The word addiction conjures up different thoughts for different people. For many, their vice is chocolate, candy, caffeine or running. A jovial journey into the idea of addiction is nothing more than lighthearted fun for some. For others, addiction is a much more serious affliction. Lives can be destroyed by an uncontrollable impulse to gamble, drink alcohol or use illegal drugs. So how do we know if we have an addictive streak within us? If you consider yourself to be walking a dangerous tightrope between enthusiast and addict, take a look at these surefire ways to try and determine if you have an addictive personality.
Extreme Behaviour
There is nothing wrong with being spontaneous and enjoying the thrill of a new activity or purchasing the latest gadget. However, when this impulsiveness dictates every action you take, you could be exhibiting signs of an addictive personality.
An inability to say no or to be patient and wait before trying out your latest hobby or buying that new pair of shoes shows weakness in your willpower. Ideas are firing on all cylinders, and the rational part of your thought process is incapable of breaking through because the addictive and impulsive aspect of your personality takes over.
While it can be difficult to control these urges, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on every situation before making any decisions regarding your behavior. Breathe and assess to soothe your thought processes and give rational ideas a chance to break through.
Isolation
If you’re finding yourself further and further removed from your social circle because of your behavior, this could be because of your need for material things rather than meaningful friendships.
If you are struggling with an addiction, it is important to seek help. This aspect of self-realization is the first step in the recovery process. A well structured and tailored rehabilitation program sounds extreme, but for those who are in the throes of a long lasting and seemingly hopeless addiction, this can turn their lives around.
Many people with addictive personalities have forgotten what real life feels like and escape the rawness of emotions through their vice. If your vice is alcohol, it’s important to seek specialist help. You could reach out and call a hotline for alcoholics that is free and available 24 hours a day. The people at the end of the phone will not judge you. Making this first call could change your life forever.
The Need For More
An addictive personality grows and can quickly become an uncontrollable monster. If you have always loved having a little flutter on the horses, but this has developed into a daily habit where you are gambling more than you earn and you are spiraling into debt, this is not healthy. If you have always enjoyed jogging to remove yourself from the stresses of work life, but this has slowly become an obsessive hobby so much so that you are feeling exhausted, losing weight and becoming unhealthy, you need to slow down and reassess.
Addiction often means that to feel a sense of fulfillment you need more and more of what you are addicted to. This could be gambling, running, binge eating or drugs. Often the only way to break the cycle is to be ready to ask for help.
Driven By Fads
Those people with addictive personalities do not tend to stick to anything whether this is a hobby, a job or maybe even a partner. The excitement and thrill of the ‘new’ can be an addiction in itself. As time goes on, it is natural for jobs, hobbies, and relationships to slip into a routine. While many love the security of routine, addicts can reject it, remove themselves from their hobbies, job and relationship to seek the initial excitement again.
The old adage of the grass isn’t always greener on the other side has never been more apt than for this situation. Although it may be hard, it’s important to stick with a situation and allow the routine to embed. You need to give yourself time to experience newfound stability and understand that this can also be a positive experience in the same way as the excitement of newness.
The most effective way to break addictive habits is to relearn behaviors. To do this, you may need professional help. An addictive personality cannot be removed from your psyche – it is part of you. However, you can learn to use that aspect to your being in a more positive way. By admitting to yourself the need for change, you can embark on the road to recovery.
This is such a great article. So many people now days struggle with some type of addiction. I really appreciate you sharing this. Thank you so much God Bless