Sober Living Chicago
What is an addictive personality?
What are signs of the signs and do you have it? These are the important questions to answer when beginning on the road to recovery.
The road to sobriety is lengthy and requires many steps. First, it’s important to recognize your weaknesses, and pinpoint when and how the addiction began. Unfortunately, an issue regarding addictions is that once becoming addicted to one substance, it is likely that another one will follow. Therefore, in order to win your battle against the addiction, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the research on addictive personalities, and its causes and symptoms.
What is an Addictive Personality?
While there is no exact definition for an addictive personality, medical professionals have established different criteria to help answer this question. Michael Weaver, a medical director at the University of Texas, writes that the majority of addictive personalities stem from a combination of one’s genetic makeup, the environment in which they reside and their past addiction history.
Another school of thought, is an addictive personality is the excessive need to perform a particular action constantly, which alters a person’s mind and makes their day-to-day life much more difficult without it.
Signs of an Addictive Personality
Mark Griffiths, a PHD behavioral addiction professor, classified a few different symptoms relating to having an addiction. Griffiths said that:
- If the action of addiction conflicts with other relationships and activities.
- If one has withdrawal symptoms when away from the addiction.
- If there’s a gradual increase in tolerance of the substance.
- If use of the behavior in question alters their mood.
Griffiths believes that these 4 scenarios are calling cards for assistance regarding a person’s current and growing addiction.
Other signs of an addict include:
- Constant lying about their medications and behavior.
- Claiming the actions or substances are healthy and necessary.
- The behavior soothes discomforting situations.
- Feelings of guilt are experienced after indulging in the action or behavior.
- An inability to stop and in following guidelines that you have set for yourself.
Do you have an Addictive Personality?
Luckily, there are many resources available to help everyone answer this question. Some clues could be:
- Genetics.
- Prior addictions.
- Certain personality traits, having lots of excitement, impulsivity, an inability to quit.
- Other mental disorders, ie. depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, PTSD, anxiety.
- High levels of dopamine.
Additionally, there are various quizzes on the web that help people self-diagnose themselves. If interested, here is one short examination that can help you in your road to recovery.
The Next Step:
If you find yourself stuck in an addiction, you shouldn’t feel alone or afraid. Almost 21 million Americans are addicted to at least one commodity, however only 10% of them receive treatment for it. “The important thing to remember is that your personality doesn’t determine your fate” Michael Weaver says, “You can get help and lead a successful, productive life.” “The first step”, Weaver builds on, “is acknowledging the potential problem and asking yourself whether you have an addictive personality.”
Asking for help isn’t something to be ashamed of, in fact, it’s a necessity of life. Luckily for the people of Chicago, Stairway 2 Freedom Sober Living is the place to inquire. We are established in helping people pass over their hurdles, and assist them in moving forward. Don’t let an addiction take over your life, let it become an obstacle of the past.