Can An Addiction Be A Positive?
In this post, I define positive addictions and how they can increase your confidence, help your creativity, and boost your happiness, so you can fall asleep at night with a smile.
I was blog surfing the other day and came across this post from the insightful Zulie Rane about her addiction to productivity, and it got me thinking.
The usual definition of an addict is someone whose life is destroyed by heroin, alcohol, or gambling and often affects the lives of those around them.
I don’t do drugs, smoke, bet, or depend on alcohol. However, after considering her article, I realized I have several addictions. Like most people, I had always thought of addictions as only negative, but are they?
So, head down, I hit Google. I wanted to find out exactly what an addiction is.
Oxford Dictionary: Addiction: the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.
Mmmm…
The highest ranking Google results surprised me as well.
From Psychology Today: “A person with an addiction uses a substance, or engages in a behavior, for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeat the activity, despite detrimental consequences. Addiction may involve the use of substances such as alcohol, inhalants, opioids, cocaine, and nicotine, or behaviors such as gambling.”
Nothing positive there!
Okay. One more.
This from Healthline: An addiction is a chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory. It’s about the way your body craves a substance or behavior, especially if it causes a compulsive or obsessive pursuit of “reward” and lack of concern over consequences.”
Someone experiencing an addiction will:
- be unable to stay away from the substance or stop the addictive behavior
- display a lack of self-control
- have an increased desire for the substance or behavior
- dismiss how their behavior may cause problems
- lack an emotional response
Wow! Uumm, that definitely doesn’t describe me.
So, why did I think I was an addict, and what did I feel addicted to?
For several years, the first thing I do when I wake up is a Wim Hof Breathwork session followed by a meditation. I have missed this routine twice in seven years, and I can distinctly recall how I felt on those two days. Lethargic, out of sorts, crazy mental monkey chatter, and not very communicative.
The breathwork and meditation sets me up for the day. I am relaxed, have a clear mind, and smiling. Sure, days don’t always go according to plan. However, I feel in control of my emotions with the breathwork and meditation. And if emotions decide to rule my day, the conscious breathing exercise brings me back into the moment.
Additionally, I have to exercise a minimum of five days a week. Not Olympic level but I need to get outdoors and do something. Otherwise, the negative mind-body connection raises unhappy hormones, making me grumpy.
So, can an addiction be healthy, or is it merely a habit? Apparently, a habit is something you do on auto-pilot, like putting your car keys in a certain place. Habits are automatic behaviors that help our brains conserve energy.
Addictions are more complex because they involve physiological and/or psychological needs.
Well, then, am I obsessed? From PsychCentral on obsessive behavior: “When obsessing, an individual’s ritualistic routines become part of their everyday life. Perhaps they recheck all the doors at night several times even though they have been told they are already locked. Or they count the number of beeps on your car door lock before believing it’s locked.” These behaviors are generally based on fear.
Nah, not me.
Then, I came across Dr. William Glasser’s book, “Positive Addiction”!
Now we’re talking!
The theory of his book is that anybody, weak or strong, can help themselves be stronger. An important path to strength could be a positive addiction. If you give something up or if you try to give something up, you suffer withdrawal symptoms, so you carry on.
People with positive addictions according to Dr. Glassser:
“I will call them positive addicts because, due to their addictions, they are almost always stronger than non-positively addicted people who lead similar lives. With this added strength, they live with more confidence, more creativity, and more happiness and are usually in much better health. Positive addictions, unlike their negative cousins, enhance life”.
Dr. Glasser adds
- A positive addiction is not dominant. However, the benefits have a significant impact on your life in a physical, mental, or spiritual way. Your attitude must be one of acceptance of your progress. A negative attitude prevents a positive addiction.
- Your positive addiction gives you mental strength, which you can use to help you positively attempt other endeavors. Unlike a negative addict, who is satisfied completely to live for their addiction, to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.
- Positive addictions are an internal drive that gives you personal strength. Generally, every other way in which we gain strength depends on others.
- Very few of us realize how much we choose the misery in our lives. Even when we do, we still go ahead with the disastrous choice because we are convinced that we don’t have the strength to choose better.
How many people would love to write a book or voice their opinion consistently via a blog but don’t?
Why not?
And why would you want to stay in a job you hate? And accept the severe mental stress it can create?
Your weight. The negativity of being obese limits your enjoyment of fun with family and friends, your workplace, and, most importantly, your health.
We all have negative addictions. They have a purpose. It’s how we deal with stress, pain, and anxiety. It’s our way of unwinding and just chilling out.
There are animals that repeatedly eat plants or consume toxins they know will get them high. Even Zen masters have been known to get drunk on rice wine. It’s just part of our nature.
When you engage in negative addictions, like eating junk food or constantly checking your phone, you are looking for that dopamine kick. It’s the mind’s reward chemical that gives you that “buzz.”
Your struggle is your internal guide advising you where you are at right now. There are two ways to relieve the pain. Drugs, alcohol, TV, social media binging, etc. They will relieve your pain, albeit short-term or …
Drum roll!…🥁
THE BENEFITS!
Dr. Glasser again:
“We come to the question ‘What benefits do you receive from your addiction?’ … Many say they have been able to give up bad habits, quite often excess drinking, sometimes smoking. People describe mental alertness, increased self-awareness, a physical feeling of well-being. Over and over again people report a sense of confidence, perhaps the single most often used words to describe the benefits of their addiction. Many describe that they are more tolerant and less angry.”
You can develop habits to obtain positive addictions. The easiest way is to create the habit first, and you can find the best ways to do that here, here, and even here!
Most people take the path of least resistance because there is less mental effort. However, if you become addicted physically to running, walking, or the gym or mentally to reading or even video games, it will improve your day-to-day living and be a way to get you involved in your life.
With a positive addiction, you’re still chasing a dopamine hit, but it doesn’t come with negative health or social consequences.
Engaging in positive addictions creates beneficial by-products that serve your life. It could increase sales, you finally recognize the tune you’ve been trying to master from irregular guitar practices, or running more will give you the flow and enjoyment others talk about.
Another thought. I have developed a cold shower addiction, not only for the health benefits. Having a daily cold shower is not easy, and overcoming that challenge consistently has created a benchmark that will help me overcome future challenges that will aid my self-growth. If I can have a body and brain numbing near death experience every day, I can do anything! 🥶
For me, that’s what strength is all about. The belief in ourselves and the strength to stand in the face of a challenge and choose not to give up.
A large part of personal development is expanding the frequency and level of experiences we introduce into our lives. If we shy away from doing difficult actions, our world will slowly close in on us, shrinking our experiences and limiting our growth.
Sooo, after all that, I need a coffee. Are you keen to join me?
Of course, merely to discuss this post! 😋
