Addictive Personality

[i am all i am]

1 THE REFORMER

The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic



2 THE HELPER

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive



3 THE ACHIEVER

The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious



4 THE INDIVIDUALIST

The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental



5 THE INVESTIGATOR

The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated



6 THE LOYALIST

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious



7 THE ENTHUSIAST

The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered



8 THE CHALLENGER

The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational



9 THE PEACEMAKER

The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent



http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/descript.asp

[i am all i am]

Brain Dependence: The Debate Over the Addictive Personality and Gender Implications
MaryBeth Curtiss

Though alcoholism and other damaging addictions are often be traced as symptoms of depression and other emotional distress, the relatively new notion of the "addictive personality" has a significant community of supporters. According to its supporters, the addictive personality is a distinct psychological trait that predisposes particular individuals to addictions. While the nature and the very existence of this trait is still actively debated in the medical, neurobiological and psychology communities, there are definite implications in the brain that contribute to addiction. Also important to this debate are the issues of gender in relation to addiction and how these are and are not compatible with the addictive personality theory.

Addiction, as typically defined, is a reliance on a substance or behavior that the individual has little power to resist. This definition, however, fails to address the neurological aspects of this phenomenon. Dr. Alan Leshner, PhD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse describes addiction instead as "a brain disease" and "a chronic relapsing disease", in that there are visible alterations in the brains of addicted individuals and these effects are long-lasting within their neurological patterns.(1)Also important in describing addiction is addressing the types of addiction and substance abuse that are often accredited to the addictive personality. There are two primary forms of addiction, one being the substance-based, the second being behavior-based.

The substance-based addictions, such as alcoholism, as well as nicotine, prescription and narcotic addictions, are more easily explained and identified neurologically. Particular drugs, such as crack and heroine cause massive surges in dopamine in the brain, with different sensations ranging from invincibility and strength to euphoric and enlightened states. Use of these substances almost immediately changes particular aspects of the brain's behavior, making most individuals immediately susceptible to future abuse or addiction.

Also common are the behavioral addictions including gambling, shopping, eating, and sexual activity. These addictions are not as easily explained neurologically, but are generally included in the addiction susceptibility characterized by the personality trait. Also common are sorts of combined addictions, that is, addictions that include both substance, as well as behavioral aspects, most commonly the addiction to nicotine, either smoking or chewing. This particular addiction combines a physical addiction to nicotine and a mental facet, the repeated routine of the behavior, such as a cigarette after meals.

Another issue interestingly related to addiction is the relative relationship between these abuses and addictions regarding gender. A collection of recent studies have shown that male adolescents are more active in early drug and alcohol experimentation and that men in general are four times more likely to become dependent on alcohol, twice as likely to routinely use marijuana, and one and a half times more likely to become addicted to cigarettes. Conversely, female adolescents are far more likely to experience the activities associated with behavioral addictions, and women far outnumber men in addictions to eating, binging and purging, thus developing eating disorders at a greater rate.(2)

This stratification may either evidence a key difference in the nature of addictive personalities and a link to gender, or it may discredit the theory as a whole, depending on perspective. It has been shown with other diseases, cancers and genetic traits that particular disorders favor one gender over another, therefore these statistics may show an interesting aspect of the genetic or neurobiological nature of the inherited trait. On the other hand, the variances in the addictions of men and women are often traced to societal values and the images presented to young men and women. In one interesting element of this debate, it seems that the popular image of alcohol consumption among Americans as in mass advertising is one that is largely geared towards men. Some of the symptoms of alcohol consumption and drunkenness are less acceptable for women, such as uncontrolled behavior, lessened inhibitions and weight gain, while these are more acceptable for men. It also seems that popular images associated with cigarettes have a similarly masculine undertone, as the primary face of the tobacco industry, the "Marlboro Man" embodies popular American manhood like few other icons.

