Signs You Have An Addictive Personality

1. Addict = Impulsive Actions!

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Have you ever just woken up one day and randomly flown off to another country? Or become so fixated on something so wrong for you but you can't quit it? This impulsive type of behavior could be a sign of an addictive personality, as you don't think about the consequences of your actions. This urge to constantly do things on the whim can lead down the path of addiction.

2. Constantly Seeking New Sensations

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Do you have that one friend in the group, who is always open to trying anything? They may display this behavior as they are constantly looking to experience a new sensation! This type of individual is more at risk of developing a drug habit to satisfy this need.

3. An Extreme Value Of Nonconformity

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Do you display extreme views and actions that contradict what general society perceives as normal? This could be partying all night before you're due at work the next morning. This could mean you have an addictive personality as you're less likely to realize these activities are having a negative impact on your life.

4. Alienation From Society

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You're more likely to develop an addiction to drugs or alcohol if you become withdrawn from society. Not having a close group of friends or any leisure interests, can cause loneliness which puts you more at risk of reaching out for these types of substances.

5. Low Self-Esteem

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Suffering from low self-esteem has been found to lead to the development of an addictive personality. People who have difficulty adapting to social situations are more likely to become hooked on taking drugs as a stimulant to hide their self-diagnosed inadequacy.

6. Financial Problems

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Is one of your family members always asking to borrow money, or always seeming to be selling property that they own? This could be an indication of an addictive personality, as an addiction to pretty much anything can lead to serious financial problems.

7. Neglecting Responsibilities

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When you're weighed down by the results of addiction, this can have a detrimental impact on day-to-day life, and you can easily neglect your responsibilities. This may be not turning up for work purposely or genuinely forgetting an arrangement that was pre-planned.

8. Secretive Behavior

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Often described as the most common symptom of an addictive personality is an individual displaying secretive behavior. This person will intentionally try and hide their compulsion from others by withdrawing into private surroundings to satisfy their cravings.

9. Obsessing

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Obsessing is a key trait in a person who has an addictive personality. Just like an alcoholic would obsess over where their next drink will come from or a gambling addict looking to place their next bet if you have an addictive personality you will mirror similar behavior.

10. Lying

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Does anyone you know always have a ready-made excuse for everything? Well, lying and addiction go side by side, if a person is stuck in a cycle of addiction, they are much more likely to start lying to their social circle and family, to hide their addictive personality.

11. Always Wanting More

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Are you always the last one to leave the bar? This shows that you're always looking for more and you're unable to go out for just one drink. This suggests you may have an addictive personality as you never feel satisfied and your life feels unfulfilled.

12. Criminal Behavior

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Having an addictive personality can make your lifestyle incredibly expensive. You may have just booked your third vacation of the year or bought another pair of designer sneakers. Soon you will find your bank balance dwindling, which could push you into a life of criminal behavior.

13. Manipulation

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Manipulation is classed as a behaviour where a person purposely acts in a way that can exploit or control another individual to their advantage. If you have an addictive personality this will be used to hide or maintain any dependence you currently have,

14. Continuing Despite Negative Outcomes

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Constantly having negative outcomes in your life, for example, bouncing between partners and jobs is a sure sign of an addictive personality. Any craving is likely to be the cause of these outcomes, however, these will be ignored and this behavior will be continued regardless of what happens next.

15. Risk-Taking

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Some people see a risk-taker as cool, always living life on the edge! But this is also a suggestion that an addictive personality could be involved. Impulsive behavior will provide the excitement and spark needed to provide that much-needed dopamine hit!

16. Neuroticism

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Another characteristic of an addictive personality is neuroticism. People who are classed as having high neuroticism, are known to react when being challenged in a negative manner with anger, sadness, and anxiety some of the emotions displayed. There is also a link between neuroticism and drug abuse.

17. Narcissistic Behavior

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In an individual that has an addictive personality, narcissism will play a huge role. Someone who displays narcissistic behavior will be very selfish and have zero empathy. There will be no regard shown to friends and family members who may be trying to help.

