Addictive Personality Traits: Facts and Fiction

This is probably one you were expecting to see on the list, and for good reason. People with addictive tendencies don’t just wake up in the morning and say “I’m going to be addicted to this today.” Rather, they are driven to act on their impulses instead.

Impulsivity is a very common trait for those suffering from addiction, and it’s easy to see why. If you don’t stop and contemplate risks fully before making a decision, it can lead to dangerous choices.

This could show up in financial situations, making impulsive purchases frequently, or it could be making comments before thinking them through. It depends on the person.

Whatever the reward you are seeking may be, it is hard to turn something down when it’s put in front of you, especially in social settings. Doing your best to learn the skill of controlling your impulses will have positive effects throughout your whole life!

Remember, like everything else on this list, an impulsive person is not bound to become addicted to a substance. However, someone who is very impulsive overall may find themselves slipping into addiction more quickly, or be more willing to try a new substance than others if they feel they cannot control their impulses.

Anxiety, along with several other mental health disorders, is a common trait for people with substance abuse disorder, or addiction in general. The reason for this is that anxious people tend to feel more dependent on something if they believe it helps, and anxiety will increase dramatically without it.

For example, benzodiazepines like Ativan or Xanax could be addictive to anybody who takes them regularly. However, if they really work for treating your anxiety and you feel an attack coming on, you’ll be likely to start taking them more and more often. This only feeds the addiction.

People with anxiety tend to build a tolerance to whatever calms their nerves, creating a vicious cycle. For example, it could start with fidgeting with a toy, then move to fidgeting and smoking cigarettes, then adding alcohol, and more. Anxiety needs to be treated properly to avoid this. With any type of mental health disorder, self-medicating is a common pathway to addiction and should be avoided at all costs.

This could mean a lot of things and it can look different for every person. Maybe you’re constantly seeking the feeling of being full after eating a large meal or maybe you seek the sensations of human contact.

The word “sensations” covers a large spectrum, so this will mean something different for everybody. Everybody seeks out some kind of sensation from time to time, but it becomes a risk factor when that feeling is overwhelming and constant.

Those who seek out sensations in the form of risk-taking are definitely at a higher risk of addiction. Somebody who likes to jump out of planes with a parachute is a lot different from somebody who does parkour across buildings without safety equipment.

If you wind up never feeling satisfied by the sensations you’re seeking out, and you always want to up the ante, imagine the difference between wanting more from a roller coaster as opposed to a hard drug that you depend on. This type of behavior is very concerning for substance abuse disorder, so be aware of this trait if you believe you have it.

People who constantly shift blame onto others, or find it difficult to take responsibility for their actions, tend to have an easier time convincing themselves they’ll be fine with any decision. They’ll also have an easier time convincing themselves that issues that arise from addiction are somebody else’s fault and that their decisions aren’t a big deal.

This is a troubling trait for anybody to have, regardless of any addiction concerns. Talking about this with a therapist is a really good start if this is a concern.

People with high levels of stress, or those with a low tolerance for it, often seek an escape. Well, substances offer a sense of escape. However, so does reading, watching a movie, going for a jog, and a lot of other healthy stress management techniques.

While this isn’t an immediate risk factor, it does often translate to addiction when left untreated. Maintaining high levels of stress over the long haul is not sustainable and will need to be managed somehow. Unfortunately, substances like alcohol, prescription drugs, and other hard drugs offer that escape in an easy-to-use form.

Have you always considered yourself the black sheep? Well, self-described nonconformists, and people who believe themselves to be fundamentally different from everybody else, make up a large portion of those in addiction treatment. The reason is simple. Social isolation and a lack of perceived support can lead to a dangerous mental state and decision-making.