While no one has succeeded in proving the existence of a true addictive personality, many experts now believe that the predisposition to addiction is more accurately a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors. Certainly, as with all issues of psychology and behavior, the distinct combinations of genetics and inheritance must be countered with an acknowledgment of environmental factors, and the biology of addiction is no exception.


http://www.serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web1/mcurtiss.html

[i am all i am]

Health: Addictive Personality
By Catherine Sebastien on Friday 29 April 2005 Features
OPIUM SEEDS found at Neolithic burial grounds suggest that psychoactive drug use is almost as old as humanity itself. 90% of us consume caffeine daily. But the abuse potential of stronger drugs, and indeed of behaviours such as gambling and shopping raises some interesting questions. For most of us this kind of dependence is unimaginable, so is there an ‘addictive personality’ making this more likely in some people than others?
Addiction differs from many psychiatric disorders in that the addict is an active participant in the process. The term ‘addictive personality’ was originally used to refer to people who demonstrated personality measures of ‘neuroticism’. Drugs and other addictive behaviours can be used to ‘self medicate’ stress and anxiety. Which drug an addict selects is not random, but is suited to the individual’s distress. For example it may be that heroin addicts choose heroin because it counteracts the rage and aggression they feel, while cocaine may be used to medicate against depression.
Something common to almost all addictive substances is that they ‘hijack’ the brain’s natural reward systems. People who are anxious have been shown to have fewer dopamine receptors in the brain. It is possible that such people are motivated to take and abuse drugs in an attempt to boost their dopamine system to normal levels. But why some people channel these needs into skydiving and others cocaine may merely be an artefact of lifestyle and environment.
People with personality traits like extroversion and novelty seeking have normal to high levels of initial dopamine activity. However, if social and novel situations are particularly appealing, this makes experimentation with social drugs or behaviours (eg cocaine, sex) more likely.
The scientific explanation for addictive personality places importance on that fact that the frontal lobes in the brain may underlie impulsivity. A consequence of drug use is general lowered frontal activity, leading to increasingly impulsive drug use. Addiction also changes the dopamine pathways it hijacks, making them less sensitive to natural rewards (eg food and sex), and meaning increased doses are needed to achieve the same hit. Thus, a vicious cycle is set in motion meaning that you may end up with an addictive personality even if you didn’t begin with any risk factors.
Replacement therapies like methodone can be effective, but addicts may become addicted to the replacement instead. Objects and surroundings associated with drug use can trigger cravings. However, drug therapies that target the dopamine system may be on the horizon. The ideal treatment for the anxious personality group would increase natural dopamine levels, making natural rewards more rewarding.
So what’s the message? No single personality type guarantees addiction, but some may confer a greater risk than others. The greatest problem, however, is undoing the damage to the brain’s reward pathways once the addiction process has begun. Bear this in mind next time you drink a cup of coffee.


http://www.cherwell.org/features/health_addictive_personalty

[Anders Lindman]

Brain Dependence: The Debate Over the Addictive Personality and Gender Implications
MaryBeth Curtiss

the predisposition to addiction is more accurately a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors.

Absolutely, biological, psychological and environmental factors. The important thing that they don't mention is that those factors, existing in the person as subconscious programs, CAN BE ALTERED by the person himself or herself changing those deep-rooted subconscious programs/beliefs.

[father ted]

1 THE REFORMER

The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic



2 THE HELPER

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive



3 THE ACHIEVER

The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptive, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious



4 THE INDIVIDUALIST

The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental



5 THE INVESTIGATOR

The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated



6 THE LOYALIST

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious



7 THE ENTHUSIAST

The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered



8 THE CHALLENGER

The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational



9 THE PEACEMAKER

The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent



http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/descript.asp

And the illuminati give us celebrities that we identify with, for every one of those aspects of ourselves, so that we disassociate with those aspects of ourselves, because we are disassociated from celebrities.

[i am all i am]

Have intentions, but don't have expectations, and certainly don't have requirements. Do not become addicted to a particular result. Do not even prefer one. Elevate your Addictions to Preferences, and your Preferences to Acceptances.
That is the way to peace. That is the way to mastery.
.............
I would say . . . if you require a certain result in order to be happy, you have an Addiction. If you simply desire a certain result, you have a Preference. If you have no Preference whatsoever, you have Acceptance. You have achieved mastery.

- Friendship with God, by Neale Donald Walsch, page 108 and page 112.


With LOVE.
_________________________________

WHEN PAIRED OPPOSITES DEFINE YOUR BELIEFS, YOUR BELIEFS WILL IMPRISON YOU.

[Anders Lindman]

One idea just came to my mind. What if the root of all addiction is the addiction to feel bad? At first this can look like a crazy idea, but if the addiction to feel bad wasn't there, other addictions could never stick.

