Are you an abuse survivor who's addicted to drama? Do you waste your time and energy on people who disrespect you, or seek out situations that stress you out and outrage you? Drama addiction is a form of emotional dependency that stems from unresolved trauma and low self-esteem. Being addicted to drama can prevent you from achieving your goals, finding your purpose, and living your best life.
Why abuse survivors are addicted to drama
An abusive relationship puts us in a constant state of alertness. The adrenaline rush, the fight or f๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ตt responseโthey all become hardwired. So, when the abuse ends, your brain still seeks out situations that trigger these responses. Drama becomes a way to feel ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ.
When you've been through trauma, drama can also be a form of pain relief. Feeling normal and boring can be so uncomfortable for trauma survivors that they create drama, as a way to feel some sensation of aliveness. All of this makes them even more addicted to drama and makes it harder to break the drama cycle they're stuck in.
How to break your drama addiction
As an abuse survivor, it took me a while to recognize my own drama addiction. The next step was realizing that it was a product of the abuse I suffered. And that was the easy part!
Once I realized I was addicted to drama, I worked on reducing my tolerance for drama. I set a social-media-free period every day and gradually got used to the lack of dopamine and cortisol.
Once I was able to start experiencing periods without drama, I started looking for other ways I was feeding my addiction to drama. I realized that drama is contagious, so I took the following steps:
- I started avoiding outrage porn, unfollowing and blocking people in constant outrage mode.
- I left Facebook groups and friend groups where people fed off and encouraged drama.
- I avoided getting caught up in other people's drama by asking myself if responding to a post or comment was worth killing brain cells.
Getting that drama fix in a healthy way
I also became intentional about how I channel my need for drama. I feed it with action movies and thrillers. They calm and distract me after a trauma response. There are better ways to get the rush of hormones. That's why I do an intense workout (almost) every morning to release endorphins and set me up for the day.
You can also break your drama addiction. You can also break your drama habit. Just start by understanding that your attraction to drama is a byproduct of your past. It's not a reflection of who you truly are. If you're dealing with the ongoing drama caused by an abusive ex, feel free to contact me and I can help you find healthier ways to cope and avoid escalating drama.