Combined Symptoms Can Sometimes Make Treatment Difficult. A dual diagnosis indicates that a person has two or more addictions or a chemical dependence mixed with a mental health issue (anxiety disorder, depression, etc.)
Symptoms
Obsession
It’s not unheard of for clients to suffer from at least three big obsessions. You may run into somebody who struggles with workaholism, sexaholism, and religion addiction. Compulsive caretaking and relationship addiction with a bit of misery addiction? That happens, too. When everything comes together, you get intense internal battles.
Compulsion
Alcoholism and workaholism are prime examples of how combined dependencies can be dangerous. Some workaholics push themselves so hard, they need to drink on the weekends to “loosen up.” This leads to a risk for alcoholism. If they misbehave while drinking (hit on a stranger, etc.), they may feel they should make up for causing problems by working harder.
Solution
Dr. Patrick Carnes, an expert on the subject of sexual addiction, says these sicknesses are connected to each other. Think of them as a series of gears moving together. When one comes alive, the others come alive, too. To prevent a relapse, each and every behavior should be addressed by health experts. Treating them at the same time (or closely together) covers all the bases and gives the client a better outcome.
There Are Many Combinations That can Come Into Play When Dealing With Multiple Addictions
We at Maui Recovery have a method to recovery developed by Dr. Carnes, who provides advice for multi-issue addicts.
