Contains alcohol - also contains medication + ED Shifting addictions?

[Wildchild]

Let me preface this by saying this is my first thread here and I hope I haven't messed up the warnings or posted this in the wrong place.

Anyway, what I wanted to ask is if anyone else noticed that their addictions are sort of shifting and changing?

To use myself as an example, when I was younger I used to have a drinking problem, which turned into an eating problem (which is persisting, but not as strong as when it started), which turned into a (short lived) shopping problem, went back to drinking and now... well, I've started getting into pain killers (otc stuff).

Does this happen to anyone else? Or does this mean I wasn't really having a problem with any of this?
I just don't know what to make of this and how to get out of this cycle. I've been doing this for almost ten years and it seems like it's only getting worse...

[falling-appart]

With many addictions comes control i found, until in then end you dont have the control your just under the allusion you have when in fact it controls you.Its normal for addictions to shift. I was a heavy drinker and eating problems, self harm and pills. Over the years since i was younger different things creep in and most of the time i didn't even realise.
I'm still in a battle each day with all of them, i wouldn't say i have overcome them because its always going to be a struggle, but i competed detox recently and was in rehab also. I don't drink now ( finger crossed ) i have not harmed in well over 2 months and i take my pills as i should.
I would advise maybe you see your G.P and discuss this and maybe get referred for some support possibly and see if you could talk this through more with someone.

[mat]

Pretty much.

[pandachan]

Yeah, I feel this way all the time. Constantly shifting from one evil to another. Take out one addiction, and it feels like there's this void that needs to be filled with something else. If I can't self-harm, I drink. Can't smoke? Pills. Can't drink? Abuse the hell out of my medication. Quitting heroin was the hardest thing I'd ever done, and I became a heavy heavy drinker in its wake. Anyway point being, I feel you, and sometimes I worry that as an addict this is going to be something I am going to struggle with for the rest of my life... Always needing a crutch of some fashion. I guess the best we can do is try to find the lesser of evils, or if we're lucky some coping mechanism that actually works. All my love. <3

[mat]

Honestly, if you have no negative consequences to an addiction, I don't see it as being a bad thing. I'm talking more like relationship/legal consequences. Of course abusing anything will over time damage your body, but just living in certain enviorments cause things to haappen to your body anyway. If you're following me.

[younglexie]

Speak to your cpn/pysch or gp about what you are doing to yor body and get the help you need

[Wonderland.]

I find this very much so with me.

Pandachan pretty much summed up how I feel.

[Opheliac13]

Addictions don't just start for no reason. If you keep shifting addictions it's probably because there's an underlying issue that you haven't addressed. So maybe if you thought about what it was you were getting out of the things you were addicted to and/or what is was you were trying to find in them. you'll probably find something similar to all of them. if you address the reason why you need that common factor, you'll probably find it a lot easier to avoid getting addicted to anything. although hopefully do this with a good support network and your gp, counsellor, etc.