How Do People Find Help for Process Addictions?
With a diagnosis of process, addiction comes a difficult scenario. Seeking help for them can feel daunting, especially with mental health diagnoses being part of many people’s journeys. A process addiction usually co-occurs with substance addiction, blurring fine lines between mental and physical issues. Identifying the addiction, letting go of denial, and seeking help are the best steps to take in finding healing.
What is Process Addiction
Some behaviors are considered addictive by psychological standards. Some people develop an unhealthy relationship with exercise. This may also happen with food, gambling, sex, or another issue. The brain and body start to crave them and the feel-good chemicals get flowing. Like with drugs or alcohol, the brain wants more of what it feels and will do anything to get it. Work is an area people find highly addictive because it requires an investment of time and energy but they also get a payoff and reward from it. Their bodies run on adrenaline and they love the feeling they get of achievement. Addiction to things like this puts a strain on the body, mind, and soul after awhile. Relationships, work, and health suffer, and it may even end up in the loss of financial stability at some point if it jeopardizes a person’s career.
Key Points to Consider
When thinking through whether a process addiction has occurred, some key points to think about may be helpful. If you answered yes to more than a few of the following, it may be time to consider what is going on:
- Doing the activity more than anything else, including work
- Doing it on free time
- Constantly seeking this activity above all else
- Disruptions are caused to family life and relationships as a result of this activity
- Thinking, strategizing, or planning this activity all the free time that a person has
- Interrupting life to do this activity on a frequent basis (planning trips around it, etc)
Seeking Help
Addictions are hard to overcome but the stigma is strong with process addictions. Gambling, sexual addiction, and other issues can seem reckless but they are still addictions. They still take over the mind and body of the person. Recovery takes time and demands a lot of a person. Some process disorders are linked to mental health issues as well. Compulsive behaviors and addiction can lead to tricky situations down the road and risk a person’s life and health. To seek help, start with:
- Admitting the need for help
- Seek therapeutic support
- Seek support groups
- Check into medications
- Go to rehab and stay connected to services and recovery programs
The best way to get help is to start asking for what is needed. Addictions don’t resolve on their own. They require attention and diligence to fight back against them. There is no time like today to fight back and win.
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Community model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Process addictions are just one area we focus on to help people achieve their goals in recovery. Our program provides a special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
