I'm having trouble following your post. So you are sober (not drinking alcohol), but you have developed another addiction?

To answer your question, yes, a recovering alcoholic can develop other addictions. My program of recovery teaches me that alcohol is but a symptom of my problem. If I don't resolve my problem, I am in danger of switching addictions, be it a drug addition, eating, shopping, gambling, sex addiction. Until I fix my problem (me), I will continue to find new substances or behaviors to help me escape from my problem.

Hello Ellabella41,

If you have stopped drinking ten years ago but have not dealt with the background issues that caused you to drink, you would be in danger of seeking relief through other drugs.

You have not given details about the new addiction but whatever it is, you would be wise to deal with it as soon as possible. Nobody can tell you for sure whether or not you will go back to drinking but there is a danger of that as many people who turn to other drugs do eventually drink.

You are not alone as there are many people who can give you help and support. Please do this one thing today. Call your doctor right now and make an appointment. Tell the doctor the whole truth about what is happening and ask for help.

Keep posting here too and let us know how you are doing.

Hi, Ella!
First things first: do NOT drink! You have these ten years to be extremely proud of, and many people around you, even us who are just meeting you, want you to keep going. For you, not for us, but for us too, we will all feel better =)
We can't tell what has happened in your life recently, but since this is the break-ups forum, I'll try to give the scientific perspective:
Yes, being dumped or losing someone dear and close elicits pretty much the same kind of response as suddenly withdrawing from an addiction. I know this probably does not help too much right now, but I say it so that you can understand that this is perfectly normal, whether you are recovering alcoholic or not: Your brain becomes used to a stimulus, maybe a touch, maybe a kiss, maybe a text. You develop more and more receptors in your brain for more and more stimuli (neurotransmitters, i.e. chemicals in your brain that get released when something happens to you). Suddenly these stimuli are all gone and your brain has all these neuro-receptors (the proteins that received the neurotransmitters) waiting for their molecules but nothing comes. You feel empty because that's exactly what's happening: the proteins in your brain are literally empty, awaiting molecules that don't arrive, because the text and the touch and the kiss don't arrive.
Now, of course your natural reaction would be to fill in that literal gap with another drug. It would numb the pain, it would fill the vacuum, but the problem is this has the exact opposite effect in the long run: your brain develops more receptors still, and so you end up feeling more and more empty every time, needing larger or stronger doses.
So, stay well away from the bottle(s) and very close to your friends. This will be a VERY tough time, recovering alcoholic or not, so don't fear leaning heavily on friends and family, reading self-help books, and seeking professional help (including medical if necessary*).

*you may wonder whether taking antidepressants isn't essentially the same thing as the example I just gave about replacing a "drug" (e.g. love) with another drug. Well, yes and no. The most important thing is that antidepressants can be used safely in a treatment designed to wean you off as early as possible, under close supervision by an expert. That's just not possible if you simply give in to alcohol or other drugs, so come on and don't!

Not very clear what's really going on with you. It is true that when we stop an addiction we will want to fill that void with something else. It can be an addiction that can be unhealthy, or healthy for us.
In A.A. it's the higher power, or God that is needed to fill that void. Other programs teach various other ways.
Often without a program of recovery we can exchange our addictions for another drug, but that usually will lead us back to our original drug of choice. The substitute drug will last for awhile, but it's kinda like teasing, or tempting our original addiction. So yea I do see it as a step that can lead you back out.
The other thing about using a different drug to replace the original is it diminishes our spiritual growth. We can isolate more, hang around people that don't help our growth, and be around a lower type of subculture. All these and more get in the way of growing spiritually. I don't know about you, but the whole purpose that led me to want to change was that I couldn't stand myself and the way I was living. I wanted to be a good person, but drugs and alcohol ( Which is a drug. ) prevented that from happening no matter how hard I tried or what I did. I always had this awful inner conflict that tore me apart. I hated being a hypocrite in all I did, but I couldn't stop it. I had too much fear of what people would really think of me if they knew.
For myself I choose the A.A. program, mainly because it's the biggest and most widely known group around. It has helped me to grow spiritually. I have met a lot of good people, and some not so good. I've gone to events and had fun. Mostly it's helped me to get out and be with others that are trying to recover too. I don't isolate so much now, unless I want to, and sometimes I like being with myself now.
In recovery I've learned that I need people preferable that are positive and suportive. People that will help me to grow. I need people to help straighten out my thinking when it gets off track. It's my thinking that always messed things up, so I need others that will tell me when I'm wrong. Remember our best thinking got us to where we got, and it wasn't what we planned. Addiction is a thinking disease.
Right now with those thoughts of suicide that your having is really just that. Thoughts. You can always learn to change your thinking, and the patterns that you have developed for them. But for me it's hard to do on my own. My thoughts have been so well programed over the years that I need help. It's my thoughts that always led me back to drinking or drugs, on my own that's what happens sooner or later.
Anyway, I know this is long, and I'm sorry. I haven't had my coffee yet. Wish you all the best, and write anytime. James

Any kind of addiction, weather it be alcohol, drugs, over eating, sex and pornography addiction, gambling, etc, is triggered from underlying fear, guilt, or shame. You have to get it out in the open and face those fears or it will continue to fester and boil up into far worse things down the road. It might be helpful to talk to a therapist to help you get this difficult part of your life. Your doctor can refer you to one. Good luck with that and stay sober at all costs!

