Recovery is more than just getting sober. It means finding new ways to address stress and having a plan for managing challenges that arise. When people quit using a substance, but don’t have a recovery plan, they risk cross-addiction. At Safe Harbor Recovery Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, this is something we like to help people avoid.
What Is Cross Addiction?
A cross addiction, also sometimes called substitute addiction, addiction transfer, or addiction interaction disorder, is when someone stops using one addictive substance, but then develops an addiction to something else. This happens because the brain’s reward system is still wired for addiction and does not know other ways to feel pleasure and happiness.
Some examples of common cross-addictions include:
- A person who stops drinking but begins gambling compulsively
- Someone who has had an unhealthy relationship with food, who shifts to alcohol after bariatric surgery
- An individual who gives up illegal drugs, only to shift to misusing prescription medications
- A person who stops using a substance and then turns to excessive shopping, sex, or exercise
Why Does Cross-Addiction Occur?
As stated above, when the thing a person was addicted to is no longer available, they need to fill the void that is left with something else for their brain to get the chemicals it needs to feel pleasure and be functional. Whatever underlying conditions contributed to their first addiction, such as loneliness, mental illness, grief, or stress, are still there, and they need a way to cope. Ideally, the person would choose something that promotes their recovery. If this does not happen or if they go overboard with a coping skill, they could instead develop a new addiction.
Early recovery is an especially vulnerable time for cross-addictions to develop, but it’s also an opportune time to implement some really great coping strategies instead.
What Should Happen Instead?
Ideally, when a person stops engaging with addiction, they would start mental health therapy. There are two modalities frequently used to support people who have dealt with addiction. These are:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches people different strategies to cope with stress and manage emotions, offers tools for resolving conflicts with other people, assists people in improving their communication skills, and can help people to handle mental or physical illnesses and grief
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches people how to handle intense, difficult feelings, ways to appropriately respond to their own emotions, and become more aware of themselves, others, and the present moment.
Some people only utilize one modality, but others find it helpful to learn what both can offer them and to make use of a therapist’s expertise in developing a plan.
- Have some coping strategies ready, such as getting a snack, having a non-alcoholic beverage, taking a walk, meditating, or calling a friend.
- Attend recovery groups like AA, NA, SMART Recovery, or Celebrate Recovery. Learning from the experiences of others can make it easier for a person to spot areas where they need to further strengthen their own recovery and help them to develop a sober support network.
- Get a sponsor. Having a specific person you know you can call when you’re struggling can make it easier to get through difficulties you may encounter. If you don’t have a sponsor, another sober support could be your go-to phone call.
- Be open about their struggles. Healthcare professionals working with an individual in recovery can help them to build a personalized treatment plan that will address their unique needs and build on the strengths that person already has, but they can only help if they have accurate information. Your team could include doctors, pharmacists, treatment counselors, or dentists.
If you find that you have been prescribed a medication with a label that says it may cause drowsiness, that could be mood-altering, so it is important to get comfortable talking to providers to prevent accidental ingestion of a potentially addictive substance.
At Safe Harbor Recovery Center, we don’t just want people to stop using substances. We want them to thrive as they build a life that they find meaningful, productive, and enjoyable. This means doing a lot of hard work at the beginning of their journey and maintaining their recovery long after they have left our program.