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EXERCISE XXXVIII.E

WHAT DOES ADDICTION MEAN TO ME?

You may be doubtful about whether you are an alcoholic or addict, no matterwhat anyone else says. To answer this question for yourself, you need to be ableto identify patterns of addictive or abusive use of alcohol, other drugs, orcompulsive behavior, and to see whether your life fits these patterns.

1. For each of the following patterns, please write about whether this hashappened in your life, and if it has, please think of at least one example.a. Tolerance. This is needing to use more of a chemical or do more of a

behavior (or doing it to a greater extreme) to get the same effect, orfeeling less effect if you use or do the same amount.

b. Withdrawal. This means either feeling ill or uncomfortable after stoppinguse of the chemical or the behavior, or using the chemical or practicingthe behavior to relieve or avoid feeling ill or uncomfortable.

c. Loss of control. This means you use, drink, or practice an addictivebehavior for longer or in greater quantity than you intended.

d. Attempts to control. This fits if you have had a persistent desire to cutdown or stop, or have made efforts to control or cut down yourusing/drinking/addictive actions, including making rules or bargains withyourself to limit it.

e. Time spent. This refers to spending a significant amount of timethinking about using, drinking, or practicing the addictive behavior;planning or preparing for it; using/drinking/practicing; and dealing withthe consequences (such as being hung over or coming down, or beingbroke until payday).

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EXERCISE XXXVIII.E

f. Sacrifices made. This is talking about giving up or reducing social, work,

family, or recreational activities that were important to you becausethey conflicted with your addictive behaviorsfor example, driftingaway from friendships with people who wont drink or use with you.

g. Continued use despite known suffering . This means continuing to use,drink, or practice another addiction in spite of knowing that you havehad major physical, psychological, legal, financial, or relationshipproblems that were caused or made worse by that behavior.

2. Looking back over these symptoms, what do they tell you about your use of substances or other addictive behaviors?

3. For each of the following stages of addiction, please note whether you haveexperienced this, and if you have, please think of an example of how yourlife fits the description.a. First stage. The first experiencewhen you begin using a chemical or

engaging in a behavior and discover that you like the way it makes youfeel.

b. Second stage. Tolerance and withdrawal appear, and you find that youcan use the chemical or behavior to cope with situations or feelings thatare difficult or uncomfortable.

c. Third stage. You begin deliberately and routinely using the chemical orbehavior to cope with stress or other problems. You may feel uneasyabout it, and may try to cut down or control use; your normal life isdisrupted and others may start thinking that you have a problem.

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EXERCISE XXXVIII.E

d. Fourth stage. You come to feel that you cant cope with your lifesstresses without the chemical or behavior. You feel that you must paywhatever price comes with continued use; you feel trapped; your lifeseems to be falling apart; and/or relationships with others are

compromised.

4. Looking over these four phases in the development of an addiction, whathave you learned about your own pattern of use?

Be sure to bring this handout back to your next therapy session, and beprepared to talk about your thoughts and feelings about the exercise.