God Bless

Oh my god I sounded so desperate the other day,I'm still desperate but I thank you all for your wonderful posts that has made me realise what is wrong and why I've turned to cocaine for the last few months,and not drink,as I never realised that I could be addicted to anything not just drink,and these last 10 years I haven't gone to AA I've got sober with my wonderful younger sister who has spent the last good 9 years being there for me,giving me a life with her and I felt finally me again,
My sister died a year ago now,she left 2 young teenage girls and the first 6 months I was so strong for them,but in reality I was numb,when it became too much I turned to something that none of my family would know unlike drink,that cunning and baffling disease told me I would be fine taking cocaine,it's not drink but now6 months on I'm drowning here and that's what I tried to write up there but I'm so sorry I was all over the place,I don't like life anymore,why are we here I cannot believe my wonderful strong sister died at 46 and I'm here on my own,those poor girls are coping,sort of so I can never tell anyone about me ,:(

I was the king of replacing one thing with another. Its what I did. booze , drugs, booze drugs etc... but in the end I was going to kill my body if I didnt stop. So I stopped many times only to pick up again. This time I just focus on today. I try to stay sober today. I also go and talk with other alcoholics on a daily basis. I have learned how to cope with out having to tranquilize myself. It is possible you just gotta make the change
1is2many

Thank u for making me see it's not just me how ever mad it seems,do you go to AA is that what u mean? If so do u think by me not sticking with AA and getting a sponsor,doing the steps that is why I have ended up self medicating with some other addiction when I'm grieving so much that I don't want to feel it?

I fell after many year of sobriety, I had a relapse. It doesn't matter if it was due to alcohol or self medication. It was not, because I did not go to AA meetings. "In my opinion". I think that anyone, who still has to go to meetings, after 10 years of sobriety, needs to find a life. What happened to me is that I was not following my bliss. I was using, in my case booze, to get away from life. I discovered, where I went wrong. I began to accept life and life's problems. Once I did that, I was able to follow that path that calls me. I found that by letting go I was able to release the suffering. I don't go to AA it's not my path.

Hello Ellabella41,

People usually turn to alcohol and other drugs because they like the buzz that comes from using those chemicals. Some of those people will become addicted and will find it very difficult to deal with life unless they have the chemical crutch to lean on. If you had been using alcohol and then cocaine in order to deal with everyday issues then you will probably need help in order to change your way of thinking.

There are probably many ways of bringing about the change of thinking and it is a matter of finding the method that works best for you. Maybe you are still struggling with the loss of your sister and you feel guilty about not being able to do more for her girls. Professional counselling could help you with that so why not talk to your doctor and ask to be referred to a counsellor.

Alcoholics Anonymous can help you too, but it is not just a matter of going to meetings. Again, it is about bringing about a change in thinking and that is where a good sponsor can help you. Do not be put off going to AA by the words of intolerant people who have a chip on the shoulder. Look instead at the huge number of alcoholics who whose lives were hopeless and who have turned it around completely with the help of AA. If those people can do it, so can you. Whether you are dealing with alcohol or cocaine, the approach is much the same.

You will need time to grieve and it will be painful but by using chemicals to block the pain, you will only be blocking the grieving process and it will come back to bite you again. Take action now to make changes and start reclaiming your freedom. Two simple things that you can do – call your doctor and go to AA or NA meetings.

Being an alcoholic really doesn't mean that you are just addicted to alcohol. Ok it does but really doesn't when you think about it. For those of you that are still struggling with a drinking problem, If today, all of the sudden, alcohol disappeared from the face of the earth, would you just say "Ok, well that was fun!" and move on with a sober life? I would say the answer is undoubtedly no. I found this out first hand after my arrest for DUI. At first I continued to drink as I was on unsupervised probation awaiting my sentence. Once I was sentenced and forced to do random urine tests I could no longer drink. I thought "Ok. That's that." But I had never truly dealt with my underlying problems that made me an alcoholic and I could not fight the urge to get "high" Thankfully my mind was still right enough to resist turning to illegal drugs but that same mind was still fucked up enough to wonder what else would get me high. I remembered a time when I was in my teens and I had taken a massive amount of allergy medication to get high and decided that was what I was going to do. So here I was 40 years old getting high like a teenager would do on NightTime Sleep aids (Dph). I had to take about 500-700 mgs a night just to try and keep the feeling going long enough to go to sleep. All the while hiding this new addiction from my wife and kids. I lost 40 pounds, could barely swallow any food. It was the fact that I truly felt I was about to die that led me into treatment.
I know that is a long answer but the short answer is yes. We as alcoholics can substitute one addiction for another. Treat the problem, not just eliminate the substance.

Hi Ella You can most definitely lapse into a different addiction. I don't quite understand this forum yet but I stumbled upon your post and wanted to answer. I'm here looking for support as a wife of a husband who 13 yrs ago used a cocktail of liquor and various drugs to numb himself. Now it would appear he is turning to sex as I found online memberships to dating sites looking for women. Hey Bud! You already married! Anyway, you need an on going support group of some kind, recovery house, AA, something in real life, not just online where you sit and talk and listen with other alcoholics (share) to keep the monster at bay. The monster grows and grows inside of you until he is strong enough to take over your life and he is not a nice monster. He is evil and will make you lose your family, your job and even bring you to death. If he doesn't cause your death, he will make you wish you were dead because you will be alone and miserable.

Wow such amazing posts,thank you! Well I'm still using,but I know I feel I need somehow to explore what's really wrong with me deep down,would AA help I think,or NA? Maybe that is the answer so I'm going to a meeting tomorrow morning,as what ever I think about the steps and can't understand it I think at the moment I'm safer there,I just have to get there tmrw I need to,
I never realised that I could go from one addiction to another so all your posts have been so wonderful,I'm lonely I know that,so lonely so I don't want to feel,
The Worlds a darker place without my sister by my side,I just can't get past it,and coke numbs all that,just like drink did st the time but I ruined my family and kids with drink,where as at the moment this is very secretive and no one knows not one single person,what a sad life,