E55- Understanding Process Addiction: Why How You Cope Matters as Much as What You Use

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In This Episode: Steve breaks down what process addiction actually is, why understanding it matters so much, 7 common mistakes that keep people stuck, and the tools that actually work including one most people completely underestimate.

What's covered:

• What process addiction is and how it's different from what most people think addiction means
• The neuroscience behind why behaviors can be just as addictive as substances
• Why "just stop" has never worked and the leaky roof and bucket that explains it perfectly
• 7 common mistakes people make in recovery
• The tools that create real, lasting change
• Why processing your emotions isn't optional and what happens when you don't

The 7 Mistakes We Cover

1. White-knuckling it alone
2. Removing the behavior without replacing the function
3. Not addressing the underlying issues
4. All-or-nothing thinking after a slip
5. Focusing only on stopping, not building a life worth living
6. Not getting professional help when you need it
7. Not building your support network before you need it

The Tools We Cover

• Phone calls — daily, multiple times a day, before crisis hits
• Journaling — finding patterns, slowing the urge cycle, writing through triggers in real time
• Physical movement — releasing what the body is holding
• Mindfulness/Present Moment/Awareness — learning to float through a wave without being destroyed by it
• Therapy/Coaching — translating what's underground into something you can actually work with
• Creative outlets — the healing power of creation vs. consumption
• Routine and structure — and the BLAST principle
• Opposite action — doing the counterintuitive thing that actually pulls you out

Key Takeaways

• Process addiction is real. It is not a character flaw or a willpower problem. It follows the same neural pathways as substance addiction.
• The behavior is a signal. Finding the fracture beneath the pain is where real recovery begins.
• You cannot willpower your way out of a process addiction. But you can connect your way through it.
• Every phone call, every journal entry, every honest conversation is building a new path through the forest. The more you take it, the clearer it gets.
• Recovery isn't just about what you're stopping. It's about what you're building.

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