That is entirely dependend on the substance, the original addiction, and the individual. Might it lead to a negative spirale? Sure. Addiction is destructive. Depending on the context pretty much anything can be done or consumed to the point of self harm. Probably don’t get into one on purpose like, a general rule of thumb.
For example: You eat too many potato chips and that’s bad for your health. Now you don’t go cold turkey on the snacks, but buy carrots instead and eat those.
How? You do it often enough. Do it for half a year, every other day and it’ll become the new habit.
Any addiction can be broken (the mental part, at least). The real hard part is you have to truly WANT it. You can’t magically wish discipline into existence where there was none before.
That said, I can’t seem to get rid of mine, but I acknowledge that my underlying problem is a profound lack of willpower.
The short answer is yes, you can trade one addiction for another and no, it doesn’t necessarily cause spiraling.
The long answer is yes, with a great deal of patience, you can condition yourself into just about anything. Breaking from an addictive personality is far from easy and requires a deep understanding of yourself and your triggers. Introspection and therapy aplenty. There can be relapses or worse if you try to hack together a treatment plan for yourself. Support groups can be helpful and leaning on friends and family, when possible, can make or break you.
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