AA and CD

[Krisi]

Alcohol (and tobacco) are physical addictions. I quit them both without outside help. Crossdressing is mental. I wouldn't call it an addiction but it doesn't really matter what anyone calls it. If you really want to quit, it's a matter of will power. Remove the temptation and focus on other things.

That said, Alcohol and tobacco cause physical harm to your body so there's a legitimate reason to quit. Crossdressing does not so unless it is causing problems in your family or social life, there's no reason to quit other than just that you want to.

Bottom line - You can quit crossdressing if you really want to and it doesn't take pills or group therapy to do so. It's all in your mind.

[sometimes_miss]

Wether it's chemicals, clothing, shopping, sex, etc., people use or abuse them for the same reason - it's pleasurable.

Ummm, not so much. For some, it's a way to avoid pain. I don't equate that with the desire for pleasure. I feel uncomfortable when dressed as a guy. Not as painful as, say, having a knife stuck in my knee, but uncomfortable none the less. Kind of like an itch you can't scratch. I don't see that being anything like, say, wanting an orgasm.

Studies have shown that a drug addiction is not chemical but emotional.

You can have both. Yes, the tendency to get addicted to something is definitely psychological, but with certain substances, there is a physically addictive component to it that must be overcome before you can stop it. Stopping heroin cold turkey, for example, results in physical pain way beyond the discomfort someone goes through when, say, quitting smoking cigarettes suddenly does.

Feedback so far seems like no-one's really tried it, nor wants it

You're pretty new here, and yes, the search function doesn't work very well when trying to find old threads on topics. However, many people have tried to stop crossdressing, using all kinds of methods. And so far, the success rate is close to zero. If I could get rid of this feeling without any adverse reactions, I'd do it in a heartbeat; crossdressing has really screwed up my life. A lot of people choose to embrace it because it's a way of dealing with something that you can't change. I....tolerate it because I can't change it. But I certainly don't think it's something that anyone in their right mind would choose if they had the option. It just makes life harder in so many ways.

I also reckon there will be folks who have had imprinting experiences that can be un-imprinted

It seems to depend on at what point in personality development it occurs. Some things become permanant at certain ages. An example is language; if you learn a new language before the onset of puberty, you won't have an accent in that language. But the part of the brain involved 'matures' during puberty, so once you've passed that age, you will have an accent. In the same way, it's possible that once our gender identity is set, then at some point it becomes permanent and cannot be changed either. However, this has not been studied extensively at all, so we don't know exactly what mechanisms are involved, nor what part(s) of the brain is involved, if indeed there is one part specifically which determines our gender identity.
There is one treatment that has had some success in stopping the desire to crossdress. Electro convulsive therapy. But it seems to work by destroying connections in the brain which form memories and knowledge, so you may wind up being unable to work or in some cases, unable to perform normal daily activities, not to mention, forget huge amounts of knowledge. Also, as your mind slowly 'heals' from the damage the shock causes, you slowly regain the desire to crossdress once again, and will need repeated 'treatments'. So it's not a permanent cure, nor is it something that you might casually like to try. ECT is usually reserved for people who become unable to function normally and/or cannot be treated with prescription drugs or therapy.

[Eryn]

The common addictions being discussed are chemical-based self-destructive behaviors. In each of them one cares less and less about oneself and more about the addiction.

Transgenderism is not in the same category. It is about being more the person one is meant to be.

The basic premise of the chemical dependency programs is "I will not use the substance right now." Apply the premise continuously and you will not use the substance at all.

The same can obviously be applied to crossdressing but it will not make one's life happier.

[Stephanie47]

I did give it up voluntarily for two years. I had absolutely no desire to wear women's clothing. I did not think of any sexual. It was called combat. Combat had a way of curing me of wanting to dress as a woman.

As to the thought of addiction vs compulsion. I have seen some threads/comments on this forum where the poster really has some need of serious therapy. If one cannot function in society and with family because cross dressing has become a driving force in their daily existence, then, yes it is more than a compulsion. I have been wearing women's clothing for more than fifty years. Some times it did border on a compulsion because it was a much needed stress reliever, and, I felt only getting a chance to "dress" would relieve the stress. I had no problem functioning without the clothing. It was just in the nature of someone else looking forward to a round of golf on the weekend. A chance to knock the crap out of that little ball.

Cross dressing has become a choice now. Some days or weeks when I have the opportunity to "dress," I find something else to do that is more fulfilling. Some days when I want to clean the house and cook or bake, then Stephanie likes to come out and play. But, I'll do that in my beat up cut off jeans and wholly tee shirt just as well and just as comfortable.

Do I have a compulsion? Yep! If I am in a hobby shop or surfing eBay or an on-line store and see a new military model that I "must" buy...well, it takes a lot of restraint. I thought after retirement I would work off that tall stack(s) of military models I acquired before retirement. Alas, I'm still adding to it. My time is surely running out. I am addicted to amassing models I know I will never complete. Wait, isn't the world record for living at 117? I have forty more years. I need to buy more? Phew!