Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.

Diagnose: OK! Treatmet:???

There are lots of sites about procrastination and most of them miss the point in describing it. This site was the closest in diagnosing chronic procrastination. There are couple of sources indicating procrastination is not a time management problem, but this site was the first one relating procrastination with substance addications.
But still it makes us at the first step to cure. We were, only, able to describe it yet. But availability of "solid" cures are limited if does not exist at all.

I was wondering what is the procedure for curing substance abuse? I'm not familiar with 12-step program. Is it merely rehabilitation based on consultations or is medicine involved? What is difference between a substance abusing person's brain, in PA terms-lack of demand resistance, and brain of a person with will-power made of steel and concrete? Is it a chemical imbalance? Does anybody used medicine (for ADD, ADHD, alcohol addiction treatment, etc) which had a positive side-effect against procrastination?

I truly believe the similarities between behavors of a chronic procrastinator and a substance-abuser. I watched a documentary about a TV reporter with substance abuse problem. He had a hobby of recording everything on video-camera and a TV company made a documentary by combining/editing all his videotapes. Every recording was starting with regret (because he used drug last night) and ended with a promise for not doing it again. But next recording he was upset again because he couldn't resist. It was sad to watch him losing his job, his wife, etc. by time. When I looked at myself I have the same pattern. I fooled myself countless times to avoid an important task everyday. The result is pathetic. A paper/report which required 10 hours of work but actually 1 hour was spent to meet the deadline and poor quality work, dissappointed and frustrated advisor.

I'm losing hope as to there's no cure for this problem. I'm looking for a solid cure. What is the cause for my brain not to react accordingly for a task to be done. Why do I sit and waste time instead of working on the task? Is this a problem with chemicals in brain?
The reason I have still some hope is that, 12 years ago I studied for university entrance exam and I was studying 12 hours a day. That's the only thing which makes me believe I can do it..

We diagnosed it well, but where's the treatment?

         
 
 
 
 
 

It is not important to understand but stop procrastinating

I am happy I found out I am a procrastinator. Now I know what I have to fight against and I have a chance to overcome it. I am not interested in how my brain functions or brain chemicals or drugs. I know 12 step recovery  program  can bring me to sanity (step 2).  Ten years ago I went to Al-Anon because my husband was drinking  hevily.  As a side effect I started to  procrastinate less and less.  I cleaned  my house all over. I washed the windows,  rugs,  cupboards,  and everything.  After a year I stoped  going  to meetengs and  little by little I started  again to procrastinate. 

I think to recover we should start going to a 12-step PA-meeting. It is not important if it is a face to face meeting or an online meeting. Then we should also at the same time use a tool of making a working list for every day. We can share the list on this forum or by e-mail or telephone  with a recovering procrastinator, a sponsor.

In 12 step recovery we admit we are powerless over procrastination(step 1). We let God (as we understand him) help us to set us free. Under procrastination  we have (each of us have different) character defects. In step 4 we find the defects, in step 5 we confess them, in step 6 we overcome the defects and in step 7 we humbly ask God (of our understanding) to remove the defects. When the defects such as  many fears, bitterness, perfectionism, a thought something has to be done in a right way, hatherd, passivity, arrogance, rejection, greedyness, stingyness etc. are removed our procrastination starts to loose its power.

I'm no expert on this

I'm no expert on this subject, but I think addictive behavior is more common in people suffering from depression. So you might want to consider whether you are depressed, and if so to check out methods to fight depression like talk therapy, regular exercise, medication, etc.

I agree with ey

The mind is a complicated place, and lots of things can cause or contribute to procrastination.  Have you considered therapy?  On some level, you will not be able to overcome procrastination unless you stop identifying yourself as a procrastinator.

We can choose our attitudes, and we can choose how we look at ourselves and the world.  These views can be skewed by all kinds of other things going on in our minds, and sometimes those things take lots of time and effort to unwind.

If someone invented a magic anti-procrastination pill, they would make millions overnight.  Until then, discipline and self-control must be learned and practiced one day at a time.  We didn't get into this situation overnight, and we won't get out that quickly either.  Persistence can change your life.

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flexiblefine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheNowHabit/