How to Tell If You Have an Addictive Personality

The easiest way to tell if someone has an addictive personality is if they are addicted to a certain substance or activity. Though addiction is a destructive disorder, no matter the substance, people who have an addictive personality are frequently in denial and refuse to admit that they have a problem. There are several symptoms of an addictive personality. If family or friends mention that you may have an addition problem, you should seek psychiatric treatment immediately.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine if you've had a bad family history. People who had an unstable home or were abused in their childhood are at a greater risk for having an addictive personality. Dr. Hatterer, associate clinical psychiatry professor at Cornell University Medical College notes that all of the addicts he's seen in his psychiatric practice were physically abused during childhood. People with parents who had addictive personalities are more likely to develop one themselves.

• 2

  Check to see if you have pervasive feelings of guilt. Feeling guilty about a certain activity, such as drinking or smoking, and yet continuing to do it anyways, is a good indicator of an addictive personality. You may also hide these destructive habits from friends and family, for fear of them finding out and intervening.

• 3

  Determine if you feel a loss of control. People with an addictive personality become dependent on certain substances or activities, and find themselves unable to quit the activity even whey they realize it's destructive. They will also experience mood swings, especially when they experience a craving, and become irritable or angry when other people suggest they have an addiction problem.

• 4

  Take the Phelps-Nourse Test. The Phelps-Nourse test measures the probability of person having an addictive personality. The test measures the five different areas of diet, family history, depression, alcohol use and drug use. A person with a score below 50 has a low change of becoming an addictive personality, a score between 50 and 100 has a greater chance, and a score above 100 means that becoming an addictive personality is extremely likely.