Process Addictions

March 18, 2013 — 7 Comments

Americans are going deeper into process addictions daily. The repetition of compulsive behavior as a substitute for involvement and enjoyment in life is a growing national disaster.  Our national diabetes and obesity problems are highly related to the indoctrination created by the food industry.  If people are vulnerable and advertising is unquestionably absorbed by the public, where is the ethical line of common sense? I heard that one in every four health care dollars in the US is spent on diabetic patients. Our nation is not in control of our health or our advertising. Compulsion rather than appreciation is promoted at every level.

Professionals are being trained to recognize the symptoms and help patients who suffer. The behavior repeated may be socially acceptable, making it hard to distinguish from healthy behavior. Eating disorders are a common variety of process addiction. Eating itself, working itself, sex itself, and even gambling itself ,are not the real problems with the process addicted person. The overwhelming need to repeat and continue to seek reward in a behavior as the thrill diminishes is the hallmark of process addiction.  Joy is drained away from the person who stays in a deep rut of compulsive habits. The remedy is similar to substance abuse treatment, since the same brain centers are involved. To evolve and escape the tyranny of habit is everyone’s job.  To make better choices, the first step is to be present and aware.  If most of your choices are made by default, this is a good time to begin to choose more deliberately.