18. Mental Health Disorders

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If there is already a pre-existing mental health disorder present, such as anxiety or depression, this can be key to developing an addictive personality. If you're struggling with your mental well-being you will be more vulnerable to developing a drink or drug addiction.

19. Self-Medicating

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Are you making daily trips to the liquor store? If you're currently self-medicating, this may be a sign that you have an addictive personality. You may be doing this to look for an escape from the feelings that you're experiencing. This routine then causes addiction.

20. Genetics

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In some studies, it has been found that having an addictive personality can be linked to genetics. If you have a family member who struggles with addiction, then you're at a higher risk of also developing a similar habit. You can't choose your family!

21. Maintaining Balance

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Being unable to self-regulate your lifestyle, means you're unable to preserve any balance, which can also make your emotions, behavior, and feelings unbalanced. This lack of control is another explanation for having an addictive personality. Routine is key!

22. Compulsive Behavior

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Someone who has compulsive behavior, for example nail biting is much more likely to have an addictive personality. Any addiction that grows will become part of this obsessive pattern, and even if an attempt is made to disturb this practice, you may fall into another addiction to suppress any urges.

23. Trauma

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Trauma has also been explained as a key factor in the development of an addictive personality. If a person has previously experienced a form of trauma then it has been found that they could be up to four times more likely to develop an addiction to substance abuse.

24 Poor Home Environment

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Make sure it really is home sweet home. The environment, that a person spends their life within will play a role in the evolution of a addictive personality. If living in an area where temptations are readily available the chances are higher that you will gain an addiction.

25. Lack Patience

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Having an addictive personality can also mean you have a lack of patience. This person will want instant fixes and will not be prepared to hang around to resolve their problems via a different method. You can forget about telling them good things come to those who wait!

26. Denial

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If you're currently suffering from an addictive personality you're likely to be in denial. You will ignore any consequences and downplay any issues that arise by insisting that there is no problem that needs to be solved and therefore taking no proactive steps to resolve it.

27. Inability To Stop

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Do you have a friend who has a drink in their hand every time you see them? Well if they have never even tried to seriously give up a dependency, even if unsuccessfully, this shows that they may have an addictive personality as their unable to stop repeating the same behavior.

28. Health Problems Don't Stop Them

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A characteristic of an addictive personality is when their conduct doesn't change, even after this is having a detrimental impact on their health. This could be drinking alcohol after being diagnosed with liver disease or taking drugs after drastic weight loss.

29. Mood Swings

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People who have addictive personalities may go through frequent emotional mood swings. These moods can be caused by withdrawal or craving symptoms if hooked on drugs or alcohol. This person can also seem to be euphoric one moment and angry the next.

30. Difficulty Committing To Goals

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Goals and expectations are frequently difficult to satisfy for people with addictive tendencies. It can be challenging to stick to commitments once initial enthusiasm wanes especially when a person has an addictive personality and their head is turned by temptation.

31. You Relate To People With Addictions

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There has to be a reason that you're relating strongly to other people who are going through addictions - and that reason is because you understand the feeling all too well. You may see yourself in others who are going through addictions, or facing an addictive personality.

32. You're Feeling Disconnected

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This can tap into the experience of other mental health issues if you're going through addictions or have that personality type. You may be feeling disconnected and even lonely alongside feelings of anxiety or depression. You may be feeling an 'out of body' mentality.

33. You May Even Be Feeling Cautious

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Although impulsive behavior and risk-taking can all be a part of addictive personalities, the opposite can also be true. You may be very aware of how impulsive your addictive ways can be so you're feeling overly cautious about being swept up again in periods of addiction.

34. You're Feeling Apathetic

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All of this behavior and all these feelings might leave you feeling... well, nothing at all. You may be feeling very apathetic where you just don't care about a lot of things, or feeling indifferent. With mental health issues like depression, you may also be feeling a huge disinterest in everything.

