Many people discuss what they refer to as a “God-size hole” in addiction and addiction recovery. This represents the empty feeling that people often have when they are struggling with addiction. This is the feeling that people try to fill with drugs and alcohol. Of course, that hole is never going to be filled if that is the solution. There must be something more, and that something is found in recovery. However, even in recovery, some people experience transfer or cross addiction, which is when you replace one addiction with another.
Understanding Addiction
Millions of people struggle with addiction every day. This includes people in the U.S. and abroad. Unfortunately, many of these people will never get the help that they desperately need, and that sadly means that many people will experience an overdose or even overdose death. This is why it is so critical to get people proper addiction care rather than just going to the first place on a list.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2024 “IC Fact Sheet,” “40.3 million people in the United States had an SUD in 2020. In 2020, only 6.5 percent of people with SUD received treatment,” and “In 2021, about 107,000 people died of drug overdoses.” One of the reasons for these numbers also has to do with the stigma surrounding substance addiction. This is primarily the stigma that looks at addiction as a “choice” rather than a disease.
Yes, addiction has more in common with other diseases like cancer than it does with a choice. It is a disease that centers on the mind. Thus, it can also be behavioral addictions, which are often what cross addictions are.
Understanding Cross Addiction in Recovery
Cross addiction often involves replacing a substance addiction with a behavioral one. This may mean replacing alcohol use disorder (AUD) with a gambling addiction, for example. The reality is that it can be very easy to replace substances with behaviors because both types of addiction are as much about mental and emotional factors as they are about physical ones.According to the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, “Over the past 30 years, research in a variety of addictive behaviors including the abuse of alcohol, drugs, gambling, smoking, videogames, social media use, shopping, exercise, internet, pornography, and sex has increased. This has expanded the knowledge considering the prevalence and risk factors of different addictive behaviours, the similarities between substance and behavioural (i.e. non-substance related) addictions, and the impact of these addictive behaviours on individuals (e.g. reduced well-being and functioning) as well as on their family and friends (e.g. increased stress and anxiety.”
Types of Cross Addiction
Generally, cross addiction is a behavioral addiction replacing a substance based addiction. It is less common that someone replaces a behavior with a substance. In that instance, it is more likely that the substance and behavioral addiction are happening concurrently.
There are many types of behavioral addictions. There are many digital behavior addictions, which include online shopping disorder, online pornography addiction, gaming addiction, online addiction, and social media addiction, and gambling addiction.
Another very common behavior and cross addiction is exercise addiction. Many people choose to “hit the gym” when they get sober because they feel so much better physically. However, this can easily turn into exercise addiction if one chooses to focus only on that aspect of their recovery.
How to Avoid Cross Addiction
The best way to avoid cross addiction is to maintain a healthy connection to a recovery plan. This may include continued psychotherapy, engaging with experiential therapies like nature immersion therapy and art therapy, or maintaining a healthy connection to a holistic healing plan, which may include yoga and meditation.
Another extremely helpful way to avoid cross addiction is to work with others in recovery. A 12-Step program can be particularly helpful in this matter. In 12-Step recovery, one can remain motivated to work on the healthy aspects of their recovery while also being held accountable for taking the next right step and not losing focus. Yes, working with others can be essential for long-term success. It is also one of the best ways to avoid a relapse into alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance use disorder (SUD).
The Importance of Long-Term Success at The Phoenix Recovery Center
Here at The Phoenix Recovery Center, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is also how we can help you from running into the wall of cross addiction.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired from active addiction, we can help. You don’t have to live like this anymore. There is a solution, and it begins with hope.
Transfer addiction, or cross addiction, is where individuals may replace one addiction with another. It can be vital to know the signs, risks so that one can avoid cross addiction in recovery. It is also important to know the strategies for overcoming this challenge in the recovery process. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. To begin your healing journey complete this short form or call The Phoenix Recovery Center at (801) 438-3185.
