Thats a tough question. I over do it on the message boards, internet, school, cleaning house, but I feel that if its not screwing up my life and making me miss out on whats important around me, like my daughter, then f it, its better than drinking. Excersise on the other hand is NOT something I fully appreciate except from afar, FAR I said, I hate it, I need it. I mean dont beat yourself up over things like that unless they are truely affecting what is important in your life. If you want to go play 36 holes, go for it, just dont miss work or blow something off to do it.

I hear you D/t when I'm the most Happy is when I'm able to do what I do no agendas just because its there and i enjoy it Right now I'm filling some voids in positive re-enforcement, but at least I'm aware of it and The process of Recovery is on -going Yea!!!
Billy

I love spending my spare time on the computer...I still get my shit done so I see no problem with it.

Well, except for the fact that I am lazy and get no exercise....yes, coogee, one day I will GOYA....maybe. :)

I used to spend all of my weekends on the couch drunk and watching movies and passing out, so I guess this addiction has replaced that one, but I reckon this one is healthier. I'm also addicted to NCIS, Big Brother (vote for Jordan!! HA!) and Law & Order SVU. Still.....healthier than my past one..hee hee..

Well Joel, I know what you mean. I had no idea I had so many cross addictions until I sobered up. Yeah, I called mine the "Adrenaline Rush". I was always chasing that because of the high I got. Hitting a bottom on that was a bear. I also overspent, over exercised, over ate, and you name it. I used every none chemical I could find to change the way I felt.
Hitting a bottom on these old behaviors was as rough as when I stopped drinking!

As I grew in sobriety, many of these excesses were put to rest. Particularly, as I began working on the spiritual sickness I suffered from. Accepting my limitations is the task at hand for me nowadays. Balance is key for me, yet elusive at times.

oh, I also exercised to extremes, thinking to myself "well, it's healthy". I got into weight lifting and herniated or collapsed 3 lumbar discs and 2 cervical discs. Ha,ha, yep, that old trial by fire deal.

I'm reading a book right now on successful people. A common theme is they all over do it in some sense, but they over do things they enjoy (and are not detrimental to health). Balance is individual. You determiine what balance is by what makes you the most content, happy person. See, you are over doing it now by over thinking...LOL

Your post was so amusing for me to read, because I see so much of myself in it! When I kick the drinking binge, I find myself prowling the cupboards hourly looking for sweets and my day isn't complete without a half a pot of coffee making me tweak my way around the house. I've heard that when an alcoholic gives up drinking, their sugar levels are...low? or messed up somehow to the point where their body craves that same input of sugar, like the types that you get from the drinks. Therefore, your craving for that chocolate chip cookie over there may be a bit higher than normal.
I've learned not to be too hard on myself about my new "addictions", as they are certainly not as harmful as drinking was. They can be tackled in much the same manner as drinking and I do believe that you can achieve true balance. You just have to have a lot of patience to do so. And something to keep in mind is that if you're much like me (which it sounds like you are) and you are usually doing things to one extreme or the other, then it is likely you will eventually pick up a positive addiction just to feel like you're keeping things exciting. I personally find life a bit dull if things aren't done to the extreme, which I am sure helped fuel my drinking addiction.

Gluttony.....that's "our" thing right? Too much of everything...gimme gimme gimme and then gimme some more more more!!! Now! now! now!

I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now!

I can become addicted to anything in front of me that keeps me from feeling. Feelings and emotions will keep me active in my thinking and that is not good.
Great sponsorship in AA suggests that I am active in helping others and my community. This keeps me from thinking and keeps me in doing.
Doing one act of kindness without bragging about it, is awesome. This action makes me "feel" great, all because of action. I didn't have to think myself into feeling good.
I set parameters with the computer and stick by my guns, I know that cyberworld can be a "transfer of addictions".

Great answers folks , thanks. What I'm getting as a concensus is first things first ( work, family , etc) and then let the positive addiction have at it. Which is partly what I do.
And Rick what I love about successful people is they way they look at failure. Edison is quoted as having said "I didn't fail, I found out 2,000 ways how NOT to make a lightbulb"\
Although it does seem that more and more high level success in our society requires obsession. I'm not sure that's good.

Donttread, I just bought the "7 Habits for a Successful Life" for my daughter. Maybe I should read it, LOL

There's a song by Billy Joel, " GO TO EXTREMES"

Yeah I can relate to what your saying Don & I sure can relate to the song.

Billy Joel is the man isn't he??
Glad, good book.

I need a little positive addiction today. I haven't done much so far. But football will on in a few

hard to reply to thid post. Everything could turn into adiction.
Dont know where to go with that. I like alot of stuff.
But its not the same as alcholism.