Recovery · Recovery
Process Addictions Map
Bottom-line, middle-line, top-line for behavioral addictions
For behavioral / process addictions — gambling, porn, shopping, gaming, food. Same treatment logic as substances: identify the behavior, its function, its cost, and build a bottom line.
The behavior (be specific)
What it does for me (regulates, escapes, numbs, energizes)
What it costs (money, time, relationships, self-respect)
My bottom line — the behavior I am abstaining from, specifically
Middle-line behaviors — risky but not bottom-line
Top-line behaviors — the life I want instead
Abstinence looks different for a behavior you can't stop doing
You can't quit food or the internet. You define abstinence as the specific behavior you don't do — and build a life around the top-line ones instead.