Rewiring Your Self to Break Addictions and Habits: Overcoming Problem Patterns

293 Pages·2009·2.19 MB·English

by  Angela Browne-Miller Ph.D.

Rewiring Your Self
to Break Addictions
and Habits

Rewiring Your Self
to Break Addictions
and Habits
Overcoming Problem Patterns
-
ANGELA BROWNE MILLER
P
RAEGER
An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC
Copyright2010byAngelaBrowne-Miller
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recording,orotherwise,exceptfortheinclusionofbriefquotationsina
review,withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
BrowneMiller,Angela,1952–
Rewiringyourselftobreakaddictionsandhabits:overcomingproblempatterns/
AngelaBrowne-Miller.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–313–35388–8(hbk.:alk.paper)—ISBN978–0–313–35389–5
(ebook:alk.paper)
1. Compulsivebehavior—Treatment.2. Habitbreaking.3. Substanceabuse—
Treatment. I.Title.
RC533.B758 2010
616.85’84—dc22 2009034151
14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5
ThisbookisalsoavailableontheWorldWideWebasaneBook.
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ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Toall of us.
Addiction,SlavestoProgramming?
(IllustrationbyandcourtesyofAngelaBrowne-Miller.)
Contents
List of Figures xiii
Preface:It Is Never TooLate xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction to Overcoming ProblemPatterns 1
PARTONE:RECOGNIZINGPOWERFULPATTERN 5
ADDICTIONSAROUNDAND WITHINUS
1. Survival andCounter-Survival 7
Survival? 8
Gratification? 8
2. TheProblemof theProblemAddiction Industry 11
Example:TheMatter of StimulantsSuchAsCocaine 12
and Meth
Example:Legal and Illegal Opioids 12
Example:TheQuestion of RightUse As PerCannabis 13
Age at FirstUse 13
AlwaysEmerging Addictions 14
Altered Statesof Consciousness(ASCs) 14
Example:Addiction to Legal Drugs SuchAsSmokingand 15
CoffeeDrinking
Are ThereLevelsof Acceptable Use? 15
Example:Prescription Drugs and EvenHouseholdSubstances 16
viii Contents
NondrugAddictions 17
TheProblemAddictionIndustry 17
3. OverarchingProblemConditions: Chemicalization and 19
Mechanization
Overarching AddictionCondition One:Chemicalization 19
Overarching AddictionCondition Two:Mechanization 20
4. ProblemStatesof Mind: Addictive Materialismand 23
Addictive Inadequacy
AddictiveMaterialism 23
AddictiveInadequacy 24
TheseAddictions Applyto Allof Us 25
5. Creaturesof Habitual Addiction 27
Automatic BehaviorAllAround and Within 27
Parallels between Drugand NondrugAddictions 28
Example:Food Addiction 30
Example:Shopping/Spending Addiction 31
Example:Work Addiction 32
Key Realities 33
6. Creaturesof Pleasure and Stimulation 39
TheCompellingPleasure Pathway 39
Example:Alcohol and Beta-EndorphineCraving 40
Pleasure and Relieffrom Painand DiscomfortAsPleasure 41
Example:ConsiderHeroin and MorphineWithdrawals 42
Tolerance andDiminishingReturns 42
Example:Commonplace Caffeine Addiction 43
Example:TheSmokingGunof NicotineAddiction 45
NondrugAddiction Stimulationof Pleasure Pathways 46
Example:Food, Sex, and RunawayDimensionsof 46
Our Coding
ContinuedUse andEngagement 47
7. WhenGood Judgment Fallsbythe Wayside 49
WhenGoodJudgment Is Not Working 50
Wiseand Right Use of Decision-Making Ability 50
DecisionMaking IsCentral 52
Makinga Good DecisionIs aProcess 53
DecisionMaking andProblemSolving: TheHow 54
Matters Here
Contents ix
With MaturityCan Come BetterDecision-MakingProcesses, 55
ButWhenIs Maturity?
TheGreater Good 55
8. Addictionand ExcessiveConsumption 57
InExcess 57
SeveralTypesof Excess 58
TheConsumptionTrap 59
PARTTWO:RECOGNIZINGOUR POWERFUL 63
INNERCODINGTO BEPATTERN-ADDICTED
9. Our RigidYet Paradoxical Addictions to What We See 65
AsReality
We Can EvenResist Healing Change 65
Our Rigid YetParadoxical Addictionto the Patterned 66
StateItself
TheTug of Choice 67
Explicit and ImplicitAddictions 68
Hidden ImplicitPatterning 69
UnderlyingSource Patterningto be Addicted to a Reality 70
10.Underlying SourcePatterningDrivingAll Addictions 73
SurvivalRelies on ThisProgramming 73
Riskand StimulationAsTriggersfor Gamblingand 74
Gambling withLife
11.Slaves to Attentional Bias 77
AttentionalBias Programming 78
ConsciousAttention to Triggers 80
Bad Learnings 81
TriggersThemselvesMayInduce Highs 82
12.Degraded Decision-MakingFunctioning 83
Goand No-Go 83
Action Selectingand Inhibiting 84
13.Compromised Thinkingand SituationResponsivity 87
Situations, Situations,Situations 87
ExecutiveControl 88
Action SelectionDecisions Respondto Situations 89