Behavioural Addictions for Beginners

Dr Robert Lefever

19 Dec 201506:58

Summary

TLDRThe video script discusses behavioral addictions, which often occur in clusters influenced by genes and can lead to relapse in primary substance addictions. It outlines three clusters: hedonistic (alcohol, nicotine, drugs, gambling), nurturant (overeating, shopping, workaholism), and relational (relationship addiction, compulsive helping). The script stresses the importance of abstinence from all addictive outlets within a cluster and the use of 12-step programs adapted for each addiction. It also highlights the grief reaction upon giving up addictions, which can take up to two years to process fully.

Takeaways

🧩 Addictive outlets often come in clusters, influenced by genetics.
🚬 Smokers face double the risk of relapsing into alcohol or drug use compared to non-smokers.
🎲 The hedonistic cluster includes addictions to alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, and gambling.
🍔 The nurturant cluster encompasses food addiction, shopping, and compulsive behaviors like excessive exercise.
🤝 The relationship cluster involves using others as a source of addiction, leading to unhealthy dynamics.
🔄 Abstinence from all addictive outlets within a cluster is essential to prevent relapse.
📉 Behavioral addictions can be as damaging as substance addictions, affecting families and businesses.
📋 Each behavioral addiction requires differentiation from normal behaviors through specific questionnaires.
👥 Anonymous fellowships exist for various addictions, following a 12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous.
🌱 Recovery involves grief reactions that can take up to two years, but achieving acceptance leads to a fulfilling life.

Q & A

What are behavioral addictions?
-Behavioral addictions are compulsive behaviors that can have a negative impact on an individual's life, similar to substance addictions, but they involve activities rather than substances.
How do addictive outlets typically cluster?
-Addictive outlets often come in clusters, influenced by a single gene, and having one addictive behavior in a cluster puts an individual at risk for relapse with other behaviors in the same cluster.
What is the hedonistic cluster in the context of behavioral addictions?
-The hedonistic cluster includes addictions such as alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, mood-altering prescription drugs, caffeine, gambling, risk-taking, and sex and love.
What behaviors are included in the nurturant cluster of addictions?
-The nurturant cluster includes food addiction, particularly to sugar and white flour, leading to behaviors like binging, starving, vomiting, or purging, as well as shopping, spending, work, hobbies, interests, sex, computer use, and exercise.
What does the relationship cluster involve in terms of behavioral addictions?
-The relationship cluster involves using other people as if they were drugs, compulsive helping, and relationship addiction, where individuals may act in a dominant or submissive manner to control or manipulate others.
Why is abstinence from all addictive outlets within a cluster necessary to prevent relapse?
-Abstinence from all addictive outlets within a cluster is necessary to prevent relapse because using any one of them can trigger a relapse to other addictive behaviors within the same cluster.
How do behavioral addictions differ from substance addictions in terms of damage they can cause?
-Behavioral addictions can cause major damage and are not less severe than substance addictions. They can destroy families or enterprises just as much as alcoholism or drug addiction.
What is the role of specific questionnaires in addressing behavioral addictions?
-Specific questionnaires help differentiate behavioral addictions from equivalent normal behaviors, allowing individuals to identify if their behaviors have crossed into addictive territory.
What are Anonymous fellowships and how do they support individuals with behavioral addictions?
-Anonymous fellowships are support groups that work on a 12-step program adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous, providing a community for individuals to address their specific behavioral addictions.
How should an individual with a behavioral addiction approach their recovery?
-An individual should abstain from using the behavior addictively, learning to engage in it for its primary purpose rather than to fill an emotional void, and seek guidance from those who have successfully completed the 12-step program.
What is the significance of the grief reaction in the process of giving up an addiction?
-The grief reaction is a natural process that individuals go through when giving up an addiction, involving stages of denial, anger, sadness, and negotiation, leading to acceptance, and typically takes about 2 years to work through.

Outlines

00:00

🚫 Understanding Behavioral Addictions

This paragraph discusses the concept of behavioral addictions, explaining that they rarely occur in isolation and often come in clusters influenced by genetics. It outlines three clusters: hedonistic (alcohol, nicotine, drugs, gambling), nurturant (overeating, shopping, workaholism), and relationship (using others as a drug). The paragraph emphasizes the importance of considering behavioral addictions seriously due to their potential to trigger relapse into primary substance addictions. It also mentions the existence of support groups like Gamblers Anonymous and the 12-step program adapted for various behavioral addictions, highlighting the need for abstinence and learning to engage in behaviors without them becoming addictive.

