Do you have addictive personality traits?

Everyone has interests that he or she is passionate about, but how do you know if your love of something is interfering with life and actually is a problem? Addiction can come in all forms: shopping, food, video games, gambling, drinking, drugs, sex and others. Although an addictive personality is not a diagnosable disease, there are ways to manage addictions.

Some common addictive personality traits are:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Impulsivity
• Risk taking

These traits can be triggered by:

• Attention deficit disorder
• Drugs and alcohol
• Genetic predisposition or heredity
• Trauma

One common factor underlying every addiction is the feeling of reward. A reward is experienced in the brain as a chemical release that creates craving that fulfills and makes you feel satisfied.

Some signs of addiction are:

• Always wanting more
• Constantly needing more
• Continuing despite negative outcomes
• Inability to follow rules you have set
• Not being able to stop
• Obsessing
• Replacing relationships
• Secrecy

People who are addicted are typically the last person to realize it. When they do, it sometimes has taken a toll on their mental and physical health, relationships and job. Addiction usually is a self-medicated solution that doesn’t address the core problem. The key to overcoming addiction is to find out what that core problem is and how to manage it.

Watch this video to learn if your behavior is OK or something to be concerned about:

Read more about recovering from addiction:

• Read about Suzanne's (a fictional character) experience with alcohol — a classic case of what addiction might look like.
• Randy had been successful in covering his addiction. Read about his second chance and a new beginning after addiction.

Brien Gleeson is a clinical substance abuse counselor in Psychiatry & Psychology in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.