Compulsive behaviours
Gambling, shopping, exercise, helping, sex, internet use – the list seems endless. All these behaviours, when done in moderation, are not a problem It is when these activities are used to hide feelings, when the activity has taken control and cannot be stopped and when it is causing adverse consequences that help is needed to regain some balance in life.
These compulsions or addictions become a problem when people cannot live without them, when they have no freedom to live their lives and feel trapped and controlled by the activity.
Gamblers lose their houses, their jobs and their families, people who are addicted to shopping often have rooms full of clothes they have no wish to wear and from which they get no pleasure. Those who are addicted to sex gain no fulfilment from relationships; extreme exercise can damage bones and muscles and compulsive, co-dependent helping can ruin families and lives and leaves the ‘helper’ isolated and in pain. Compulsive internet use consumes time and frequently money and becomes a priority over more healthy lifestyles.
Whilst at Progress we believe in working behaviourally with our clients in the first stages of recovery from the compulsion, we also help our clients to become aware of their feelings. There are frequently underlying reasons why people resort to such a painful way of existence and clients can work through their uncomfortable feelings in group, or one-to-one sessions.
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