05:00

🌟 Overcoming Addiction: The Grief Reaction

The second paragraph delves into the emotional journey of overcoming addiction, which is likened to a grief reaction. It describes the typical phases of grief—denial, anger, sadness, and negotiation—leading to acceptance, which can take up to two years. The paragraph suggests that it is more practical to quit all addictive behaviors simultaneously to experience one grief reaction rather than multiple ones. It concludes by painting a picture of a fulfilling life free from addiction, where individuals enjoy spontaneity, creativity, and peace of mind, and are no longer controlled by external substances or processes.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Behavioral Addictions

Behavioral addictions refer to compulsive behaviors that can have detrimental effects on a person's life, similar to substance addictions. In the context of the video, these are activities such as gambling, shopping, or excessive exercise that can become uncontrollable and interfere with daily functioning. The script explains that behavioral addictions are often interconnected and can trigger relapses into substance addictions.

💡Clusters

Clusters in the script refer to groups of related addictive behaviors that are likely influenced by a common genetic predisposition. The video mentions three clusters: hedonistic, nurturant, and relationship. Understanding clusters is crucial as it suggests that addressing one addiction within a cluster might not be enough to prevent relapse, as other behaviors in the same cluster could trigger a return to the primary addiction.

💡Relapse

Relapse is the return to addictive behavior after a period of abstinence. The script uses relapse to illustrate how one addictive behavior can trigger a return to other addictions, especially within the same cluster. For example, a person in recovery from alcohol addiction might relapse back into alcohol abuse if they start gambling.

💡Hedonistic Cluster

The hedonistic cluster includes addictions related to pleasure-seeking behaviors such as alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, and gambling. The video emphasizes that individuals with any addiction in this cluster are at a higher risk of relapse with other hedonistic behaviors, highlighting the interconnected nature of addictions.

💡Nurturant Cluster

The nurturant cluster encompasses addictions related to self-nurturance, such as food addiction, shopping, and excessive exercise. The script explains how these behaviors can become compulsive, leading to negative health and financial consequences, and how they can interfere with a person's ability to engage in these activities in a healthy manner.

💡Relationship Cluster

The relationship cluster involves using other people in ways similar to how one would use a drug, such as in relationship addiction or compulsive helping. The video discusses how these behaviors can be dominant or submissive and can harm both the individual and their relationships.

💡Abstinence

Abstinence in the context of the video means refraining from all addictive behaviors within a particular cluster. It is presented as a necessary step to prevent repeated relapses. The script stresses that true recovery from behavioral addictions requires not just stopping one behavior but abstaining from all related addictive outlets.

💡12-Step Program

The 12-Step Program is a structured approach to recovery from addiction, originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The script mentions that there are Anonymous fellowships for various behavioral addictions, each adapting the first step to their specific addiction, while steps 2 to 12 remain the same, providing a unified path for recovery.

💡Grief Reaction

A grief reaction in the context of the video refers to the emotional process one goes through when giving up an addiction. The script outlines stages such as denial, anger, sadness, and negotiation, culminating in acceptance. This concept is used to explain the emotional challenges faced during recovery and the time it might take to fully adapt to a life without addiction.

💡Anonymous Fellowships

Anonymous fellowships are support groups that follow the 12-Step Program for various addictions. The video lists several, such as Gamblers Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous, emphasizing the community aspect of recovery and the importance of peer support in overcoming addiction.

💡Spontaneity

Spontaneity in the video refers to the natural, unforced expression of one's feelings and actions that can emerge once a person is free from addiction. It contrasts with the artificial feelings induced by addictive substances or behaviors and is presented as a positive outcome of maintaining a life free from addiction through the 12-Step Program.

Highlights

Addictive outlets often come in clusters, influenced by a single gene.

Individuals with one addiction in a cluster are at risk of relapse with other addictions in the same cluster.

Cigarette smokers have double the risk of relapse to alcohol or drugs compared to nonsmokers.

The hedonistic cluster includes alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs, caffeine, gambling, and risk-taking behaviors.

The nurturant cluster involves food addiction, shopping, work, and exercise.

The relationship cluster includes using people as if they were drugs and compulsive helping.

Some people have addictions in one cluster, others in two, and some in all three.

To prevent relapse, abstinence from all addictive outlets in a cluster is necessary.

Behavioral addictions can lead back to primary substance addictions, such as gambling leading to alcohol or drug relapse.

Behavioral addictions can cause significant damage, similar to substance addictions.

Each behavioral addiction requires differentiation from equivalent normal behavior.

Anonymous fellowships exist for each addictive outlet, following a 12-step program.

Abstinence in behavioral addiction means using the behavior non-addictively.

A life free from addiction, maintained by the 12-step program, is characterized by spontaneity, creativity, and enthusiasm.

Grief reactions from giving up addiction can take up to 2 years to work through.

It's more sensible to quit all addictive outlets at once and go through one grief reaction.

A life free from addiction allows for true peace of mind and fulfillment.