Do you suspect that you or someone you care about has an addictive personality? Maybe, you aren’t quite sure about this, but you know that you used to be very passionate about certain things, but now are fixated on drinking or doing drugs. This happens to millions of people around the world.
Some addictive behaviors are a result of a person trying to repress emotions. Other addictive behaviors may be a result of trauma, anxiety or other mental or physical health conditions. If you or someone you know finds they do have an addictive personality, our Harmony Healing team is here to help you overcome it.
Common Signs of Addictive Personalities
There are many traits that can help you to identify whether you or your loved one has an addictive personality. Before going into these traits, it may be a good idea to note that mental health conditions are not always precursors to addiction. Yes, there are some people who have a mental health disorder that use alcohol or drugs to cope with their symptoms. However, there are also people who have a substance use disorder that don’t have any mental health conditions besides their addiction.
With this being said, we can now talk about the most common signs of an addictive personality, which include:
- Binge or comfort eating
- Drinking or using drugs as a way to relax or calm down
- Constantly keeping in touch with your dealer
- Impulsive buying
- Obsessing
- Gambling
- Taking high risks
- Using drugs or alcohol to cope with mental or physical health symptoms
- Not feeling satisfied no matter what happens in your life
- Not being able to stop using alcohol or drugs, especially not on your own
- Continuing to take part in activities that you know will cause damage to your life
These are some common addictive personality traits that you or your loved one might have. If you find that these do match up with your personality, you don’t have to wait for your life to hit rock bottom. You can get the addiction and mental health treatment you need starting today right here at our Harmony Healing Center.
Genetics and the Addictive Personality
A lot of research has been and is continuing to be done regarding genetics and the addictive personality. The research is complex, but it does show a direct link between some addiction cases and genetics. For example, people who have a parent that abuses alcohol or drugs, is more likely to abuse these substances themselves, as well.
In addition, those who have a parent with a mental health disorder are much more likely to struggle with a diagnosis called co-occurring disorders (mental health disorder and addiction). While genetics aren’t the only indicator for an addictive personality, they can significantly impact a person’s overall personality and specific traits.
Addictive Personalities and Impulse Control
Do you have issues with impulse control? When you get bored or stressed, do you want to find a solution like yesterday? If you want to buy something, do you do so without thinking much more about it? Are you impulsive when it comes to making plans that you probably can’t keep anyways? If you answered yes to these questions, you may have impulse control issues. Studies show that over ½ of those with impulse control issues also end up with an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
If you or someone you know has trouble controlling your impulses, our Harmony Healing team can help you to learn impulse control skills and overall lifestyle management skills, too.
Compulsions and Addictions
It is important to know that compulsions and addictions aren’t the same thing. However, each one of these can be influenced by the other’s underlying causes. For instance, if you have an alcohol addiction, it may cause you to compulsively try to keep filling an emotional void. If you have a compulsive disorder, you may try coping with that by abusing alcohol or drugs.
The primary difference between compulsions and addictions is motivation, especially when talking about pleasurable things. For instance, generally, addictions are led by the pleasure of getting buzzed or drunk. Compulsions are void of pleasure and are motivated by feeling like you need to do something, even if you don’t want to.
Treatments for Addictions and Mental Health Disorders
Now that you know a bit more about what can cause an addiction or mental health disorder and what the differences are between compulsions and addictions, you can learn about the treatments for these types of issues.
When someone is dealing with a mental health disorder and/or addiction, there are some similar treatments that can help them to overcome these disorders. Some of these treatments include:
- Individual counseling
- Family counseling
- Group counseling
- Medication-assisted detox and treatment
- Music therapy
- 12-step facilitation therapy
- Education workshops
Depending on where you attend treatment, there may be different or more services offered to you, as well. If you attend a treatment program here at Harmony Healing, you can receive these services in outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization and inpatient programs.
Get Help Overcoming an Addictive Personality Beginning Today
Do you or a loved one struggle with an addictive personality? If so, you probably identify with some of the common signs of addictive personalities noted above. The good news is that you don’t have to keep dealing with these personality traits. You can change them with the help of our Harmony Healing treatment team. We have helped thousands of patients overcome their addictions and mental health disorders and want to help you, too. We work with insurance providers to help cover out of pocket costs of programs to keep you in line to get the treatment you need.
If you have more questions regarding the addictive personality traits noted above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We can talk to you about the traits that you or a loved one has to better determine which type of addiction or mental health treatment would be the best for you.
Contact us to get help overcoming an addictive personality and/or a mental health disorder beginning today.