Drug Rehabs Help Patients With Addiction and Addictive Personality Traits

Addicts exhibit many personality traits and behavioral characteristics that don’t involve the actual "using" of a chemical substance. Experts from drug rehabs call these traits and characteristics "the addictive personality." Substance Abuse Treatment Centers generally assign counselors and therapists to help addicts in drug rehabs learn new behaviors that can help them lead a healthy life, free of chemicals. Drug rehab experts know that if these behaviors are not challenged and in some cases, corrected, addicts stand a good chance of relapsing. The following are some characteristics of addicts before they enter a substance abuse treatment center. Addicts can’t stand feeling uncomfortable for any length of time. Low frustration tolerance.

• Addicts have high levels of anxiety that often can’t be identified.

   
  

• Addicts are grandiose: they may think the world revolves around them or that they are better than others. These beliefs hide the addicted person’s low self esteem.

   
  

• Addicts are perfectionists: they may set goals that are impossible to achieve and they get angry when they fail to achieve these goals.

   
  

• Addicts are wishful thinkers: they take unreasonable actions and justify the actions no matter what the inevitable consequences may be.

   
  

• Addicts are isolators: their deep insecurities make establishing real, close enduring friendships very difficult

   
  

• Addicts are overly sensitive: they get their feelings hurt easily by others who don’t necessarily mean to hurt them.

   
  

• Addicts are impulsive: they want what they want when they want it. They are extremely impatient and can’t stand to wait on anything they desire.

  
  

Often, therapists in drug rehabs use a variety of techniques to help addicts curb these destructive personality traits. The addictive personality is not something that can be cured overnight. However, cognitive behavior therapy over long periods of time inside or outside of a substance abuse treatment center has proven effective for helping addicts to manage these symptoms of addiction.