Hi! I'm here to guide you through a series of experiences aimed at getting the meaning behind your addictions.

(Choose who you want to talk to by clicking on the picture)

How are you?

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What are you tempted to do?


What substance are you tempted to take or what behavior are you tempted to do?

e.g. marihuana or sport.

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What are you reaching for?


When you're imaging doing this what experience are you hoping to get?

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What is it that you want to avoid?


When you reach for that substance or behavior, is there something that you wish to avoid?

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If you had to make a choice right now,
which experience would you reach for?

or

Your choice for now is:

What is next?

This project is about addictions and was created with two aims in mind:

Read more on the author’s website.

Patron:

A research project by Mikołaj Czyż. © Copyright, 2015.

The service does not process personal data. The data from the questionnaire is anonymous. The site uses DB-IP.com and cookies for visitor statistics (GA).
A project of Stowarzyszenie Psychoterapeutów i Trenerów Psychologii Procesu. Polish.

See experiment early results here.

1. Your inclinations (the things you are tempted to do) point to important experiences and states of mind.

Your inclinations towards certain behaviors or substances are not meaningless. They are a way to achieve a certain state of mind or mood. Or, inclinations help you have an experience which you long for on a daily basis. On top of that, acting out a compulsion allows you a moment in which you don’t experience what you are struggling with (e.g. a feeling of anxiety).

(You can read more about inclinations and the things you may be tempted to do here)

2. You can see indulging an inclination in terms of choices.

When you see your behaviors as choices, they become something that you can influence.It’s you that’s doing it.You stop being someone who “slips” and you become someone who decides and puts an action into practice – or not.
If you want – occasionally – you can make another decision. Choose NOT to follow an inclination. Then, you can investigate to find out more about why these particular states of mind, experiences, and moods, are so important for you at this particular time in your life. Why do you seek them out so much?
For example, many people use alcohol in an attempt to bond with each other. How and why does the experience of alcohol help you with bonding?
And are you possibly running from other experiences: Why are you afraid of the feeling of emptiness, for example?

3. What you’re really looking for.

Then, ask yourself, “What would it mean to choose something that is really good for you? Something that is really satisfying, rather than just something that just promises satisfaction.”

Defining what you are really looking for can help you achieve these true desires.

4. How can I find out more about what I want?

You filled out two boxes:

See these answers as an opportunity to learn something important about yourself. This can be very interesting!
This can be very interesting!

The truth is that both of these answers – both experiences – are important to you right now.

When you know this, you can give them the attention they deserve – be it to reflect on them, investigate them, or take some other actions.

For example: Let’s imagine that sweets give you a feeling of safety, and allow you not to feel anxious for a moment.

In that case, you can, for example, reflect on the following questions or think up your own:

When you start to ask yourself these kinds of questions, it turns out that your “destructive” behavior is not accidental, and that oftentimes, there are important stories and unfulfilled needs that hide behind such behaviors.

5. When will the cycle of using a substance stop hurting?

Now you know more about why you use substances or engage in certain behaviors.

It’s a way of reaching a goal – a change of mind, mood, experience. At the same time, it’s a compromise which carries along the risk of becoming a full-blown addiction.
At this point, you can also look for other paths. You can learn how to reach certain states of mind while sober. In this way, you may be able to fulfill your needs in a fuller, more satisfying way. Then you could experience #RELAXATION or #TENSION (or # and #) in an ordinary way, as a part of your life, and to move smoothly from one to the other…

You can make use of whatamidoingthisfor.com many times, changing, if you want, the substance, the experience, or, of course, your choices. May your reflections be helpful!

If this application has been useful or inspiring for you, please tell a friend about it, share it on facebook, or write an e-mail or comment.

Thank you.

© Copyright 2015 Mikołaj Czyż.
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