Addiction to Dopamine - Any alternatives?
I have an addiction to entering and winning giveaways. In practicing mindfulness I've recognized that I repeat this action because it gives me access to easy dopamine. I think that my behavior has led to some impressive wins but has become unhealthy and obsessive for me. Are there any other good fixes/ways to get the dopamine that I need?
One example I found is playing progressive video games so that I can watch my character level up, gain skills, etc. I also love gardening but I feel like the dopamine there is much more progressive than the near-instant gratification that I'm used to. But maybe I do need to slowly work down to where I can be comfortable with less dopamine.
@bunnygarden
Are you paying to enter these contests or giveaways? It sounds like more of a productive hobby than an addiction that you need to break, unless it's interfering with your work, it's causing you to sacrifice your relationships, your spending oodles of money, or it's harming you in some other tangible way.
I used to enter giveaways and use coupons. I garden. I can't see it as being addictive, though, at least not in a negative way. Those are productive, useful, skills/hobbies. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain. Nothing wrong with wanting a hit of that good ole Dopamine, unless you're resorting to drugs or failing to cope in some way.
Okay, I read your OP again. I see you've mentioned that it's obsessive, so what about limiting yourself to how many contests you can enter a day or give yourself a time frame, then stop. Will you be able to stick to that? You might not miss it so much.
