Like, haven't you heard of the terminology: Addictive personality? People who tend to get addicted to one thing also tend to get addicted to others?

Anyone every do some research on that and want to share with me? I wrote about sugar addiction today on my blog and I'm thinking I want to expand some more for future days.

And while on that - why are some of us carb sensitive or addicted to sugars while others are not? I see so, so clearly that I'm addicted to sugars, while my husband and at least my older son are not.

And then I wonder if it means I have an addictive personality? I stayed away from drugs, alcohol and cigarettes as a teen/young adult (and now) as I was always afraid that if someone was going to get addicted, I would. THere are many addicts in my family and I just didn't want to go there... yet turns out I have a sugar addiction!

THoughts? Experiences?

Yes.

I am an all or nothing person.

Always will be and always have been.

It's not all bad. It can be used as a force for good if you channel your addictions.

I used to smoke. A lot. I used to drink. A lot. I used to eat. A lot. And if I had had access to drugs, then I probably would have done them a lot too.

But I also had the capacity to work hard. A lot. Which served me well though school and in my job.

So now I try to get addicted to good things, like healthy food and exercise. So far this seems to be working. Very well.

All in all, though, I would rather be more balanced. Throwing myself headlong into anything I do, good or bad, is probably not the healthiest approach. It plays havoc on relationships, for a start. But you gotta work with what you have got. So...

I am carb-sensitive/sugar-addicted. For as long as I can remember, it was drilled into my head to beware alcoholism because my maternal grandparents were alcoholic and alcoholism/addiction runs in families. So although I'm not a tea-totaler now, I rarely drink. I also kept my distance from cigarettes and drugs and coffee, other things I might be able to become addicted to. So what happened? Besides sugar, I am addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper! I denied it for years until I couldn't anymore. The longest I've been able to resist it (since it first came out) is 6 months. If I make it 3 more months this time, we'll see if I can beat that record! As for why some people are sugar-addicted and others aren't, I'd say it depends on how well one's body produces insulin, and perhaps that's also a problem that runs in families. Type 1 and 2 diabetes and hypoglycemia are prevalent in my family, and of those, type 1 is definitely hereditary.

Technically there is no such thing as an addictive personality, at least as far as psychological and medical diagnosis occur.

However there is a lot of other issues/problems/personalities that can struggle with moderation, and an all-or-nothing personality.

The list is long on both genetic and environmental or early reinforced habits that can make this come to fruition in any particular person. Brain chemicals are involved too with reinforcing certain behaviors as pleasurable.

When it comes to anorexia, there is too much control and sense of satisfaction over restriction of food.

When it comes to alcoholism, there is an inability to restrain from potentially harmful drinking.

But are these just addictive personalities? No, there is so much else involved in the development and maintenance of this issues.

So basically the answer is complex. I would caution anyone to adopt a persona of an "addictive" personality because I think it can become a slippery slope of willpower and giving in. A healthier term I prefer is "difficulty with moderation". It is a slight but important mental nuance that differentiates between saying; "I struggle with moderation so controlling my weight can be a struggle", and saying "I have an addictive personality so I will always be prone to giving in and falling off the wagon". The term "difficulty with moderation" implies some choice and control, whereas "addictive" implies a lack of control that can't be helped.

I personally have great difficulty with moderation. I have experienced both benefits (higher education) and drawbacks (lack of balance in life) from this.
Whether or not it is dysfunctional depends on if it impairs your personal/work/social relationships.

Striving for balance is a daily behavioral and psychological commitment that has to be taken one small step at a time.

I definitely can not control myself when it comes to certain foods, sugar and wheat being the main culprits. I have an "eat it till its gone" mentality thinking I'll just start over afterwards. not good. I went gluten free and then because I really have no "medical" reason not to eat wheat started adding whole wheat products back into my diet. Ten pounds flew (I'm surprised I wasn't knocked to the ground LOL) back on and it took almost 4 months for them to leave (after I quit the wheat again)

I have trigger foods. I can have carb smart ice-cream BUT if I buy it I eat way too much of it. So I no longer buy it or on occasion I will buy the bars and hand them out to the kids- giving me one portion. Still the eat it till its gone mentality but at least I don't have the destruction to my plan.

I tend to fall into all-or-nothing style fits. I'm very aware of it now, and try to recognize and correct the behavior before it gets out of control, but it can be very hard. I often find that I am falling into these behaviors and not even realizing it. An example is that I fall into these phases where I eat primarily one thing, it starts slow like eating tomato slices with my eggs for breakfast, tomato soup for lunch, and pasta with marinara for dinner, and will gradually turn into drinking V8 and eating tomato slices for breakfast, eating tomato soup for lunch and having plain marinara with V8 for dinner. I've had phases where I eat three full jars of pickles (and drink the brine) in one day because that is the only thing I crave and the only thing that I feel comfortable eating.

Needless to say, I have gone through rehabilitation for an eating disorder in the past and that has really helped me with these behaviors, but I still certainly struggle with keeping a balance in food, exercise, cleaning, and even things like reading, painting, etc. Routines both help prevent me from these behaviors and sometimes can reinforce them if I am lacks and allow my routine to turn into my compulsion.

My therapist thinks it's related to my epilepsy and the desire for control that has developed due to feeling like I have no control of my body, and it's probably all aggravated by the chemicals in my brain going haywire, and the fact that I have been on various neuro-medications.

I will say, in some ways, these compulsions can be useful in helping me meet goals (ie. obsessive studying, becoming obsessed with a work project, weight loss, sports performance, etc.) but only if I can hang on to enough balance that I don't crack.

As a side note, I think I am a really extreme case, so as far as addictive personalities go -- or what have you -- I can get addicted to anything and everything if I am not careful.

This is great and yes, way more accurate and I think I do fall into that "difficulty with moderation" thing. I'm not an all or nothing person, but tend to lean that way. My house is either a wreck or perfect. When I bake cookies, I bake 12 dozen (and freeze). When I can, I can A LOT. it has pros and cons.

WIth food I definitely have trouble with moderation. With wine or such... no. But, with buying something, I want the WHOLE SET. I'm not satisfied with a piece or two... stuff like that. THough, I can use reason, but it's HARD.

There are people that can't do anything in moderation and I used to be one of them. My brother drinks and smokes like it's his final days on Earth, and was once a heavy cocaine user. My Father is also alcoholic. I'm of the same DNA as them and also drank and smoked like a pirate for about 18 years and walked away from both because I decided I was done. They "can't" quit....because, sorry to say the truth, they don't truly want to. When you want to, you can quit anything. People do it all the time.

I call BS on addiction. I understand how it feels to "jones" for something to the point of tears but it's mostly mental habit and it can be broken. For smokers all the nicotine is out of your system in a few days, it's the mental "addiction" that is so hard to break. It is part of your daily routine.

Do I still overeat at times? Yes. Why? Because I'm not fed up being a size 6. If I was still a size 10 you can bet I'd be eating less. I spent a decade at 174p and finally one day I was done. When you're really done and fed up (food, drugs, alcohol) changes will happen.

ETA: I'm not saying people can't become physically addicted to things, I'm just saying when a person really wants to stop they will. Food addiction I believe is the chemicals they use (enhancers) and not the actual food itself.

I wouldn't go that far. That was _your_ experience with your brain and your ability to change. That does not mean it's everyone ability.