How To Control Impulsive Behavior In Recovery
June 17, 2014

Vulnerability and impulsive behavior can spark some inadvertent forms of acting out. There are common misconceptions that people tend to believe when being impulsive takes the driver’s seat in their life. They seem to be convinced that there is an easy fix to all their problems that appear to be more helpful than working on themselves in their recovery.

Impulsive Behavior Signs & Symptoms

Love and affection Impulsive Behavior

This is an all-too-frequent affliction for many, especially in early recovery.  Addicts typically seem to confuse lust and being comfortable or preoccupied with love.  Whether they want a temporary fixation to distract from working on themselves, or feel a distinct need for support because of their vulnerability and turn to the next readily available resource, they trick themselves because they want so badly to believe that they can be saved.  Maybe they are afraid that they can’t save themselves, or maybe they have already come to the conclusion that they know they can’t help themselves, and if no one else can, then what is there left to turn to?  This is why it is crucial to take the mandatory steps and discover your beliefs in your recovery process rather then engaging in impulsive behavior.

Self-knowledge Impulsive Behavior

Addicts and alcoholics tend to think that if they analyze every angle of each situation they have encountered in their life, then they will find all “the answers.”  In our vulnerability, they often forget that they are not the solution, nor are their thoughts.  Despite being able to help the next addict by guiding them along in their own recovery, they are in no way experts on the business of living.  If they were, the addict and/or alcoholic probably wouldn’t have been in as sticky of situations as they have been in before grasping the idea of recovery.

Self-sabotage Impulsive Behavior

When addicts and alcoholics are in recovery and have regained a sense of manageability in their lives, they sometimes feel uncomfortable with the new positivity that recovery brings, leading them to feed into their disease and sabotage all that they just rebuilt.  Their vulnerability increases before this point, because they may not be familiar with the lack of chaos occurring in their lives, and anything good feels downright uncomfortable.  So what do they do?  They turn right to their comfort zone by returning to old unhealthy behaviors that either tie in or bring them straight to a relapse.  If they notice when they are experiencing vulnerability and want some relief, they have to remember to reach out to their sober supports who will share their own experiences and confirm the belief that recovery is possible.

This sense of vulnerability and impulsive behavior should not take over anyone’s recovery process because the mind can be deceiving, as an addict and/or alcoholic may act out in impulsive different ways.  If they do commit to these negative feelings of vulnerability and give in to their disease, they may act out on impulse in ways that will only ignite a relapse.