35. You Find It Impossible To Manage Your Emotional States

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People with addictive personalities can find it very hard to regulate their own emotions, which can switch up often. You can't really keep track of feeling happy, sad, excited, anxious or everything in between. You may even turn to addictive behavior to manage these emotions.

36. You Hyperfixate

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It can be very common to hyperfixate on something if you have an addictive personality, and you're most probably hyperfixating on the things you're addicted to. You might hyperfixate on a certain hobby, pastime or items you want to buy, to the point where you don't pay attention to anything else.

37. You Have A Bunch Of Hobbies That Are Easily Addictive

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People with addictive personalities can often accumulate a lot of hobbies that allow for addictive behavior. This could be a hobby that needs a lot of investment, or physical items to collect, to the point where you're obsessively spending money on it and hoarding things.

38. You Always Want More

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When you have an addictive personality, it's never enough. Even if you spend 12 hours doing one thing that you're obsessively doing, you'll still want one more hour. Even if you buy loads of clothes, you'll always want another item in the sale. It goes on and on, whether emotionally or financially!

39. You Often Feel Guilty

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People spending time, money and energy on things like this in an addictive way may then be faced with a feeling of guilt. This could be because you know it's not healthy, you know you can't stop or you're feeling guilty about spending so much money on these addictive ways!

40. You Refuse To Take Responsibility

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But feeling bad about it doesn't mean you're ready to take responsibility. You might find that you're easily avoiding admitting blame or admitting responsibility for what you're doing. You may find it very easy to wriggle out of the accountability for the choices you've made!

41. You Might Even Blame Others!

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It's one thing to not take responsibility for your actions - it's another to actually blame other people instead! You might be so determined not to accept responsibility for your behavior that you've even convinced yourself that others are to blame for what's going on.

42. You Have A Lot Of Failed Relationships

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It can be very likely for people with addictive personality traits to contribute to failed relationships, as this can often come as a result of lying, manipulation or that constant need of wanting more and more and never seeming fulfilled - which can be a strain on any relationship, of course!

43. And You Don't Like Commitment - In Any Situation

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This can mean commitment in a relationship, but it can also mean other areas of life, like where you live, or your job. Commitment means the same thing for a long time, and that's something you don't feel comfortable with when you're looking for new experiences or feelings all the time.

44. You Want To Feel The Next 'Rush'

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And not only are you always looking for change, you're also looking for your next big exciting 'rush' specifically. People with addictive personalities often need to feel the next big sensation, which means you might always be looking for that 'rush' or reward from something new.

45. You're Always On The Lookout For New Experiences

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You might also be putting time, effort and money into new experiences - especially those that give an adrenaline rush so that you can find that new hit very quickly. You might start to get restless if you haven't tried something big and bold for a long time. Often, this seeking of 'new' things can also lead to substance experimentation.

46. It's Not Just One Thing

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Most people with an addictive personality will not focus only on one thing - it's likely you've got a bunch of stuff you like to obsessively do, that you either switch between depending on your mood, or try to do all at one. You may go through stages of being obsessed with one thing then bored of it only to circle back.

47. Most - If Not All - Your Pastimes Are About Excitement And Pleasure

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For these obsessive pastimes you take pleasure from, it's more likely to be something like bungee jumping or edge-of-your-seat than something relaxing like reading a book. But at the end of the day, it's all about what brings you the most excitement and pleasure - and that's what you focus on.

48. It's All About That 'First Thrill'

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The key thing for people with addictive personalities is that very first 'thrill' and feeling from something new, which is why long-term of the same thing can become very boring - because it's never going to be the same feeling as when you first tried it. So you'll likely search out new obsessions to get that first 'thrill' again!

49. You Just Can't Quit

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It goes without saying, but you just can't bring yourself to quit or give up any of these things that you're finding exciting, even if you've acknowledged that there's a problems. Addictions are very difficult to give up, after all, and can take a lot of hard work and effort.

50. You've Actually Lost Friends Or Family Because Of It

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In very extreme cases, you may have even had friends or family members stop contact with you because of your addictions. It might have even been that you never found the time for them because you were so busy with your obsessions or finding that next thrill!