Co-occurring addictions are not an uncommon occurrence, as one behavior often snowballs into other equally detrimental addictions.  This can be any combination of addictions, as the risky behavior often continues throughout the addict’s lifestyle.  Unlike cross-addiction, co-occurring addiction is more than one addictive behavior happening at the same time.  This may be drug and alcohol abuse paired with a sex addiction, eating addiction, or even shopping addiction.

There are unique challenges for those facing multiple addictions, as this can mean more opportunities to relapse even after recovery.  In co-occurring addiction, there are likely more triggers and circumstances that could cause the addict to revert back to their behavior.  This added challenge of facing multiple addictions can feel overwhelming, but it is possible to overcome this through professional therapy and with a commitment to recovery.

The Correlation Between Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Sex Addiction

Drug and alcohol abuse inhibit your decision-making, often leading you to make impulsive and dangerous decisions that you would not otherwise do sober.  Sex addiction is common for those struggling with drugs and alcohol.  The reason for this is that the addicts are looking for things that will alter the feeling in their brains, like the effect that the drugs and alcohol abuse has, sex addicts enjoy the chemical changes in the brain during the physical experience.  This, combined with the lack of inhibition caused by the influence of drugs or alcohol, make this an easy pattern to slip into.

The abuse of drugs and alcohol will often put an addict in a compromising scenario.  This may lead to dangerous and promiscuous behavior that they may not otherwise engage in.  By acting on these urges while under the influence, the addict’s brain will relate these feelings of euphoria to a combination of the drugs, alcohol, and sex acts.  Chasing these feelings, an addict suffering from a co-occurring addiction will continue in this destructive manner.

Understanding Why Multiple Addictions Happen

A common thread among addicts is a set of personality traits that make them more prone to addictive behavior.  Because of this, multiple addictions are very common for addicts.  The habit-forming co-occurring addictive behavior can quickly lead to other actions that will frequently be engaged in simultaneously.  In other instances, the addict will continue chasing a high that isn’t as good or doesn’t exist any longer.  By adding other dangerous behaviors, they can once more get the feelings that they had.  This is why drug and alcohol abuse often co-occur with sex addition.  The addict is chasing a euphoric feeling, and often needs to add other dangerous behaviors that release endorphins in the brain to achieve this feeling.

A multiple addiction can include as many as three, four, or even more addictions.  To begin recovery for multiple addictions, it is important that the individual seek professional help.  At Campbell Recovery Services, our team of therapists can work with addicts suffering from co-occurring addictions to offer them the best chance of a full recovery and the ability to lead a healthy lifestyle.