[tru3]

Absolutely, biological, psychological and environmental factors. The important thing that they don't mention is that those factors, existing in the person as subconscious programs, CAN BE ALTERED by the person himself or herself changing those deep-rooted subconscious programs/beliefs.

thank you very much, Anders. that's EXACTLY how i feel.

before we go too far in this thread, i'd really like to know: how many of us here have experienced a deep-seated addiction? i'm not talking about being addicted to being "right" (whatever that is) or something vague and nebulous; how many here have been in the throws of something that seems so real and frightening when one is in the middle of it, that being devoured by it would seem a relief? i'm talking black night of the soul, real wrath of god type stuff.

i have. depression and alcohol. i have posted elsewhere on this site with respect to my his-story ;) , and i won't repeat myself here. but i will make this statement standing on a rock of experience and conviction: to me, my addiction was a spiritual dis-ease, not a brain malfunction.

please consider the following from r.d. laing, a renowned advocate against the use of psychotherapy and pharmas:

RONALD DAVID LAING, psychiatrist, author of Sanity, Madness, and the Family:
"Specifically, no attempt is made to present a comprehensive theory of schizophrenia. No attempt is made to explore constitutional and organic aspects but this is clearly because the theory is one of interpersonal and familial processes, as well as wider issues of the sanity, or alienation, of society at large. THE EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOR THAT GETS LABELLED SCHIZOPHRENIA, IS WITHOUT EXCEPTION, A SPECIAL STRATEGY THAT A PERSON INVENTS IN ORDER TO LIVE IN AN UNLIVABLE SITUATION. He/she cannot make a move, or make no move, without being beset by contradictory and paradoxical pressures and demands, pushes and pulls, both internally from him/herself and externally from those around him/her."

lots of other pertinent citations on http://www.truthfulnews.com/phpBB2/post-5114.html

i would apply laing's statement to addiction and depression as well. is addiction a form of madness? is depression a form of madness? you bet! i was literally out of my mind most of my adult life until my early 30's. my whole world was filled with the imaginary projected demons of my own mind. i considered suicide numerous times, but in all honesty was too cowardly to actually commit.

there are two seemingly contradictory things going on here, which i feel are both operatively valid: 1) alcohol was a means for me to prove to myself how despicable i thought i was-- alcohol is a symptom, not the disease, and 2) even though i had done years of "work" on myself, my real spiritual path did not begin until i chose sobriety. personally, i was so numb that the real deep first-chakra stuff (money, sex, power and control) was completly unconscious for me.

i mentioned this earlier, but hbo is currently airing a multi-episode documentary on addiction. it's been really hard for me to watch. i can only take about 15 minutes or so at a time. maybe i can share that later as i begin to process how i feel about it. all i can say right now is i've got to watch the whole thing, because at cursory glance what i got was this whole notion about looking at addiction as a brain malfunction is just another ploy in the time-warner builderburger agenda to use pharma to subjugate Consciousness. it's a plan that is destined to fail, imo, but there will be greater or lesser degrees of suffering if the general population doesn't begin to let go of their most cherished illusions.

after all, there are other types of addictions. :rolleyes:

i make no claims of having "arrived". the path is the goal. for me, a "day at a time" has worked, with respect to alcohol. in the interest of transparency, i do smoke pot once or twice a week, usually when i watch the "daily show". yes, i'm one of those "stoned slackers" you hear about. pot simply doesn't have the same chemical reaction in the bloodstream for me. i started smoking again about 18 months ago after 10 years of abstinence. and, i also smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day, and have for about 25 years. am i worried about lung cancer? no fuckin' way. i don't give it a thought.

call that inconsistent if you will. it works for me.

as for my depression, i chose the path without pharma's. through meditation, working with the human energy field, and, most importantly, the Love of a good woman, the depression that ruled me is now subject to Being.

my intention is to simply put this out there and trust that it is of service to one who is suffering. i pray that this suffering ends.

let there be Peace.
let there be Peace.
let there be Peace.

[i am all i am]

G'day True3,

Thank you for sharing your understanding. I love you brother.


With LOVE.
_________________________________

WHEN PAIRED OPPOSITES DEFINE YOUR BELIEFS, YOUR BELIEFS WILL IMPRISON YOU.

