Originally Posted by
help4hubby 
Hi all! Been a while since I posted anything. I've really been struggling in my marriage lately. I'm beginning to wonder about something. Is selfishness a symptom of being an addict? Are all addicts selfish people even when they aren't using or is this an entirely different and separate issue?
I think when a person is in active addiction they tend to be selfish because they are always thinking about themselves in how they will maintain appearances, get their drug, use their drug, conceal their drug use. The focus is turned inward in most aspects. But once a person stops using, I think there can also be a transition period because it takes a while to unlearn some of these behaviors, and rebuild relationships where they are in balance again. In time, I think there is a shift back to more of their normal personality; whatever that might be.