Do you think MD is an addiction, like alcohol or drugs? Do you have other addictions/an addictive personality?

[Liza]

I sometimes think i am addicted to MD, but other times i think that MD is something VERY different.  I'm not sure.  I know that (for me) MD is a way to detach/disassociate from the 'real' world.  Binge eating & bulimia has (in the past) served the same purpose.  I'm not sure if the two behaviours (MD & food addiction) are related at all? What do you think? hope this makes sense...

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

For me, daydreaming is definitely an addiction. I used to drink too much alcohol. No matter how sick I got & how awful it made me feel, I'd just drink & drink & drink. Eventually I'd run out of money & have to stop. I'd never drink at work or school or anywhere inappropriate. I'd only get drunk at home, where no one could see me. Daydreaming is much the same but without the limitations. It takes over my life, and I even get physically ill constantly.......but I can't stop. There's no money to run out. I have an unlimited supply, and it's everywhere. It's a drug I have constant access to everywhere I go, all the time. There's nothing to limit me but willpower that I clearly don't have.

[Will]

yeah... I agree. Also I think its key to point out the difference between this kind of addictive quality and something like ocd. The reason I daydream is because it feels good. If I was daydreaming because I was afraid that not doing it would cause some kind of harm then that would be more ocd like.

[Magenta]

I think that MD could definitely be viewed as an addiction, and therefore potentially treated as one. Many treatment models used in addiction recovery are the same at their core, and the techniques could be modified and applied to MD. Recovery from any addiction takes a substantial amount of work and dedication on the individuals part, and the majority of them need the assistance of a strong support network to accomplish that.

The difficulties that arise from MD that Cordellia mentioned before (unlimited access 24/7/365 in any location) made me think of the struggles of food addiction. Food isn't illegal, you can get it pretty much anywhere at any time, it's cheap or in some cases free, and more importantly you need it to live. Unlike alcohol, drugs, or gambling, you can't just stop eating food forever. You need to learn to regulate your intake, but you can't completely cut out food. Behavioral addictions like love addiction, take on a different form than substance abuse addictions. Like MD, there is no tangible substance to avoid, there is only a behavior to modify. Adding behavioral modification to the treatment regime might be helpful.

Sorry if all this sounds preachy. :-)

[Will]

No it doesn't sound preachy... it makes complete sense... Dealing with MD is hard to escape for exactly the reasons you and cordellia mention. I kind wish there were groups for MD like there are for Alcoholics Anonymous... Being a part of this board is helpful... but it would be so much better if you could actually talk and interact with people in the same room. I really think something like that would help me.

[Liza]

No, it doesn't sound preachy AT ALL. in fact, it kinda echoes how i'm trying to handle my MD at the moment. I'm using priniples from my eating disorder recovery (12 stepish things) to try and handle my MD. It works sometimes, sometimes not... problem is i actually enjoy daydreaming and some days i really don't want to give it up or even control it! I agree, a face to face support group would be awesome... hopefully one day...

[Nomad]

I don’t know the difference between an addiction and a personality disorder. It seems like most addicts have the same emotional struggles as people with anxiety-based personality disorders. Maybe somebody who knows more about these things can fill me in. Will's post about how addictions differ from OCD makes a lot of sense.

I’ve been working the twelve steps for many years, but they haven’t helped with my fantasies until now. The information you guys have provided about MD seems to be helping.

For example, one of the polls on the Yahoo forum describes two types of MD: (1) You slip into daydreams without realizing it and (2) You make a conscious decision to daydream. The pollster assumes that we each have one or the other, but I experience both. An outsider could view the second kind as a choice, but to me it feels like a compulsion. For me, that’s what addiction feels like.

Also, the daydreams I unconsciously slip into are relatively light-weight. Although the fantasies aren’t real, they’re about real-world stuff like being rich and saying clever things. When I make a conscious decision to enter my fantasy world, I go into supernatural storylines. These fantastic scenarios are more intense and engrossing than the realistic ones—I can stay in them for hours, and they suck me dry.

