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Addictive Personality: What You Should Know

Addictive personality The Bluffs Addiction Campuses
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Take the first step toward addiction treatment by contacting us today.

You’ve probably heard somebody use the term “addictive personality” to describe a person who struggles with substance use, compulsive behavior, or obsessive involvement in particular activities. But is there really such a thing as an addictive personality disorder, and how can addiction therapy programs help?

The Bluffs helps people who struggle with substance use and other compulsive behaviors achieve recovery and learn to turn their innate characteristics into strengths. Reach out to our team by calling 850.374.5331 to learn more about our addiction treatment program.

What Is an Addictive Personality?

There’s no official diagnosis of addictive personality disorder. Instead, this is a colloquial term used to describe people who struggle with substance use disorders, behavioral addictions, and obsessions. Often, this term is used to describe people who engage in behaviors even when it is harmful to do so.

The core element of an addictive personality is a constant state of sensation-seeking. This sensation can come from any number of behaviors and is often at the cost of other important responsibilities or obligations.

Signs of an Addictive Personality Disorder

Hundreds of different behaviors can lead to somebody being referred to as having an addictive personality. A few examples of people who may have addictive personalities include:

  • People who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction
  • People who engage in certain tasks for hours on end
  • Thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies
  • People who can’t put down a task easily

An addictive personality isn’t always necessarily a bad trait to have, but it does give friends and family members concerns about their loved one’s future behaviors.

Dangers of Addictive Personalities

The most obvious danger of an addictive personality is a person who falls prey to substance use disorders. When a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol, they are often unable to stop on their own. In fact, they may need professional treatment in order to recover. Developing a substance use disorder carries a host of harmful physical, psychological, and social consequences.

But the dangers of addictive personality extend beyond substance use alone. People can fall into so-called behavioral addictions, such as exercise addiction, internet addiction, and sex addiction.

The danger of all of these types of addiction is that they often come at the cost of important responsibilities. People may neglect their relationships, home lives, obligations, and responsibilities to engage in compulsive behaviors.

Turning an Addictive Personality to Your Advantage

Having an addictive personality doesn’t have to be a harmful trait. The ability to enter deep focus in engaging in certain activities can have a tremendously beneficial impact on several aspects of your life, provided you can prevent it from interfering with other tasks.

For instance, a person who has struggled with alcohol use disorder can turn their alcohol addiction into a passion for exercise. This can serve as a fantastic replacement for substance use. It can also provide a host of health benefits rather than health consequences.

The key skill to learn for people with addictive personalities is to balance their hobbies, interests, and passions with other aspects of their lives. Even healthy habits can become damaging if they completely overtake your life.

Get Help for Your Addictions at The Bluffs

If your addictive personality has led to a substance use disorder, the time to seek help is now. Call the mental health professionals at The Bluffs at 850.374.5331 to learn more about our evidence-based treatment programs designed to help people recover. Our team understands how debilitating addiction can be but also knows the strength, resiliency, and passion that underlies each person dealing with a substance use disorder. At The Bluffs, you can recover, and our team can help.

The Bluffs is a private alcohol, substance abuse and mental health treatment facility located in central Ohio.

The central Ohio location means we are also just a short drive (or even shorter flight) from Pittsburgh and other parts of Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan.

We offer alcohol and drug detox services, dual-diagnosis addiction treatment, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and more.

Our goal is always to minimize the out-of-pocket costs for patients coming to The Bluffs. We work with many major health insurance plans and providers such as America’s Choice Provider Network, Anthem, Beacon Health Options, BlueCross BlueShield, First Health Network, Humana, Magellan Health, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Mercy Health, OhioHealth, Prime Healthcare, UPMC Health Plan, and the Ohio Department of Veteran Services

Contact The Bluffs Now

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