Originally Posted by
PerSe 
Addiction, Lies and Relationships
I thought this article seemed relevant to this thread. It seems that as a person progresses in addiction, they become more the addiction than their own person. So maybe who they really are depends how far along they are in the addiction process.
I've read that article many times before. There are some very valid points contained. In my situation, my fiance (walked out a week ago, again) has a very addictive personality. I didn't know this until we were really involved. Years of being addicted to making money (selling coke, never using), gambling, and now drugs. I can assume it stems from childhood and a history of mental illness, but it's gotten progressively worse as he's aged. One thing that remained a constant though, in all relationships (family, previous marriage, our relationship) was the lies and manipulation, the sense of entitlement and lack of empathy. I think his behavior went from bad to worse over the years, then a bit better, and now unthinkable. It's truly sad, it's hard not to feel pity.