2.22.2018

Worried You Have an Addictive Personality? Here Are a Few Troubling Signs

Managing an addiction can be difficult especially if you have no support. However, the worst offender that can easily become the biggest issue is not knowing you have an addiction in the first place. There are always early warning signs that let us know if we have an addiction or not, but some of them are too subtle to notice and we often ignore others.

If you’re worried that you might have an addictive personality then here are a couple of signs that you should keep in mind.

Source: Pexels

You find commitments difficult to cope with

One of the most glaring signs of an addictive personality is finding it difficult to commit to something. A weak commitment is usually followed with something comfortable that you do in order to take your mind off your failures and lack of commitment. A weak commitment to your personal goals is often a trigger for other problems such as a poor outlook on life and general demotivation. The best way to overcome this issue is to take a hard look at your life to see where you’re currently at and where you plan to go. Setting goals is a long-term commitment that can be difficult to cope with as someone with an addictive personality, but people change over time and it’s important to move forward in life.

You don’t like the idea of conforming to normal standards

Those with addictive personalities often have a tendency to stray from the norm as a way of rebelling. The way people with addictive personalities dress, react to situations and the hobbies they take are usually perceived as strange or uncommon to others. This can often push them into social alienation. If you feel like you don’t want to conform to the norm and love standing out or doing things differently, then it might be an early sign of an addictive personality.

You have a comfortable thing you do or retreat to

People that have addictive personalities usually have a comfort zone they retreat to. Whether this is an online game they play, a movie they watch or even a drink they love, everyone has something they turn to when they’re feeling down. Unfortunately, relying on this comfort zone is in itself a bad habit. It’s important to focus on breaking out of what you’re comfortable with in order to move on with life, develop new habits and overcome bad ones.

You alienate yourself from friends and family

Alienating yourself and shying away from social situations is a sign of an addictive personality. This usually stems from issues that are related to the previous points. For instance, if you don’t like the idea of conforming to normal standards then there’s a chance you’ll pick up habits and hobbies which aren’t popular and thus looked at in a judgemental way that alienates yourself. Having a weak commitment to something (such as jumping between different hobbies) can also put you in a position where you hop between different social groups and thus have weak relationships with the people in communities you’re briefly involved in. As such, you might eventually develop a persona for each community you’re involved in as a way to reinvent yourself with each new interest you have, and this can be a primary cause of an addictive personality disorder.

You don’t care about harming your body

Having an addictive personality doesn’t mean that you self-harm, but it can mean that you care less about the bodily damage you inflict upon yourself which is the result of a habit you have. For instance, smoking and drinking are known to cause harm to the body, but those with addictions to those habits often put their health as a lesser concern than what they get from those habits. If you feel like the harm you cause to your body is worth it, then you might be developing an addictive personality.

Source: Pexels

What to do next

If you believe that, judging from this information, you have an addictive personality then don’t panic. There is always help out there that can make things easier and help you recover quickly. If your addiction is damaging to your health, then you may want to consider a drug rehab center or a support group that you can keep in touch with to help lessen the effects of your addiction. If your addiction is causing you to have difficult relationships with people or if it’s lowering your quality of life in other aspects, then there are likely support groups on both the internet and in your local area that can help you overcome them.

The idea of overcoming an addiction isn’t to completely erase it and remove it from your life. It’s more about controlling how much of it you expose yourself to and replacing it with better habits. As you weed out bad habits and fix your addictive personality, you’ll find that your health and overall well-being can be improved.

Here are a couple of good habits that can keep you distracted and help you overcome addictions:

  • Spend more time outside and do something relaxing with friends and family. Going on long hiking trips is a great way to keep your mind off your addictions and it can help your wellbeing.
  • Exercising is a great pastime that will improve your body, your health and give you something to work towards.
  • Having a hobby is also a fantastic way to take your mind of addictive tendencies. For instance, you might want to take up arts and crafts or even a sport with your friends and family members.
  • Hanging around outside or buy a sun lamp are great ways to just chill.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are many subtle signs that will tell you that you’re starting to develop addictive tendencies. However, you should also keep in mind that unless you act on these warning signs, it will just get worse and the likelihood of you needing rehab or at least some external support becomes greater. It’s best to solve these issues as early as possible so that you have a higher chance of recovering quickly.

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