Big Medicine - I know I am going to open a can of worms...but.....

Maybe I am not wording it correctly.  Not necessarily cross-addictions, but maybe passions.  I was not trying to imply that a cross-addiction is a bad thing.  We all have things that we do to replace the time we spent eating.  I have said the internet is my cross-addiction, but what I use it for is to keep my hands busy instead of using them to stuff my face.  So, it is not really a cross-addiction I guess, just something I enjoy doing and it takes the place of something I shouldn't be doing.

 As I mentioned in Stephanie's latter post on the BM "disappointment", I had not actually saw the show, but couldn't understand why Dr. Garth and those would dwell on the negaitives of WLS in their show.  I assumed they must have shown a lot of post-ops who developed serious complications that night, but I take it now the "negatives" were mostly cross-addicted post-ops, from what you said, Debra.

 Unfortunately, as one study that was recently mentioned on the main forum pointed out, over ONE-THIRD of post-ops (regardless of type of surgery) will develop a transfer-addiction.  This high of a figure just stunned me.  It doesn't seem to be something as a pre-op we hear much about.   It needs to not be swept under the rug, but definitely brought out and discussed openly. 

 I know where some of the corss-addcited are coming from:  now that we post-ops cannot eat, what CAN we do?    For some of us, food was our friend, spouse, lover and God, as I call it.     That is gone now ..  something has to fill that emotional vaccum.

  My profession, unfortunately, brings me intp contact with money and with persons who suffer from drug addiction.  Although I never would have thought twice about using an illicit drug before WLS, the temptation seems SO stong now, and that combination makes it so hard to resist.  

  I recall watching a documentary on cable T.V. recently (I can't remember the name of it), but they followed a young heroin addict around during his daily life, interacting with his family members and such.  At first I though****ching it would scare me off of any thoughts of going through what he did, but whenever it showed him shooting up and the peaceful easy feeling that came over him aftrerward, wow, I started to want that same "tranquility" for myself so badly  --  I could almost taste it.    ( know, ironic choice of words) ..   

  I guess you just have to experience something like that to understand what's going on and why, with transfer-addicts  ..   Hopefully, VERY few of you will ..