Self-Stimulation For those who are rageaholics, expressing anger is self- stimulating. It triggers compulsion for more anger. For example, let’s pretend that we are going to provide treatment for alcoholics. On way to treatment center we stop and buy a case of beer. When we get to meeting, we tell alcoholics in therapy that they just need to do a lot of drinking to get it out of their system once and for all. This is similar to when therapist tell men with rage problems, “You just need to express yourself and get it out of your system.” It is just as absurd. The more alcoholics drink, more they want. The more ragers rage, more they want to rage.

Compulsion Anger addiction or “rageaholism” is compulsive pursuit of a mood change by repeatedly engaging in episodes of rage despite adverse consequences. Rageaholics continue to rage compulsively without regard to negative consequences. Compulsion or loss of control is inability to stop expressing anger once we have begun. The inability to control angry words is a certain sign of rageaholism. Loss of control--that is addiction.

Obsession Rageaholics are frequently preoccupied with resentment and fantasies of revenge. Those thoughts sometimes rise powerfully and allow no other thoughts to enter. The force of anger is sometimes irresistible and followed by action. Therefore, preoccupation with “wrongs” of others and revenge continually leads to rage. Progressively, these thoughts crowd out all others until our life becomes chronically revenge-oriented. At that point, anger controls our thoughts.