[neondestiny]

((HUGS)) Tru3,
I have also posted to another thread my dark night of soul with addiction to amphetamines when I was younger.
I had people say that it wasn't physically addictive, and I have tried a whole gammit other drugs without being addicted but that ended up being my drug of choice.
I in the end, years later overcame that addiction, it was the toughest challenge of my life as I am sure Tru3 you may have felt that at the time.
I am also putting this out there, in the hope that it may help someone that is going through or has gone through the same thing
When I was in my teens I had NO self confidence I was basically agrophobic, and had a fear of people. This caused me no end of problems being so shy, I would not speak up for myself and ended up being walked all over in the meantime.
Then this drug came into my life (through a friend now passed from an overdose.) It gave me the confidence I lacked as a gangly teenager, so the first taste of it hooked me like a fish.
I mainly used the drug (my reasoning) so I could work 16hr days to make ends meet, I was on my own with a child and needed to work to support us.
I went into barwork (try doing that job when your agrophobic lol) and the people I met through that industry also used that same drug to do what I was doing so at the time it seemed ok.
It was very hard to overcome that drug, because it gave me something I felt I could not get anywhere else.
I saw friends die or completely fuck themselves up on that drug and some went to harder stuff (heroin) overdosed, or then fucked themselves up on that drug instead.
Luckily I guess for me heroin did not interest me or give me what amphetamines did, or else I too would have ended up there.
I overcame this drug, purely by discovering all this for myself and making sure I did not end up one of those statistics. I finally found confidence without the drug, this helped me overcome it and my phobia and never looked back.
Every year on the anniversary of my freedom from addiction, I pay tribute to the friends I did lose and the ones that also made it through that same tunnel to safety on the other side.
I am greatful in a way for that experience, because without it, I would have never beat my phobia of people and found the confidence within myself rather than from an outside source (the drug)
I am one of the very few that I know of that overcame a drug like that without the help of any family support or rehab, but I relay my story so others know that although it's a tough path to overcome addiction, it is by no means impossible. If I can do it, I am sure you can too ;)
Brightest of blessings
Neon xxx

[i am all i am]

G'day Neondestiny,


Thank you for sharing your experience. I love you sister.



With LOVE.
__________________________

WHEN PAIRED OPPOSITES DEFINE YOUR BELIEFS, YOUR BELIEFS WILL IMPRISON YOU.

[neondestiny]

lots of love right "back atcha" I am all I am ;)
((((((hugs))))))

[tru3]

Thank you for sharing your understanding. I love you brother.

no, thank you, bro. your timing was impeccable for this post. i was just watching part of that addiciton series.

as much as i was thinking about the conspiracy implications, what was really on my mind were the faces of the people who were being interviewed: the hollowness in the gaze, the despair. i remember that too well! so, you gave me a great chance to heal. namaste.

neondestiny, thanks for your kind words.

I have also posted to another thread my dark night of soul with addiction to amphetamines when I was younger.

please send me the link; i'd love to read it. i took enough speed in my freshman year of college so that my skin started to "bug". i knew what was happening, so i didn't freak out, but i knew i had gotten in over my head, and i stopped doing them.

When I was in my teens I had NO self confidence I was basically agrophobic, and had a fear of people. This caused me no end of problems being so shy, I would not speak up for myself and ended up being walked all over in the meantime.

you truly are my sister! for me, the root of the addiction, the lack of self-worth, the feeling separated and alone in the world, was shame. i suffered a constant barrage of terrible verbal abuse (some physical, especially between 2-6 years old) but, as they say "my wheelchair was invisible". trust me; emotional abuse is just as profoundly damaging as physical abuse. i walked around in a constant state of confusion and anxiety because there were no visible scars, and yet i felt "broken"; still do in some ways. what actually happened, i learned years later by working with some remarkable facilitators and healers, was that this shame i recieved from toddler age on had literally crystallized as cellular memory. our cells record everything. it can be accessed; it can be diffused. it can take a helluva long time, at least it did for me, but i sincerely believe that with the earth changes, people that start working now on emotional healing will make amazing progress, much faster than i ever did.

Every year on the anniversary of my freedom from addiction, I pay tribute to the friends I did lose and the ones that also made it through that same tunnel to safety on the other side.
I am greatful in a way for that experience, because without it, I would have never beat my phobia of people and found the confidence within myself rather than from an outside source (the drug)
I am one of the very few that I know of that overcame a drug like that without the help of any family support or rehab, but I relay my story so others know that although it's a tough path to overcome addiction, it is by no means impossible. If I can do it, I am sure you can too

that is truly an amazing share. thank you! in my case, as i said, it was the love of a good woman that showed me Grace. as for beating anything, it really is a "day at a time" for me. somehow, i got that early on in aa. i think it was the meditation that helped me. the thought of not drinking for the rest of my life terrified me; i could handle today. just today. i don't go anymore, but for someone with no support (who's not as strong as you neondesting---oooo, i LOVE strong women!!! lol:D ) it really is one of the few places on earth where people get real, and will accept one just as one is. you can find a meeting anywhere in the world, and you'll find a room of friends. :) some of the people are more "gung ho" than others; i simply learned to let these people slide off me. i've seen people become addicted to their addiction and let their whole personality identify with the phrase "i am an alcoholic". ultimately that was why i quit the program.

and yes, i also see this whole aspect of my life as a gift.

