DesperadoBlond

I've long been wondering about this.

I'm a person who frequently gets addicted to different kind of things.

Examples:
-coffee
-favorite foods
-favorite singers and songs (I can listen to the same song, on repeat, 1500000 times... drives everybody else CRAZY)
-favorite historical characters (reading everything I can get my hands on about certain historical people I find fascinating...)

Another one of my addictions is alcohol, as we know. My favorite has usually always been red wine, but I'll drink anything if I get desperate.

I have other hard to explain addictions and ideas that even my then shrink was baffled by. In his opinion it has to do with being too much of a perfectionist.

I'm on day 1 here, and as usual I've replaced drinking alcohol with drinking probably gallons (soon) of coffee.

Is there a relationship here somewhere that I should try and understand? One person once suggested I must have asperger's... but I don't fit the bill in many ways.... Is this maybe what they call an addictive personality?

tomsteve

i am addicted to anything that makes me feel good and it doesnt have to be a substance that goes in my body. yu may want to do look into what addiction is and, more importantly, start lookin for a solution.

prayers yer way fof a clean and sober day.

TimW

We are creatures of (good / bad) habit.

mecanix

So what are you going to do this time that means that you don't end up in the same cycle that gives you the same as usual result ?

I find if i am hungry, angry, lonely, tired or bored then the idea of drinking can be hard to shake off ..

DesperadoBlond

You're right. I need a plan.

Would any of the people here mind sharing what their plan was?

sugarbear1

My plan was working the program of AA.

jennikate

When I read your post describing yourself, I also thought Aspergers. What traits don't you have? My plan was/is AA, therapist, medication, SR.

Anna

I'm not sure if I have an addictive, but I love routines and fall into habits easily. It might be about what I eat for breakfast or what time I go to bed. And, I am obsessively on-time if not early.

I wouldn't worry too much about drinking a lot of coffee at this point. The important thing is to stay sober, and then you can work on your recovery.

Derek12261984

As a biology teacher I feel bound to answer this question; as a matter of fact there is a direct linkage between urge, emotion, and binging! Without making you all listen to a boring lecture here, there have been multiple studies conducted that connect the amygdala to binge eating, as well as drug addiction. This also happens to be a region of the brain that controls certain emotions such as fear and anger. I would post a link but it will not let me yet (not enough posts).
A quick google search will give you results. Best of luck to you!

RevivingOphelia

Interesting, thanks, Derek!

Someguy23

To strengthen that, I remember reading there is a very strong statistical correlation between alcohol/drug abuse and eating disorders.

Google brought me details here. Substance abuse is five times more common among people with eating disorders and eating disorders are ten times more common among people suffering from substance abuse.

I haven't seen any numbers about the correlation between alcohol abuse and drug abuse, but I'd stick my hand in the fire it should be at least as strong.

MetalChick

For me I tend to do things to the extreme. I guess I can use that to my advantage and get extreme about my recovery.

BackToSquareOne

Here's an older thread I started on the same topic. Opinions were mixed. :
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ve+personality

Hexipuff

I used to be really routine driven until I got sober. I was obsessed with keeping the house in order - cushion plumped, towels straightened, everything in it's place, everything had to line up and be neat.
I have worked out that this was only bit of control I had. I needed to control something.

Since been sober thankfully things are more normal in that respect.
I do get passions for things- I think I have read way to many books on King Henry II. I am very fond of the all things purple and pink, I love tea and coffee and orange juice. I can't go too many days at the moment without lemon yogurt.....
All harmless things and I just accept that I am that sort of person

awuh1

Three thoughts

First, I would strongly agree that you need a long term plan. That way, if it fails, it can be evaluated and the weak points discarded. AA/AVRT/smart recovery or some combination?

Second, I consider that drinking too much coffee could be a potential problem, particularly if anxiety is related to your drinking.

Lastly, I believe some of our “personality traits” are strongly related to genetic factors. As one of my favorite folks once said “that’s the reason we don’t build birds’ nests”. Certain genetic factors can provide a very slippery slope for all sorts of behavior(s), addictive and otherwise. IMO it’s not an excuse, just reality. It makes the task of altering these behaviors more difficult for some folks than for others.

Best of luck on your journey.

jstar

I don't actually have an answer for ya, but I can relate to having an addictive personality. As I look back, pretty much anything I tried I wanted more of. Alcohol, drugs, sex, relationships...I just always need to have something to make me feel good.

I too have been pretty addicted to coffee, I m trying to swap every other cup w/a glass of water...

Zencat

Addictive personality? So far scientists have not been able to find such a personality. I know there are 'personality disorders' where there is a high rate of substance abuse or dependence also occurring.

SeekSobriety

For me it's all "'ism's".
Alchoholism for me encompasses
Everything .

Everything in excess, for me it stems from trying to make myself feel better immediately. Self medication either with drink, cigs, dope, food, candy, sex, whatever. Once I started to deal with the root cause of my behaviors, (for me it was depression triggered in part by abuse as a kid) things then started to get better. I was able to give up drugs and alchohol and start to learn to eat healthier and be a bit healthier.

freshstart57

Science YAY. After reading this about the amygdala, I found some interesting stuff collected in wikipedia about a certain protein found there, and then about a phenomenon termed 'amygdala hijack'. I also read how the neocortex can be trained to inhibit the amygdala. Do I hear AVRT anybody?

Very cool, Derek. Thanks.

BethS

If you are an inherent addict (addictive personality), you can pretty much get addicted to anything that interferes with your dopamine levels. It's due to an enzyme that we addicts have (Delta FOS-B), that is like the gateway to other addictions. That's the reason many recovering alcoholics get cross-addicted. I made a video, which is probably better at explaining it. Look up "Cross addiction - Do you Ever stop being an addict?" on YouTube. Hope that helps.

Oh, and I agree, if it's keeping you sober then don't worry about the caffeine too much at the moment. Keep an eye on it, but you can deal with it later. Sobriety above all else.