addictive personality

[marriedgirl29]

addictive personality

Good thread

This is good stuff. I had a lot of weird behaviors as a child, I would steal from my parent's pocket coin collections to go to McDonald's or Walgreen's drug down the road for candy even though I knew it was wrong. I have been told that willingness to steal to get what I wanted shows an unwillingness to live "life on life's terms"....I just thought it meant my parents didn't give me enough allowance haha.

Im in the overpruning club too, and as I have long hair I am and have been for years in the weird habit of grabbing strands when bored and plucking off split ends as well as picking my lips, face(acne or bumps, etc.) and biting my nails. Sometimes in classes, its like this is how I focus bc it gets the nervous part of me settled so I can listen to the professor. Mom bites her nails down into the quick.

Still working on calming down inside. In AL free weeks 1-3 I was eating bag after bag of sugar candy and chocolate candy gained 8 lbs. quick! Glad I'm not a smoker. I first went to rehab at age 18, when it was over and I didn't smoke my Dad said if you didn't pick up smoking through that you never will. And he was right! He is a recovered alchoholic of many years, but still deals with depresssion.

Anyway, great thread I think we can all see our addictions evidenced early in life. I think we all drink/use bc we are not good in our skin, we don't feel ok and it's been that way for a long time. And genetic predisposition in personality type can play a big part, IMHO. But if you're coming of AL I think it's ok to use substitutes like caffiene and candy since these don't actually bring a euphoric buzz I found I tired of them after awhile, but who knows could get into it again? MG29

[Johnny]

addictive personality

Looking back on it I had loads of weird little tics, idiosyncrasies and mannerisms as a kid that suddenly seem so much more relevant now, especially after reflecting upon the posts in this thread. I think they may well get aired as this thread develps as I think it might.

I think that the human organism is generally mailable enough for the slightest of environmental factors to influence behaviour. Nobody grows up in a perfect environment, we are all unwilling recipients of the baggage of others from day one. For some the load is just a little too heavy and through processes such as regression, repression, projection and transference to name but a few we learn to cope/survive. I guess the point I am trying to make here is that an individual is unlikely to be genetically predisposed to alcoholism. In my opinion the mind is sensitive enough for everyone to be categorised as a 'potential alcoholic'. Perhaps stressful episodes or circumstances in early life or even in-utero can have an effect on the amount of stress we can handle as we get older, in fact without having the wherewithal to access direct references right now, I am fairly sure that this has been proven to be the case. Therefore the level of relevant stimuli needed for said individuals to 'seek comfort' of some kind may then be significantly reduced.

I am of course willing and even waiting for the mapping of the human genome to prove me wrong.

[Light Of Daz]

addictive personality

hippie37;913659 wrote: So I don't have an addiction to smoking, drinking, drugs etc etc. I have addiction in ME.

Well said... I can relate to this and feel pretty similarly. To me, "More Is Better!" for those things that make me feel good, and then when they cross that line to compulsion... the addiction is in control.

[auntiegriselda]

addictive personality

Me too

Hello all,

I'm old member who is just returning to MWO after backsliding for some time. I normally have about a bottle of wine a day and only in the evenings. If I have one glass I go get another and another because it just tastes so damn good! I'm the same way with chocolates, peanuts, cashews and many sweets. I've bitten my fingernails since I can remember. I can let them grow out a bit and then I start looking for places to pick at and peel them off. I actually really enjoy doing it. Very sick huh? When I smoked cigarettes I did about 2 packs a day. I too have wondered if something in my childhood gave me anxiety that started this tendency to overindulge in pleasurable things. I have not pruned things down to a twig nor have I every over indulged in exercise. Guess I never got addicted to the endorphins from that!
Interesting thread. Gives us all some food for thought!

Auntie

[spuddleduck]

addictive personality

mg29, yep i also do the hair snipping and face picking (not too bad with the face now) if its there to be snipped picked or pulled ill be at it. theres actually a condition where people pull out their hair, eyelashes, eyebrow to the point of baldness... cant remember what its called but it was anxiety related.

[hazeleyes]

addictive personality

I think addiction comes from a longing for something that is missing in our lives. Something our souls deeply desire but we can't seem to get.

For me it is the deep love and respect of my childhood family. As a middle child I long to be in the centre of a loving, vibrant, interactive family. All having fun around me, and with me. This is how it was for me as a very young child. I was surrounded by love, and affection and I felt so happy and free.

Understanding this void within us is the beginning to finding a pathway to heal from our addictions. Gently and with kindness to ourselves we can begin to see our deeper longings, forgive ourselves for the hurt we have done in trying to fill it with drink, drugs, food, etc, and begin again to create the life we want with a clearer understanding behind our desire.

I wish you all success on your journery of self discovery.

[Hippy Chick]

addictive personality

Marriedgirl hit the nail on the head for me.... "We're not good in our skin, we dont feel OK". After being bullied for years at school, I discovered the power AL gave me and I was addicted to that power. And I continued to use it for that reason all my life.

[staywell]

addictive personality

SOOOOO relate-spuddle

[Johnny]

addictive personality

This is quite interesting Gene Makes Some Drink More When Other Boozers Are Around | Wired Science | Wired.com