Have you ever heard or read about addictive personality? Do you understand what addictive personality is? Is there a chance you could have it? Knowing about addictive personality is a genuine concern, especially if you share a close relationship with an addict or are afraid someone you love is an addict. However, the causes of addictions are as many as the number of addicts. There also lacks an agreement that personality defines your chances of addiction compared to another person.
Addictive Personality Controversies
Mental health and addiction counselors deny the existence of an addictive personality. Other people remain adamant that it exists. Surprisingly, even addicts believe that they are prone to a specific addiction or have an addictive personality.
Irrespective of the existence or non-existence of an addictive personality, people use this fiction to help them control their addiction issues. In case this is applicable in your situation, it can be useful. Nonetheless, some people use this as an excuse for their addiction issues, making it hard for them to manage or fight addiction problems. So, never use addictive personality as an excuse for not taking the right steps to overcome an addiction.
What Does Addictive Personality Mean?
Based on the addictive personality concept, a person is more prone to becoming an addict if they meet the following criteria:
- They come from a family of addicts
- They are spouses or in a relationship with addicts
- Neurotic
- Seek multiple life thrills
- They have mood swing issues
- Are workers in the arts
- They seek speedy solutions when faced with complex issues in life
Besides, some people are known to substitute a personality addiction with another to appear as they have rehabilitated. A well-known guitarist and singer, Eric Clapton, claimed to have exchanged cocaine addiction for alcoholism.
As noted by Elizabeth Connell, addictive personality isn’t a medical term. There is little scientific relation to the concept. Therefore, it remains unclear why some people develop an addiction, and others do not, despite both coming from the same family.
Ways Of Controlling Your Addictive Personality
Upon identifying the existence of an addictive personality, you need to apply that knowledge to identify and overcome your current addictions. It is worth understanding that many addicts substitute one issue with another. Unfortunately, it is hard for the new substitute to replace the need. Therefore, the addict seeks a high amount of the substitute in an attempt to satisfy the need. Below are some of the things that people often substitute in life:
- Sex for intimacy
- Possession for self-esteem
- Food for comfort
- Alcohol for confidence
Besides, there are many other substitutes akin to human needs. So, it is right to say that your initial step in overcoming addiction issues is understanding and noting your needs and substitutes. Understanding this will make it easier for you to fulfill your ideal need and avoid processes that cause your addictions.
Understand The Stage When You Need Help
It is worth noting that, in some cases, identifying the cause of your addiction might not be sufficient to overcome addiction. Neurochemical-related addictions, in most cases, make it impossible to overcome addiction without external help components. Therefore, it’s recommended to seek professional assistance in instances where you:
- Find yourself lying about the habit
- Experience difficulties trying to stop the habit
- Continue the habit irrespective of adverse consequences
- Find the tendency of crowding essential things and people out of your life
- Attract your loved one’s sympathy due to your habit
Anytime you notice the signs mentioned above, you ought to seek professional help, as they are adequate proof that you’ve lost control of your addiction.
What Do Use, Addiction, And Abuse Mean?
It is worth noting that not everyone is happy with their lives, which is a common assumption by many people. However, when we find ourselves happy, we believe everyone else is also happy. If everyone enjoyed every moment of their lives, there would be no alcohol or drug use cases, addiction, and abuse.
That said, note that some people use the terms abuse, use, and addiction interchangeably. Unfortunately, there’s a huge difference between these terminologies. Regular use or experimentation with alcohol or drugs does not always make someone an addict. However, if the terms have always been confusing for you, learning more from health care professionals can be of superior value. The new info learned can help you understand these differences with ease.
Use
There are instances when you drink alcohol or try some drugs, not due to a developing need or improved functionality, but because you are having fun with friends and family members. In such cases, you are using drugs since you are only experimenting or enjoying your moment.
Additionally, getting a doctor’s prescription is another instance when you are using drugs. In other words, taking them in the form of medications, as per the doctor’s remarks, should be classified as drug use. It is worth noting that one can use them without addiction or abusing them, as explained below:
Experimenting: Going out with friends can make you be pressured to try illegal drugs or drink alcohol. The idea of experimenting can also be due to curiosity. However, this cannot turn into a problem if you do not use the drugs again or after some time.
Recreational use: Drinking in social settings is regarded as normal in many communities in the world. Excessive drinking in such situations will not land you into trouble, as long as your drinking doesn’t cause issues for others. The scenario isn’t different when you consider marijuana use, as there are states that allow it to be smoked for recreational purposes.
Relieving stress: Stress relieving is common in people, and some go-ahead to use illegal drugs or alcohol to de-stress. Occasional use of drugs might not turn you into an addict, especially if they do not cause other issues. However, it is worth noting that alcoholism and other addiction issues mainly begin as measures of relieving stress. That said, kindly note that every use, abuse, and addiction are always at risk.
Abuse
Abuse is related to consuming alcohol or other drugs to control your mind in ways that can harm others. For instance, when you’ve had an accident and get a painkillers prescription, you will be abusing the drug if you end up using the painkillers when you don’t need them. This abuse can cause emotional, physical, or mental effects. Common causes of drug abuse include:
- Legal issues
- Work-related problems
- Love or family issues
Abuse impacts your work and personal life profoundly. It can easily ruin your life as well as that of the people you love. This is mainly due to your growing aggressiveness issues resulting from the need to get enough resources to feed your habit. In cases where you go without the substance you need or alcohol, you might feel like the situation is affecting your control functions. At such rates, abuse can easily lead to addiction since this is common.
Addiction
It is possible to abuse drugs and alcohol without suffering from addiction. However, abuse that forms a habit causes addiction. All factors that can make people more prone to addiction remain unknown. Addiction, in most cases, is referred to as dependence.
When addicted, you develop a great desire to consume drugs or drink alcohol frequently, yet you understand the habit’s social, physical, and psychological impacts. Here, you become physically dependent on a substance. In such cases, addiction becomes chronic, and many consider it a disease. You might have good periods when you can stay without a substance, but the cravings become so strong that you must get the substance you are addicted to in order to overcome them.
Addiction can also progress to become worse after a given period. It is possible you find yourself in a denial state if others tell you that you’re losing control over your addiction. This denial is bad, and without acceptance, it is impossible to get the necessary treatment from therapists.
Wrap Up
There is a mysterious relationship between use, addiction, and abuse. We need to understand the factors that put some people at high risk of addiction to reduce the number of people who become addicts. Besides, this knowledge can help us know the disease that can easily cause addiction or abuse, and in some cases, death. Without the right information, legal or illegal substance use can have adverse effects on your life.
Finding An Effective Addiction Counselor
Use professional counselors to get the desired help if you or your loved one suffers from addiction. Use the Trustsession.com to learn essential information and get top-notch advice about addiction and possible treatment options. At Trustsession.com, you also learn how to get the right therapist for your situation and ways of increasing the efficiency of the program that you choose.
The aim here is to ensure you get the best value for your money as we help you live a happy life without addiction issues. Finally, note that acceptance is ideal when seeking professional help, and without accepting your situation, it is hard to get the desired treatment.