Transfer Addiction

Hello all.....to those that remember me and the *newbies* I made a promise to myself last month I would make this post....because there have been posts over the past few years that were *dismissed* and I dont think they should have been...... Hi....My name is Dianna.....and I am an alcoholic........ Now, I know what you are thinking.......this will NEVER be me......think again..... This is called *cross addiction* We are addicted to food.....this has landed us in the WLS Dr's office..... And when we cannot *abuse* our drug of choice? Some WILL turn to Alcohol (Or other narcotics, depending on our genetic make-up) I struggle with this on a daily basis..... I went into medical detox on January 10, 2008.  And I am struggling. So....if you are preparing for surgery....look at your history please.....and if you are post WLS....take very good care to watch cross addictions.  I was addicted to the gym there for awhile, and I hope to get addicted to the gym once again :) Anyways.....any questions please email me here or to [email protected].... Off my soap box now...... D.....

Hello beautiful, Its FANTASTIC to see you posting & I very much appreciate you, love you & respect your post more than you can possibly know.  Its NO secret my very public struggle & story with addiction to alcohol. I'm very proud of myself in spite of the nay sayers, ignorance, and cold shoulder I've faced for having told & continuing to tell my story AND remain sober. I've watched others I've cared and still care about deeply & whole heartedly exude the same behaviors and develop addictions but they were not yet ready to deal so to speak. I did try to confront them and express my concern (always the "fixer"). Then, through intense therapy & my AMAZING support system of family & friends I have come to learn that *I* cannot help others if they do not WANT to help themselves. *I* couldn't be helped until I wanted it either. Dang that's a HARD lesson to learn. I have also in the last 3-4 months spoken with several folks who were misled about the facts where I am concerned as well as addiction and its very heart warming & beautiful the connections that have been forged as a result of clarifying the truth & letting it speak for itself. I am happy to say that within some of those folks are ones who discussed with me in confidence their struggles with addiction & we have been able to lean on one another so much more & have found commonality and are bonding more & more each day. I cannot stress ENOUGH that transfer of addiction isn't JUST alcohol but others as well. They can be anything ranging from alcohol, sex, drugs, shopping to plastics/reconstructive surgery, eating disorders and more. I learned and continue learning so much about addiction & its many faces & names & its truly a battle for all it touches. In fact, I have been amazed at some of the folks its touched & how they've struggled. But, TOGETHER we forge ahead leaning on one another for support & weeding our gardens so that we are comprised of flowers that thrive, teach, grow & learn.  Dianna I am PROUD of you for facing your demons and getting sober. Life has NEVER been sweeter than it is being SOBER! You've known this since day ONE I'm here when you need me & even when you don't.  To others you are NOT alone! There are folks who have been through addiction transfer and are here for you. Just like eating and our recovery there such is life with transfer of addiction. You will/should NOT be judged and ostracized but will/should be received with open arms & loving, kind hearts filled with commonality and support. The first step is the hardest one. But, I was told just this past week that a million mile walk starts with just ONE step. Know that there are options available to you, that you are CAN beat your addiction & you ARE worth it and SO much more.  Again, Dianna THANKS for your honesty & openness and I HOPE you are responded to with respect, dignity & LOVE.  Always,  Kat  

Dianna so good to see you posting, and I applaud you for your honestly as well!! Good for you and I am proud of you for getting the help you need and we are here for you!!! Sending you a big hugggggggg.......

Diane, What you wrote was not easy I'm sure ( impossible for some) so you should be very proud of yourself.   Please know that you are not a "bad person" because you developed an alcohol addiction.  Rather, you are a really brave person for facing this and taking steps to deal with it.   Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your recovery.  Please don't be a stranger on the Boards -- we would like to be here for you if any way we can. CathyA

Dianna- You have a heart bigger than the state of Texas...and am so brave to share this with us. Please know that I think the world of you and if there is ever anything I can do, please let me know. I'm local afterall.... PM me if you need/want my private contact information.

I just left you a voice mail message as I wanted to deliver this as personal as I could get .. so listen to your message .  Like I said in the message . If you help one person , that is one life you have saved . Many come to the place in making the decision to have WLS .. and have never fought their demons . Some do not even know they have them .. others regress to only the food addiction, while suffering from inner pain that causes them to reach out to the other substances or activities .  NO one is immune from this .. no one . While some may pu**** aside and ignore it , to only hit them hard later on .  I have seen your pain , and I have also seen your fight . And you are still fighting the good fight . Your circle here has never been unbroken . You can come to us for the good , the bad and the ugly ..  I am very proud of you .. I am proud of your actions to publicly post this tonight . While hearing congratulations .. and atta girls from us is good to hear . I hope that you are hearing a voice that is telling you to push on and to be proud of what you have accomplished . While the road seems long .. it is a road that you do not travel alone .  I will continue to pray for you .. to send you positive energies . As I said in my voice mail message . Life takes us away .. Life sometimes get's in the way .. However, you are , will always be my friend .. as I told you in person recently .. I never stopped loving you ..  For those that may not know Dianna .. she is one of the sweetest , most loving people have ever met . Her eyes speak volumes of her life, her loves and her journey .  She is both beautiful inside as well as outside .  When we first met there was an immediate connection. I was the sun and she the moon. ( Long story) . Dianna, you will survive this ..and your story as with Kat's and many others here , that deliver positive messages on transfer addictions .. and their strugges .. will indeed help someone out there .. maybe not tonight ..maybe not tommorow .. but someone will read this and remember you ..  Life is sweeter Dianna with you in it .. and I am glad you are here among us .  Peace be with you , know that love is all around you..  Love you ... Moon...  Sun ...

Dianna, My father was an alcoholic, sober for the last 20 years of his life. I pray that God will give you strength and blessings every day. Joe

Dianna I am sorry that you are going throught this but just remember that you are not alone. I am verry proud of you for coming forward and telling us what is going on and maybe we can be here for you in more ways. Please feel free to come to your family here and expect to see all the support that you need. If you need a friend you can always come to us. WE LOVE YOU

Diane,  it is very hard to come on a public board and admit your demons - and for that I applaud you! Cross addiction is far more common than many people realise -and we were talking about this very subject at a Support Group meeting I was at today. People do not realise how addicted we all are to food and when the pleasure of food is taken from us many of us replace it with something else.....and something far more dangerous.  You saw the damage and you sought help - sometimes you have to hit rock bottom in order to seek help - you realised your problem before you were incapable of seeking help. I hope your story and Kat's may help some others  - who currently know or suspect they have an issue - to go an seek some help......  Cross addictions are not anyone's fault, rather they develop because of the addictive personalities we all have - but we all need to be aware of them prior to surgery. I don't think there is anywhere near the testing and phsyc evaluations there should be prior to surgery. Maybe we all should lobby the insurance companies to make sure they look at everyone's mental state more closely and to have some mandatory counseling classes prior to surgery. Maybe then some people might have a chance of recognising addictive behaviours before they take a firm hold. And the people that should not have surgery until they have their current eating disorders dealt with may be saved from continuing them............ Diane, you are one of the sweetest people that I know - I wish you luck in your fight and please stay on the boards - we are all here for you!! Jackie

It took a lot to put this out there but I am sure that it is cleansing to you to be able to be open & honest about what you are going through.  Posting, blogging, talking, etc. about our experiences is so helpful to those that come up behind us. Stay strong, take  it day by day, and keep it up girl.