{"id":286,"date":"2007-06-12T13:45:43","date_gmt":"2007-06-12T13:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/addicted-who-me.html"},"modified":"2007-06-12T13:45:43","modified_gmt":"2007-06-12T13:45:43","slug":"addicted-who-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/addicted-who-me.html","title":{"rendered":"Addicted? Who, Me?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a lighter note, this article (click here for the full Q and A)<\/a> was somewhat intriguing for a person like myself with both soft and hard (light and heavy, round and square) addictions. Judith Wright, co-founder of the Wright Institute for Lifelong Learning in Chicago, explains how to recognize and overcome soft addictions like too much TV, shopping, surfing the Net (not Beyond Blue though), or gossiping.
\nFollowing are some samples of soft addictions, what underlying hunger they are trying to fill, and suggestions on how to satisfy the hunger in a more fulfilling way. (Beware: some of them ain\u2019t going to work for the hard-core addicts. In fact, you might want to read these with a major grain of salt. They\u2019re good to get you thinking, but I doubt they\u2019ll bring you home.)<\/p>\n

\nSoft Addiction: Watching TV <\/strong>
\nHunger: To feel connected
\nAlternative: Call a friend and go out to a play
\nSoft Addiction: Surfing the Internet<\/strong>
\nHunger: To learn and grow
\nAlternative: Go to a museum or a lecture on a subject that intrigues you
\nSoft Addiction: Overwork<\/strong>
\nHunger: To matter
\nAlternative: List the ways you make a difference, and take pride in your contribution
\nSoft Addiction: Gossiping<\/strong>
\nHunger: To connect and to belong
\nAlternative: Talk about yourself and the person you are with, rather than others
\nSoft Addiction: Name Dropping<\/strong>
\nHunger: To be important
\nAlternative: Talk about what matters instead of who matters
\nSoft Addiction: Shopping<\/strong>
\nHunger: To feel abundant
\nAlternative: “Shop” for friends, ideas, possibilities instead of stuff
\nSoft Addiction: Fast Food<\/strong>
\nHunger: To be fulfilled
\nAlternative: Have quick treats that aren’t food
\nSoft Addiction: Chat Rooms<\/strong>
\nHunger: To feel connected
\nAlternative: Call a friend and “chat live”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a lighter note, this article (click here for the full Q and A) was somewhat intriguing for a person like myself with both soft and hard (light and heavy, round and square) addictions. Judith Wright, co-founder of the Wright Institute for Lifelong Learning in Chicago, explains how to recognize and overcome soft addictions like…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addictionrecovery"],"yoast_head":"\nAddicted? Who, Me? - Beyond Blue<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beyondblue\/2007\/06\/addicted-who-me.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Addicted? Who, Me? - Beyond Blue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On a lighter note, this article (click here for the full Q and A) was somewhat intriguing for a person like myself with both soft and hard (light and heavy, round and square) addictions. 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