[i am all i am]

The courage and strength of you both, Neondestiny and Tru3, is the true gift that has been given to this thread. I have merely provided a space, but it is both of your expressions of TRUTH that are an example for everyone else. Your courage in exposing (the truth is transparent) yourselves to all shows who you truly are, examples of infinite love. I am blessed to be a witness to your individual expressions. You have filled my heart with your gift of love. Thank you.


Please accept these two poems as a small token of the gratitude that I have for your willingness to share who you truly are with me.


FOR ME TO SEE

WHEN I GIVE TO YOU,
IT'S YOUR LOVE THAT I RECEIVE,
IT'S SHINING ALWAYS NEW,
IN YOUR LOVE I DO BELIEVE.

YOUR LOVE HAS SHOWN TO ME,
THE BEAUTY YOU HAVE INSIDE,
YOU'VE ALLOWED ME TO BE FREE,
AND IN YOUR LOVE I CONFIDE.

YEAH LOVE IS A SHINING LIGHT,
THAT PLAYS THE GIVING PART,
IT'S THERE WHEN I HOLD YOU TIGHT,
AND IT'S SHINING FROM YOUR HEART.

IN EVERY BREATH I TAKE,
IT'S YOUR LOVE I FEEL IN ME,
IT'S SHINING THERE TO MAKE,
YOUR HEART FOR ME TO SEE.

_________________________________


ALL WAYS

OF MY JOURNEY I WILL SHARE,
FOR I'M ON THE ROAD OF LOVE,
I AM ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE,
IT'S WHAT I'M THINKING OF.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY,
WHERE WE CAN SHARE LOVE,
I AM ALWAYS GONNA BE FREE,
IT'S WHAT I'M DREAMING OF.

AND IT'S FUNNY THAT YOU SAY,
IT'S YOUR JOURNEY TOO,
'CAUSE EACH AND EVERY DAY,
I SEND MY LOVE TO YOU,
FOR I LOVE YOU IN ALL WAYS,
IN ALL WAYS I LOVE YOU.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LOVE,
I'M CREATING IN ALL DAYS,
IT'S WHAT I'M THINKING OF,
TO LOVE YOU IN ALL WAYS.

__________________________________


With LOVE.
__________________________________

WHEN PAIRED OPPOSITES DEFINE YOUR BELIEFS, YOUR BELIEFS WILL IMPRISON YOU.

[neondestiny]

Hugs (((Tru3))), you really are stronger than you think sweetheart xxxx.
One day at a time is all that is required hun xxxx ;)
There was also a reason I did not go to rehab with my problem, my problem was basically a secret from those I loved (namely my daughter) I have told her EVERYTHING now that she is older, (ironically she is the same age as when I first got into that scene.)
This I believe is part of the reason she did not head down that same path as I did, which is another reason I am so grateful for that experience as I could share with her first hand what happened to me for her to make the right choices for herself, and thankfully she has.
For some people rehab works great, and sadly for some it doesn't work at all.
In one respect not having the luxury of support from my family, actually helped me, as I had no other choice but to give that support I needed to myself.
In my opinion hun, verbal abuse can be just as and sometimes much more damaging than physical abuse, like you said above the scars are on the inside and to others seem invisible. I can relate to what you have written in regards to it being a cellular memory.
Overcomming my addiction, was only achieved in my opinion because I was lucky enough to see clearly within myself the hole that I was filling with the drug, I doubt it would not have been possible without that discovery.
I remember thinking when I first made the decision to get off the drug I was going to buy myself a barrel of apples and I was going to make myself addicted to apples instead lol that didn't work because I would be substituting one thing for another but the hole in my soul would still be there ;)
I would also love to say that I beat it because of my daughter and my love for her, but honestly I can't say that either, it was in part but not entirely.
I had to do it by myself, for myself, I had to make the choice for me not anyone else.
I wish you all the best Tru3 on your journey, and send you much light, love and strength ;)
I also had a saying that helped me through that tunnel that I would like to share with you.