For me, it’s been helpful to say “I will probably always slip into daydreams. However, the same program that helped me recover from other addictive behaviors can help me with the industrial-strength fantasies that I feel compelled to engage in.” In the past, when I’ve tried to “quit” fantasizing, unbearable anger welled up in me, and I’ve never lasted longer than a week. Since I met you guys around the first of the month, however, I’ve drifted into daydreams, but I haven’t consciously gone into the intense, supernatural fantasies. Twenty-five days may not seem very long, and I don’t entirely trust this, but for me it’s huge. I don’t feel any angrier or crazier than usual; I feel okay. I guess I’ll wait and see.

Recovering in a twelve-step program can feel frustrating because the first step is admitting powerlessness over the addiction: there are no easy answers. Although I may want relief now, it won’t come until I’m ready for it. All I can do is work the twelve steps, build relationships with other recovering people and with a Higher Power of my own understanding, and practice being a useful member of the community instead of an isolated, obsessed person. For me, any baby step is a victory. When I was unemployed once, my sponsor said “Put your resume in an envelope on the first day, put a stamp on the envelope on the second day, and mail the envelope on third day.”

I hope everyone keeps posting.

Kathryn

[H89]

I would say I have an addiction to daydreaming. Also yes in the past I have had addiction issues(with a painkiller). I have a current addiction issue with the antidepressant I'm taking. I want to get off of the Prozac it's not helping me but when I stop taking it I get horrible side effects(whole body shaking, sweating, cravings, migraines, I feel all spaced out, my blood pressure drops). Sorry to get off topic lol I just needed to vent.

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Having withdrawal symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you're addicted. If the drug isn't helping you, talk to your doctor about slowly weaning off of it. There are a lot of drugs that can have side effects if you stop them abruptly. Your doctor should be able to help. They might even have something you can take to lessen them.

H89 said:

I would say I have an addiction to daydreaming. Also yes in the past I have had addiction issues(with a painkiller). I have a current addiction issue with the antidepressant I'm taking. I want to get off of the Prozac it's not helping me but when I stop taking it I get horrible side effects(whole body shaking, sweating, cravings, migraines, I feel all spaced out, my blood pressure drops). Sorry to get off topic lol I just needed to vent.

[H89]

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Having withdrawal symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you're addicted. If the drug isn't helping you, talk to your doctor about slowly weaning off of it. There are a lot of drugs that can have side effects if you stop them abruptly. Your doctor should be able to help. They might even have something you can take to lessen them.

H89 said:

I would say I have an addiction to daydreaming. Also yes in the past I have had addiction issues(with a painkiller). I have a current addiction issue with the antidepressant I'm taking. I want to get off of the Prozac it's not helping me but when I stop taking it I get horrible side effects(whole body shaking, sweating, cravings, migraines, I feel all spaced out, my blood pressure drops). Sorry to get off topic lol I just needed to vent.

My doctor tried weaning me off, with no luck. My depression also gets severe(my doctor isn't sure if it really gets worse or if it's just a side effect of coming off of the drug). I had this same issue with Paxil as well. I only lasted 6 weeks of being off of that before I gave in to my symptoms and he gave me the prozac. Now even with my Xanax(which I was told would help the withdrawl symptoms,I'm not on it for that reason though) I still can't stand to be off of the prozac.

[Zimdars_58]

My sister was also an addict as she used to take some medicines twice a day. Searched out for addiction counseling Virginia center and took her there for the treatment. After getting treatment for few months. She overcome with this problem.

[Kim Katz]

HI !  I think it is a kind of addiction. Another sort, but an addiction all the sale.  And like food addiction it "serves " to deal with frustrations, to fill emptiness,  all the lacks ... sorry my English is not good, but I hope you understand what I mean. In my case it is.

kim