What does addiction mean to you? For many people, addiction paints a picture of a ragged man or woman on the streets doing anything they can to get drugs. This is one of the most common representations of addiction especially when it comes to film and the media.
However, addiction is a lot more common than you might think and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to realize that addiction can affect basically anyone.
In addition, many people believe that addiction is solely limited to drugs and substances. It could be marijuana, heroin, cocaine, cigarettes, or even alcohol. Sadly, this also isn’t true and we can develop an addiction to virtually anything.
These days, behaviours are classed as addictions too. This could be an addiction to gambling, the internet, or even social media.
So if you’re worried that you could have an addiction or if you want to be on your guard about developing one, here are a couple of signs that will tell you if you’ve developed an addictive personality.
The traits of people that have an addictive personality
There are actually a number of traits that are common in people that have developed an addiction. This may sound like it’s over-generalizing the problem, but research has shown that the following traits are often present in people with an addictive personality.
- They have experienced mental health disorders in the past or are currently coping with one that is affecting their lifestyle and behaviour.
- They socialize with others who have addictive personalities.
- They tend to be withdrawn from social situations and you may find them avoiding friends and family members at large gatherings. They might also avoid crowds and will prefer to be on their own.
- They are adventurous and often take risks.
- They often display obsessive-compulsive tendencies, such as having recurring thoughts and repeating behaviours that are difficult to control.
- They often show little or no interest or feeling, especially around other people who are trying to be more enthusiastic or even concerned for the individual’s wellbeing.
These are some of the most common traits among people that have developed an addictive personality. Of course, it’s not a complete list and there are some people who may only display one or two of these traits.
In some cases, someone with an addictive personality may have none of these traits, but those are very niche cases and it’s more common to see these traits in people that have developed an addictive personality.
What should you do if you have addictive traits?
In most cases, developing one of these traits doesn’t mean that you have an addiction.
For some people, they may display multiple of these traits but not have an addictive personality. It really depends on person to person.
However, if you have developed some of these traits, then you may want to be on the lookout for addictive behaviour because it’s very easy to develop a dependency for something, especially if you do experience many of these traits.
If you feel that an addiction has caused some problems in your life, such as arguments with loved ones or a health-related issue, then you may want to consider seeking professional advice about your addictive personality.
If you find that there are certain things you are definitely addicted to or suspect that you have developed an addiction, then it’s important to deal with the problem as soon as possible.
One of the best ways to diagnose an addiction is to visit your physician.
However, if the signs are clear that you have an addiction, then you can also contact rehab services such as enterhealth.com to help you recover. People often find that surrounding themselves in a positive environment such as a rehab clinic can greatly improve their chances of recovering from an addiction.
Of course, everyone’s preferences are different, but it’s worth a try especially if the addiction is causing a lot of grief and frustration.
Identifying an addiction to something that isn’t drugs or alcohol
While substance abuse is the most common form of addiction that we know about, you also need to keep an eye out for other non-standard addictions that might not be officially recognized yet.
So here are some of the things to look out for:
- Is it something you rely on every day? If so, do you feel frustrated, upset or annoyed if you don’t get to experience it?
- Is it constantly on your mind even when you’re at work or hanging out with friends and family members?
- Has it caused you to worsen your relationship with friends and family members? Are you more socially-withdrawn because of it?
- Has it cost you an inordinate amount of money? Are you struggling financially as a result of a certain activity or hobby?
- Do you tell yourself that you can stop when you want to give yourself comfort?
- Do you act secretively to avoid people knowing about it?
- Do you find it embarrassing to talk about it around other people?
These are some of the most common signs that you’ve potentially developed an addiction for something. However, it might be too early to say with 100% certainty that you’ve got an addiction.
As such, we highly recommend that you speak to a professional if possible to help you diagnose a potential addiction.
Even if you are diagnosed with some kind of addiction, it’s important to remember that you can break out of it with the right assistance. Many people find that it’s often faster and more convenient to just replace an addiction with something less damaging to your health.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t address the problem of an addictive personality which is ultimately the root cause that leads to addiction. If you’re serious about getting rid of your addiction, then you need to attack the addictive personality at the heart of the problem.
At the end of the day, it’s important to be self-aware if you want to tackle an addiction.