"When sometimes you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, you have to run up there and light the bloody thing yourself !!!"

I have this printed out on my wall to remind me that I can achieve what I set out to do if I really put my heart, mind and soul into it and also to give me strength and focus when I need it.

I am all I am, I'm just going to give you another (((( big fuzzy rainbow hug))))
and say thank you again for your beautiful light and inspirational poetry. (you know I love you so that goes without saying xxx )
Brightest of Blessings
Neon xxx

[tru3]

:) "When sometimes you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, you have to run up there and light the bloody thing yourself !!!"

love it, love it, love it!! :D

thanks again for taking the risk and putting "the real" deal out there.

my son's twenty now. he doesn't even like the taste of alcohol. he's in college and he's smoked pot a few times, but he has his head and his heart wired together, so he's gonna be more than all right.

if the chain of addiction is broken in my family, even for one generation, than everything else is icing on the cake, babe! :)

[i am all i am]

Is an addiction merely a habit ?

HABIT - AT

Is your habitat where you perform your habit at ?

Is addiction merely a physical expression of an inner conflict with, or sense of lacking, something in your habitat, that is, your outside experience ?



With LOVE.
____________________________________

WHEN PAIRED OPPOSITES DEFINE YOUR BELIEFS, YOUR BELIEFS WILL IMPRISON YOU.

[garth]

Thanks Neon & Tru3 for being so frank and letting others see the real deal about winning the addictive battle. If only other people I know could muster up the strength and determination it must have taken you guy's to do it. Truely Inspirational. You guys are strong as, goog on ya :D

[amyg]

Hello,

and thank you for the warm welcome! My DB9 is happy enough to take passengers, but I must let you know that I am on my 7th clutch in 2 years!
I read the post on addictive personalities, and I must say that this is something that I have worked with, and recently. The problem is with a lot of narcotic and alcohol abuse, is that it can actually lead to brain damage, which many people do not yet realise. For example, in the 19th century, the psychiatrist Sergei Korsakoff reported cases of amnesia associated with alcoholism. To cut a long story short, long term alcohol abuse can lead to vitamin deficiencies that cause brain damage, mainly to the thalamus and the mammilary bodies. I learned this quite early on in my career, and have since met with and worked with people who have Alcoholic Korsakoff's Syndrome. Thus, not only can this make even the most slow-witted among us wonder what exactly we are doing to our brains and bodies with alcohol, but draws the interesting parallel between brain, body and addiction.
Now, there is something that I really want to mention about your addictive personality theory. Firstly, you are right about a possible biological link with brain function and addiction, but I want to go one step further, and argue that there is a biological basis, present in all of us, which has the potential to lead to addiction. For example, researchers have now found that drug addition involves the same brain networks that are associated with normal emotional processes. When drug addicts are shown items related to drug use, such as pipes, syringes etc, they reported an increased craving for drug use. Brain imaging studies have revealed that both cortical and subcortical brain regions associated with emotional memory are activated during exposure to drug related cues, or triggers. These regions include the amygdala and anterior cingulate, or frontal cortex and prefrontal cortex. This set of regions is similar to the brain regions activated during normal emotional processes; bur drug related cures present more intense activation of these areas in drug abusers, than did other emotional processes, such as sexual stimuli.
So, the addictive personality may be closer than anyone realises. I don’t know why this is not more publicised than it is, as I think that many people are genuinely unaware of the very normative processes, which underlie devastating addiction.
I agree with what you say, some people do indeed become addicted to various drugs faster than others. I have met many people, who claimed to be addicted to alcohol after their first drink and other who have taken years of alcohol abuse before they classed themselves as alcoholics. I think that many, many factors are involved, here. If you were to log into the records database where I carry out my research, I think you would be shocked with the sheer amount of research that has gone into finding correlates for addiction. Factors include, family background, social support networks, personality factors, quality of relationships, etc, others have gone so far as to suggest that it may be something as simple as misplaced hunger or thirst pangs. There is research supporting all of these facets, and all are viable in their own right, as they add something to the complex picture of addiction.
My personal view, which I have disclosed, is that addiction is neurally close to each and every one of us.

Amy G

[i am all i am]

G'day Amy G,

Thanks for your input on this topic from your 'professional' perspective. I appreciate it.


With LOVE.

[dragonfly]

thanks for the share!:)