Cortisol is one of the hormones secreted by the Adrenals (also known as the "Stress Glands") when the body goes into "Fight or Flight". It is a life saving hormone that helps us survive as we go through life. It gives us the ability to act fast in life threatening situations.
People with addictions of any sort invariably have weak adrenal glands. This is why addicted people gravitate towards substances, situations or activities that will stimulate the adrenal glands and give them a hit of cortisol. These addictions can include anything from caffeine, cocaine, marital drama, fear, vigorous exercise to ANGER as well as many other things. Here's how it goes... The person needs the hit of cortisol because their adrenal glands are weak and not secreting enough so they seek out the thing that will give them that hit. This ends up weakening the adrenals further due to over use and drives the person deeper into addiction. A sad and viscious cycle. Understanding this about addictions can often be the key to stopping giving our power away to the addictions and taking back control.
So What about Anger Addiction?
The reason we develop an anger addiction in the first place is personal to each of us. It could be due to our genes; because we were abused as a child or adult; bullied in school or at work; from a dysfunctional family which role modeled anger as a way of life; played on too many computer games as a child which constantly stimulated the adrenals; had too much exposure to an often stress inducing and violent mainstream media (in all it's forms - from TV News to Hollywood action films)... any number of reasons.
But whatever got us with the addiction we are stuck with it until we can understand what is happening with us and take back our power from it. This is how it works:-
* Something in our life creates the anger pattern and cycle
* The regular inner or outer expression of anger (as anger can be turned inward too and cause depression as well as be expressed outwardly) weakens our adrenal glands
* Our bodies then work harder to get our deficient hormone which in turn...
* Reduces our ability to cope with stress and further weakens our adrenal glands.
* Our bodies are then subconsciously on the lookout for things to make us angry so we can get our cortisol hit to make up for our weakened adrenals and the whole sorry cycle just goes round and around and our addiction to anger deepens and progresses.
How Can we Help Ourselves?
First of all we need to admit to ourselves that we are in this cycle and that we have an addiction to cortisol. Our mental attitude is everything. If we keep on denying who and what we have become in relation to anger, then we are giving the universe a message that we want more of the same and the Law of Attraction will be very happy to oblige and will keep on sending us negativity and reasons to be angry. The person who is choosing to recover from anger addiction will miss the road rager by 5 minutes for example whereas the person who chooses to stay in anger addiction will meet that road rager head on - IT'S THE LAW! (of Attraction!).
The next step is finding ways of dealing with anger that work for you. We are all different and what works for one person will not work for another. Do some research on anger management, find something that is tailor made for you and make the decision to turn your life around using that approach. It won't be easy as recovery from any addiction takes a decision, stickability and a long term positive mental attitude but it can be done and your life can turn around as can the lives of those whom your anger is touching.
