The Addictive Personality, Part One

How do you envision someone with an addictive personality? Do you picture an alcoholic, someone strung out on drugs, a chain smoker, or a gambler down on his luck?

Addictive behaviors are commonly thought of as behaviors that impair a person's ability to function. Often they do but not all addictive behaviors have that effect. Some addictive behaviors do not negatively influence or impact the person's life.

Many people are unaware that they even have the tendency because their behavior doesn't fit the image they have in their mind of those who do. Someone with an addictive personality can turn a positive activity, such as exercising, into an obsession. As one mental health expert put it, healthy people plan exercise around their life. Addicts plan their life around exercise.

Those with addictive personalities have urges other people don't have that can impede their ability to make good decisions. They have the tendency to do things that are fine in moderation, things that those without addictive personalities do with no problem, and become addicted to them. They are prone to becoming dependent on substances, activities, and other people-just about anything. And they are especially at high at risk of becoming addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, pornography, exercise, work, and codependency.

It is theorized that 15% of American people have a predisposition to addiction. Doctors and clinicians still debate whether or not the addictive personality exists. The National Institute on Drug Abuse calls it a brain disease. Though addictive personality has not been classified as a personality disorder by the American Psychological Association, there are common traits that those with the tendency have-certain characteristics that make them more susceptible to physical or psychological dependencies that may negatively impact their quality of life. Not everyone demonstrating these characteristic will develop an addiction.

A common characteristic of the addictive personality is poor stress management skills. Without the benefit of healthy coping skills they are prone to using substances, activities, or other people as a way to manage their emotional discomfort and alleviate stress. They have the tendency to self-medicate, believing they are only using it symptomatically, but in fact are using it as a way to cope with life. Some have social anxiety or have trouble letting their guard down. Substances help them let go and have fun.

Many with addictive personalities suffer from insecurity or are excessive approval seekers. They may use substances such as drugs and alcohol to provide a temporary sense of worth, a pseudo-identity. Though they are aware that the sense of worth achieved that way is false, they like the way it feels and crave it more and more. They may turn to addictive substances in order to deal with insecurity, or they may ultimately feel powerless to stop an addiction once it starts.

Another marker of the addictive personality is the lack of ability to get in touch with feelings. The feelings are there but they may be too painful to look at. Feeling makes them feel vulnerable and out of control. This causes someone to focus outward, searching for anything that makes them feel good inside and comforts them.

Those with addictive personalities often have the need for instant gratification. They crave the quick, powerful feeling that makes them feel good in ways nothing else can. The euphoric feeling is short-lived so they are constantly seeking more. This sometimes occurs with those who have obsessive or compulsive personalities, and those who are perfectionists.

The inability to form emotional attachments with other people is another characteristic of those with addictive personalities. Many of these people are unable to make relationship commitments. Some alienate themselves from others believing that trusting relationships are unattainable. Some have brief, superficial relationships filled with emotional turmoil, and often with those who also have addictive personalities or are abusive. Substances such as drugs or alcohol become substitutes for the bond they lack with others.

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Change Initiatives

Change is dynamic and it is an integral part of life. Inactivity does not promote productivity and growth. If you are a human and not a robot you must do something innovative and different every day. The purpose is to get involved in social causes. In the process, it portrays you in favorable light. Change initiative in this context means to adjust to a positive activity or behavior. It is recommended to position this change initiative in a manner that results in high performance. If you are a producer you must conclude with a summary of how you intend to approach to change initiative that will result in organizational excellence.

For example, if you are obese it is not healthy for you to remain on that scale. You need to undertake a positive resourceful change that improves your nutritional status and sustains you in the long-run.

First and foremost, always select new ideas daily that is associated with high performance. You must analyze the impact of this change scheme and make recommendations that will result in exceptional excellence. If you are a human being make sure you take a change initiative that conveys competence, reliability, accountability and timeliness.

Furthermore, you can decide to enhance thousands of lives with your new ideas in order to promote a diverse and inclusive change. An example, you can decide to promote a diverse workplace with regards to empowering and increasing the shortage of women by supporting their education programs that inspire confidence and professionalism. You can design programs that inspire women as agent of social change in order to increase their numbers and welfare.

In the first place, you need a pre-plan for activating your ingenuity. How do you achieve it? Identify and select measurable achievable goals that create clarity and common understanding. Additionally, design fair rewards and incentives which improve your change initiative. These are internal motivators that propel you to achieve your target. Equally important is to take on a simple adaptive system that propels your change plan.

Change initiatives accelerate personal and professional growth such as skills and leadership innovation. It is worthy to mention that it involves collaboration because one person cannot know it completely. A single tree in the forest will always be in the shadow of the whole. In other words, your change should not be independent but interdependent. In essence, you benefit a lot as you make your change away from the traditional norm to one that empowers you and everyone. Rally the right set of people in your change process and analyze its impact. Create a platform to have their voices heard and propel positive change. Moreover, it is a personal responsibility and also a collective action. If you are in the business arena it redesigns your commerce with changing internal and external circumstances.

Above all, change initiative involves different process and must contribute to something innovative and rewarding. In order to elevate your change inventiveness design a program that helps promote the change your desire.

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