History Main / AddictionDisplacement

* One ''Series/MyHero'' episode had George become addicted to pork scratchings. [[CloudCuckoolander Tyler]] recommends substituting bacon-flavored crisps.

** Smokers sometimes switch to chew/snuff. Nicotine gum is intended to mentally disassociate nicotine from smoking, reassociate it with chewing gum, then wean people off onto normal chewing gum. Chewing gum by itself is popular among former smokers or people attempting to quit if they have an oral fixation. Unsurprisingly, many people just stay addicted to the gum, switch to chew/snuff, or combine smoking with one or more of the above.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'', [[VegetarianVampire Valvatorez]] has replaced his need for human blood with sardines. While it doesn't provide any of the benefits of drinking human blood (he's gone through a rather massive {{Depower}} since he's stopped), he's at least not dealing with [[WarmBloodbagsAreEverywhere the warm bloodbags issue]].

* Played with in ''Warcraft'' lore: High Elves have been addicted to magic for at least 10,000 years. Their addiction hasn't changed too much, but since the Sunwell was destroyed in ''Warcraft 3'', the Blood Elves (who had a complete reliance on the Sunwell) had to find a new source to channel their magical power or suffer from a debilitating withdrawal. They did this by absorbing magic from creatures, getting them addicted to Fel energy instead of Arcane energy.

* Other: A common behavior exhibited by people who are trying to quit smoking--or are forced to spend time in places where smoking is forbidden--often substitute the oral aspects of the habit by sucking on pens, eyeglass stems, toothpicks, etc.

* In the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' novels, Dr. Maturin develops a powerful addiction to the (opium-based) tincture of laudanum. After successfully kicking the habit, he finds a perfectly healthy substitute, one he knows to be non-addictive... the coca leaves chewed by the natives of Peru.[[note]]The joke is obvious, but counterintuitively, he's probably just fine. The raw coca leaf is ''vastly'' less potent than refined cocaine and is generally considered to be less addictive than coffee.[[/note]]
** After his coca leaves run out, Maturin takes to smoking cigars with increasing frequency instead.
* Literature/{{Discworld}}:

-->"I quit smoking, Chief."\\

"Didn't know what to do with my hands."
* In ''Literature/AnnoDracula 1899: One Thousand Monsters'', Captain Kostaki has quietly become a VegetarianVampire since the first book, but worries that he's reliant on sucking aniseed balls (strongly-flavoured hard sweets) to maintain this, and you can't get them in Japan.

* In ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' Case was addicted to [[CyberSpace The Matrix]], but then he screwed over a client and they altered his nervous system so he could no longer go online, so he switched to amphetamines and cocaine. However after his Matrix ability is restored, and his pancreas is modified to neutralize his usual drugs, his addiction to stimulants remains and he spends most of the book looking for a new drug that can get him high.

** Smokers sometimes switch to chew/snuff. Nicotine gum is intended to mentally disassociate nicotine from smoking, reassociate it with chewing gum, then wean people off onto normal chewing gum. Unsurprisingly, many people just stay addicted to the gum, switch to chew/snuff, or combine smoking with one or more of the above.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': In "The Pez Dispenser", Jerry hosts an intervention for a drug-addicted friend named Richie Appel. We learn in Jerry's standup at the end of the episode that at the intervention, Richie saw [[ChekhovsGun the eponymous Pez dispenser]], which triggered a childhood memory and led to him deciding to go to rehab. Jerry reveals that Richie, now sober, is hooked on Pez.

* Some see Count von Count, of ''Series/SesameStreet,'' as having replaced his bloodlust with obsessive counting. However, counting things is itself a common vampire weakness in mythology.

* Social media. How many people have given up Website/{{Facebook}}, only to move to Website/{{Tumblr}}, or Website/{{Twitter}}, or...

** An unintended side effect of smoking cessation campaigns is that people are eating when they would otherwise be smoking, leading to a rise in obesity, making one particular cigarette ad from the [=1920s=] telling women to reach for a cigarette instead of candy a FunnyAneurysmMoment. Doesn't help that many snack food companies also sell cigarettes (for example, RJ Reynolds (Camel, Pall Mall, Newport) was merged with Nabisco (Chips Ahoy, Oreo, Triscuit, Ritz) from 1985 until 1999.)

** Writer and actress Creator/ZoeLund kicked her heroin addiction, only to start doing cocaine instead. Tragically, she passed away from a heart failure cause by an overdose.

** Hardcore gamers will often move from one [[JustOneMoreLevel extremely immersive gaming experience]] to another, especially with the MMORPG genre. Most noticeable when a number of people managed to kick their habit for ''Everquest''... by getting addicted to ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' instead.[[note]]In recent years, with the changes in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' [[HereWeGoAgain people are now moving to]] ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''.

** Hard-Core gamers will often move from one extremely immersive gaming experience to another, especially with the MMORPG genre. Most noticeable when a number of people managed to kick their habit for ''Everquest''... by getting addicted to ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' instead.

--> ''"[[ICantFeelMyLegs My legs are gone, man!]] I'm a jelly! I'm paralysed! It feels fucking brilliant!"''

* ''Film/{{T2Trainspotting}}'': On Renton's suggestion, Spud attempts to kick his heroin addiction by replacing his habit with something more productive. He eventually takes up writing and pens [[Literature/Trainspotting his memoir]].

* A bon not from Rodney Dangerfield:

* One [[AnvilOfTheStory heavy-handed]] episode of ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansTheSeries'' has Cruella de Vil attempt to quit smoking, and move in with Anita until she can. When she finally kicks the habit, she takes up gum chewing, and the episode ends with Cruella [[HereWeGoAgain moving back in with Anita until she can quit chewing gum]].

* Discussed in Season 3 of ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', where Oliver accuses Laurel of using the vigilante lifestyle as a replacement for her drug/alcohol addiction (kicked the previous season). She furiously tells him that is ''not'' a card he gets to play against her (especially given that he's thrown this in her face before), and if anyone is using vigilantism to hide from their feelings, its him.

* ''Literature/TheHanSoloTrilogy'': {{Discussed}}. Bria [[TheTeetotaler refuses to drink]] because she's afraid of getting addicted again since giving up [[FantasticDrug Exultation]], as she'd learned this could happen. However, it might been felt her zeal as an anti-slavery Rebel is itself kind of an addiction itself, and she admits finding a cause was what most helped in her recovery.

* In season 1 of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Nate is TheAlcoholic. When he quits in season 2, he starts drinking a truly massive amount of coffee. What's more, the other characters fear he is pulling riskier and riskier cons in order to substitute for alcohol, and worry that, if they fail one, he could fall off the wagon again. Ironically, [[spoiler:he starts drinking again to help sell a ShortCon, but once he's started he can't stop]].