IS SEVERE ADDICTION A PERSONALITY DISORDER?

Addiction to substances, alcohol and nicotine is an age-old problem. Besides these obvious things, people are strongly addicted to sweets, sugary drinks, tea, coffee and even food. Every addiction has its inherent problem even if it appears to be a benign addiction like love for sweets. In India, more people die prematurely because of their love for sweets than alcohol intake. But for practical purposes, the word addiction is usually restricted to drugs, alcohol and nicotine.

Some people believe that those who fall easy prey to addiction have a special personality which makes them vulnerable. They call it an addictive personality disorder. But the majority of psychologists, psychiatrists and social scientists disagree with this point and consider this concept as a dangerous thought because this gives addicted people an excuse to pursue their addiction. Almost all health organizations including the CDC ( Centre for Disease Control ) of the USA categorize addiction as a disease which needs monitoring and treatment. They believe that there is nothing like an addictive personality.

But deeper analysis indicates that there are certain traits which could make a person more prone to addiction than others. Impulsivity is one trait which pulls a person towards addiction if an opportunity emerges. Impulsivity is not a type of personality but rather a weakness in it.

Impulsive adolescents may indulge in addiction under the false notion that this might rid them of their anxiety.
People who seek the sensation or thrill of non-conformity tend to get addicted more easily than those who conduct their life regularly. Lower levels of tolerance, temporary emotional disturbance, stress and alienation are dominant situations of life which make a person vulnerable to substance use or alcohol abuse. For every human being, childhood is a very critical phase. Any insecure attachment during childhood and early adolescence may stay for the rest of their life and makes a person very vulnerable to many situations of life including addiction. Studies have been conducted to identify factors which dominantly affect human life.

SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS ARE AS FOLLOWS

1. Epigenetics - what we eat, how we live and converse, what is the environment in our home and family etc all affect our genes. This is called epigenetics. Some researchers believe that 40-60 per cent of addiction comes from epigenetics.

2. Social environment - some societies consider alcohol, opium, and smoking as essential parts of social interaction. Serving these things to their guests is a thing of honour. Many members of such societies cross critical boundaries and ruin their lives as addicts.

3. Early age use - some grandparents ask their grandchildren to light a cigarette or burn a chillum or even taste a drink. They never realize that they are pushing a young brain towards the slavery of substance. Early age use mostly leads to gross misuse.

4. Prescription of drugs - many doctors prescribe drugs without proper logic. The reasons can be many but none is fully justified. Innumerable people are addicted to so many drugs for a full life that a time has come to review the whole decaying system of medical practice. Nothing is sacrosanct hence every system and method should be critically evaluated from time to time.

5. Stress and trauma - sleeping pills, tranquillizers, opioids, and antidepressants are all addictive with significant side effects. Isn’t it time to make advances in behaviour therapy and talk treatment? It, no doubt, is a very difficult task but can be tried in a select group of people.

Inequality, racism, religious discrimination, poverty, unemployment, undeserving richness, lack of education and chronic sickness are other reasons which create situations where addiction starts dominating many people’s lives. LGBTQIA+ face so much social discrimination that a significant majority of them have become victims of substance misuse.

Millions of people seek help to get rid of addiction mainly for their family members or friends but the success rate in deaddiction is painfully low. So many lives are lost and many more traumatized but the habit still lingers with no hope of significant success.