Explore Your Dependencies and Addictions

Signs of Unhealthy Dependency/Addiction:

Dependency is usually a slowly developing
condition that catches up on me when I have
been less aware of myself and my
circumstances for a while.

The immediate effects seem good, but after a
period of time I realize that I am shockingly
painfully, harmfully dependent on/addicted to
a substance or behaviour.

The Truth is: Very few people manage their own
lives again without sufficient and effective
professional help.

I may need competent help to bring myself
to balance and under my own subjection again.

There are many signs of unhealthy dependence.
Some of the most obvious ones include:

1 Escaping stress by using a substance
or behaviour. (rather than managing/solving)

2 Developing a tolerance for a substance or
behaviour.

3 Having black-outs or blank-outs.

4 Being secretive about a substance or behaviour.

5 Using a substance or behaviour to anaesthetise
the (sometimes) excruciating/ordinary pain of living.

6 Suffering physical problems: liver disease, trembling,
pains, brain damage.

7 Developing unrealistic fears.

8 Being very aggressive - verbally and/or physically.

9 Feeling extremely sad, sorry and/or guilty.

10 Feeling better than/more important than other people -
or feeling worse than/less important than others.

11 Feeling like you just HAVE TO have another dose
of a substance or behaviour, and then another…
and another… (feeling out of your own control)

12 Lying about using a substance or behaviour.

13 Losing your appetite and eating poorly/oveating.

14 Not caring properly for yourself physically/mentally.

15 Storing and hiding a substance or behaviour.

16 Becoming suspicious and jealous.

17 Using a substance or behaviour from early in the
morning/week/month.

18 Staying blacked-out or blanked out for several days
in a row.

19 Suffering mental functioning problems: can't think
straight, brain feels fuzzy.

20 Being very, overly helpful to others at the expense
of self, family, home, work, other commitments.


Time to take an accounting!

I am either healthily, problem solvingly, stress relievingly free from or reliant/dependent on...

or unhealthily, problem creatingly, stress increasingly reliant or dependent on/addicted to...

Score yourself:

F = Free,
1 = Healthy, problem solving
through 2 and 3 to
4 = Unhealthy, problem creating

Alcohol
Drugs - L = legal / I = illegal
Tobacco
Food or some foods
Shopping/spending money
Saving/thrift
Sport/movement
Fitness/exercise
Sleeping/withdrawing
Solitude/reading/studying/learning
Entertainment/fun/playing
Humour/joking/teasing
Television/TV games
Art/drama/dance
Gambling with money/possessions
Speed/danger/recklessness/risk
Helping others
People/friends/peers
Religion/church/scriptures
Over dramatization
Position/influence/superiority
Sexual activity/thoughts
Aggression - verbal and/or physical
Anger/Rage - inward or outward
Hobbies/interests
Lying/deceiving/pretending/hoping
Feeling sorry for myself
Depression
Work - formal or informal

How did you do?
Where can you start to make a difference in your
dependencies and/or addictions?
Decide to start today!

When you slip - and most of us have on our life-long
journey to sobriety, balance and success -
Sigh. Simply pick yourself up, dust yourself off...
and start all over again, and again and again
until you are more and more in charge of yourself.

Who can help you? Ask for the help you need.

Ether 12:27

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them."

Psalms 11:14

14 Where no acounsel is, the people fall: but in the bmultitude of ccounsellors there is safety.