It seems to you that everyone else has a ‘normal’ concept of what enjoyment is – it stops within reason, it’s moderated. Whether a cup of coffee, a single meal, or a glass of wine, it’s enjoyed within a reasonable amount. But you aren’t like that—you have to have it all, or nothing. You’re not alone.
Some people are labeled as having an addictive personality. This means that they are often compelled to use things with an addictive mindset. Addictive behavior can manifest in substance addiction, gambling, eating disorders, compulsive buying, social media and internet usage, tanning, exercise, and more. For someone prone to addiction, the addictive behavior can manifest in a variety of ways.
Some alcoholic drinkers end up drinking coffee on a very-regular basis once they’ve quit consuming alcohol, and a caffeine addiction is considered better than alcohol. But a recovering alcoholic could also develop a gambling addiction, for example. An addiction to one substance can transform into another kind of addiction. It doesn’t matter what, it’s just who is addicted.
The following signs can indicate that you have an addictive personality:
1. Difficulty keeping personal goals
It’s not the issue of keeping a new year’s resolution, it’s that your self-control seems to not exist.
2. Impulsiveness
There is no question of how much you want to do something, if you want it, you want it, and you want it now. Impulsiveness is a common element of addictive thinking, and it helps to speed things along until there’s a problem.
3. High levels of stress
You’re stressed often, and about innocuous things. For example, for someone recovering from an eating disorder, going out to dinner might present a series of challenges—how much will you eat? Will you be able to eat? For someone with that addictive trait, this can cause a great deal of anxiety, which can feed into addictive behaviors.
4. Isolating behavior
With an addictive personality, you might be drawn toward a series of different hobbies, activities, and people that bring you fulfillment, but only briefly. This means you never really latch onto a group of friends or particular hobby; you float around from person to activity, and find that you are alone when you are in need of a friend.
5. Negative self-talk
The large percentage of co-morbidity among addicts strongly indicates that the personality trait of being hard on yourself can certainly predispose an addiction. Many people try to calm those negative voices by using substances. Maybe it works briefly, but it doesn’t work for long, and it raises the chances for substance use disorder turning into addiction.
Once you become physically addicted, you may one day find that you want to use even when you weren’t thinking about it. Some are more likely to become addicted than others due to an addictive personality. But this means you are far from alone.
