Drug Addiction and Personality

Whether you are personally suffering from an addiction or simply trying to offer support to a loved one during a difficult time, understanding the link between drug addiction and personality can be useful.

Understanding the influence of personality on drug addiction makes it easier for an addict to get the necessary treatment.

The Addictive Personality

Although there are many different factors that can contribute to drug abuse, some researchers believe that certain people have an addictive personality that makes them more vulnerable to addiction. Anyone can develop a problem with drugs or alcohol, but someone who has an addictive personality is more likely to be described as:

• Aggressive
• Impulsive
• Sensitive
• Emotional
• Anxious
• Lonely

The addictive personality is sometimes described as an anti-social personality. A person with anti-social personality traits lives life in search of continuous gratification. He/she engages in reckless behavior, neglects to consider the effects of his/her actions on others, and is often accused of failing to learn from past mistakes. Overeating, gambling, and risky sexual behavior are also common problems among people with this type of personality.

People who are receiving treatment for other mental health conditions, including depression, attention deficit disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, are at a greater risk for problems with drug addiction. However, this may be due to biological factors as well as the influence of personality. Since many different factors contribute to addiction, it’s not easy to isolate the direct effect of personality on drug abuse.

While understanding the link between drug addiction and personality can be useful, it is dangerous to assume that having an addictive personality means that someone is destined to develop a problem with drugs or alcohol. People with these personality traits still have the ability to make positive life choices, they must simply become more aware of the potential dangers of addiction.

Creativity and Addiction

Have you ever noticed that writers, actors, musicians, and other people working in creative industries appear to have frequent problems with addiction? For example, Edgar Allen Poe, Allen Ginsberg, Beethoven, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, John Steinbeck, and Tennessee Williams are some of the many well-known creative people who have documented issues with alcoholism and drug abuse. Newspapers and magazines also regularly feature accounts of modern celebrities and their rehab struggles.

The link between creativity and addiction is difficult to explain. One popular theory is that drugs make people more creative. However, this assumption fails to take into account that there are many successful creative individuals who don’t abuse drugs or alcohol. In addition, there are also a number of people who have continued to produce creative works after receiving treatment for their addiction.

A more logical explanation for the link between creativity and addiction is that people who exhibit the traits of an addictive personality tend to be drawn toward creative occupations. Also, since creative people frequent live their lives in the public eye, their struggles with addiction simply receive more media attention than the problems of an average person.

Drug Addiction and Personality Changes

People with certain personality traits may be at an increased risk of developing a drug addiction, but drug abuse can also have its own effect on the addict’s personality. A person struggling with drug addiction is often described as:

• Withdrawn
• Secretive
• Irritable
• Apathetic
• Reckless
• Disrespectful
• Moody

However, since these traits can indicate a variety of other problems as well, it is important obtain a proper diagnosis from a qualified medical professional. Attempting to diagnosis a drug addiction on your own is both ineffective and potentially dangerous.

Additional Information

To learn more about the link between drug addiction and personality, check out the following helpful resources:

• Gifted, Talented, Addicted
• Achievement, Anxiety, and Addiction
• Drug Use as a Protective System

• Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms
• Caffeine Withdrawal
• Anti Depression Foods
• Depression Quiz
• Am I an Alcoholic

• Causes of Drug Addiction
• Drug Addiction Poems
• Compulsive Lying
• Treatment for Compulsive Lying
• Short Term Effects of Smoking Crystal Meth

• Addiction Counseling
• Drug Addiction Help
• Drug Addiction Poems
• Christian Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Web Sites
• Drug Addiction Hotline