Living with Addiction - Day 48

From Days to Weeks to Months, and still so far so good.

I'm so happy my habitual addiction to the FB Game Caesars Slots is squashed. I know what has helped was finding other enjoyable things in the morning that are healthy, like doing puzzles, or playing a trivia game, or writing. I've had to do a few different things to keep me from being bored, but I think the puzzle has been the most effective. I noticed the other day though, when I was doing an on-line puzzle, everytime I finished a puzzle, the APP kept playing samples of other games which was so annoying as I had to wait for the sample to finish before I could X out of it, this caused me great frustration. In that moment I realized that my need for instant gratification is a bit deeper than I imagined. Now, when I do a board puzzle like the 1000 piece dragon one I'm doing now, I do not get interrupted and each time some pieces fit into place I get a rush. This is a good thing to realize as it may be one of the contributing factors in my addiction.

Anyway, some social stuff coming on the horizon will also be good for me. I have noticed that I am too comfortable with isolation and although I do need that, I have to remember to get out sometimes. So, tonight, I'm seeing a movie with a very dear friend and hopefully in October I will be taking a trip to Door County with another friend.  I've never been up to Door County. It's in WI so not too far of a drive. This is exciting too, as it would be the first time in a long time I've driven so far in my car. I had been hesitant with the older vehicle, but now with my new car, much easier and less stressful.

I'm still checking in with the health counselor through my job. Kerry has been fantastic. I think I have a crush on her and yet I've never met her. But it's her words and you can feel her enthusiasm with what she is doing and her support comes through even in the chat message. She has a calming voice over the phone which I really like because sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I can't slow down to just enjoy. Maybe one day I'll get to meet her in person. It would be interesting for sure.

That's it for now.