to minimising the reality of what we are doing and what is happening to us.  Honesty with ourselves and others is key to us getting free from developing another addiction.