Discussion
  • Read More
    upsidaisyMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:37pm

    you know what’s common to all addictions? addiction! once you’re there, that crave is universal, whether it is for another cigarette, a drink, a snort, or an 8-ball. all the rest is extraneous - personality type, race, gender, whatever, doesn’t matter.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Kamai - Looming and Inevitableupsidaisy
      4/05/16 3:43pm

      If you're not interested in understanding how to treat or prevent addiction, then sure, it doesn't matter. For those interested in those things, however, it's pretty fucking important.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      Masshole Jamesupsidaisy
      4/05/16 3:43pm

      Maybe but like the author says, I was an impulsive child and my dad was an alcoholic and I have many addicts in my family and I started experimenting in high school and using heavily in College. It never got to the point where it ruined my life like it did my dad, nor did it turn me into a criminal like it does a cousin of mine but I think the author has a point when she says addiction seems almost planned out.

      BTW, the reason I’ve been good for months (and it’s not easy being gay and sober, at least in this town) is a free amino acid called phenibut. For those of you looking to kill the anxiety that comes with doing without, get it now before they ban it because it is glorious. Kratom is supposed to be amazing too but it never did anything for me.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    butcherbakertoiletrymakerMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:40pm
    Although addiction was originally framed by both Alcoholics Anonymous and psychiatry as a form of antisocial personality or “character” disorder ...

    False. Alcoholics Anonymous, very clearly, references alcoholism as a disease, not a “character” disorder. In actuality, the first members were adamant about the fact that the whole myth of the “character” disorder was exactly that. The fact that it is a disease was a wholly new concept to society.

    Also, and this is important, alcoholism and drug addiction are not the same thing. So, lumping them both together as “addiction” can be misleading. This is further confirmed by the fact that the AMA also makes this distinction.

    Other than those two things, you are absolutely correct about there being so such thing as an “addictive personality”. You can run MMPIs on 100 alcoholics and drug addicts and you’ll never find a consistent one. You’ll never find a normal one—but you’ll never find a consistent one:)

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      The Wilhelmbutcherbakertoiletrymaker
      4/05/16 4:01pm

      You want to know how I know you’re an alcoholic? You think theres a difference between a drug addiction and an alcohol addiction.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      MikeATXbutcherbakertoiletrymaker
      4/05/16 5:01pm

      As a friend of Bill myself, I’m going to disagree with you and the AMA on alcoholism and drug addiction being different. I’m both and alcoholic and an addict and I can assure you the pathways before and after are exactly the same, regardless of the substance you put in your body.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    IAMBlastedBiggsLostBurnerMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:45pm

    I eventually came to the idea that ‘addiction’ is a process whereby something is used to tap into the pleasure centers of the brain, then forming a connection in the brain that is reinforced by the removal of negative thoughts and/or feelings. With few exceptions, people really want to feel pleasure, and if something is identified that can bring it about (even if it’s simply bringing a negative state back to neutral—no more pain), that item (drug, drink, activity, person, etc) will be filed under ‘this is good shit, man!’, and will be remembered quite well. The kicker, then, to beating a damaging addiction would be finding something to replace the item that brings pleasure with something that does the same thing, with fewer negative results. Which is, naturally, difficult to do, because the replacements usually don’t have the same ‘kick’ as the original addiction.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      fefuIAMBlastedBiggsLostBurner
      4/05/16 4:16pm

      Or, if you can’t replace it, blocking the pleasure can help too. I started taking Naltrexone to cut down on my drinking. It blocks the endorphins that result when someone drinks alcohol. You can still get drunk, but it does not have the same pleasurable feeling. I cut my drinking in half the first week! It works through extinction - you take the drug one hour before you have a drink. It blocks endorphins, and eventually, you could take it or leave it.

      I was skeptical at first, but it actually works, people!

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      Hate-Clicked This Article, Scrolled Directly to the CommentsIAMBlastedBiggsLostBurner
      4/05/16 4:18pm

      Mr. Actualized.Org has a video on the types of happiness. I found it very illuminating.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    ratchedMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 4:05pm

    I read at http: thefix.com to read different opinions on sobiety/addiction, reviews of different rehabs, and some well needed alternative methods of treatment.

    Back in the 80's, if I heard about “ÿour inner child”once more, I was about ready to strangle that child. Thanks for nothing, John Bradshaw.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Mr.Spaghetti! The Gentildouche Yearsratched
      4/05/16 5:10pm

      How about Scott Peck?

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      ratchedMr.Spaghetti! The Gentildouche Years
      4/05/16 5:13pm

      Pretty much full of shit.˜˜˜This agnostic.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    Demon!Maia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:35pm

    This is nonsense. Some people are far more at risk for addictive behaviors than others. My alcoholism doesn’t just manifest as alcoholism, it also manifests as a deep, intense interest in passing fancies.

    And this base research doesn’t even say that “addictive personalities do not exist”. It says that it is more complicated than a simplistic idea of the “addictive personality”.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      butcherbakertoiletrymakerDemon!
      4/05/16 3:46pm

      Well, genetically speaking, yes, some people are at more risk than others. But, from a personality profile point of view, there really is no such thing as an “addictive personality”. There are certain behavioral traits that are consistent, such as off-the-charts self-centeredness, and a high degree of affective disorders across the board, but whether someone is an introvert vs extrovert, or Type A vs Type B, isn’t something that has been found to show a consistent pattern in the research.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      Vitamin VDemon!
      4/05/16 3:53pm

      Right. That’s what’s confusing about the post. In the end, Maia says “All three pathways really involve the same fundamental problem: a difficulty with self-regulation.” Is that not what we mean when we say “addictive personality?” It’s interesting because I’ve lost two uncles and a brother to addiction, and have a sister barely hanging on at this point. All of them have tried to convince me that they are somehow different from other addicts.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    The ever-present football-player rapistMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:49pm

    Only half have more than one addiction (not including cigarettes)

    Why the holy hell would you exclude nicotine?

    “Oh no, I’m not racist. I mean, not counting my feelings towards those damn Mexicans or anything.”

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      SteveInWIThe ever-present football-player rapist
      4/05/16 6:10pm

      Because nicotine addiction, as damaging as it is to one’s health, doesn’t affect people the same way as other addictions? Nobody ever gets locked up for their nicotine addiction, and damn few are losing their jobs or their spouses over it.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      The ever-present football-player rapistSteveInWI
      4/05/16 6:51pm

      I don’t understand the distinction you’re trying to get at. If it kills you (which it does), everything else is inconsequential.

      You lose your job and your spouse by means of no longer being alive.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    caekislove-caekingitupMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 3:42pm

    Wow, it’s the weekend already!?

    BRING BACK 500DOK

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Corbettocaekislove-caekingitup
      4/05/16 4:47pm

      OMG! Did that disappear? I became so desensitized to scrolling past it, I figured I was simply blind to those posts now.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      caekislove-caekingitupCorbetto
      4/05/16 4:48pm

      Those bastards killed our baby. Our beautiful baby!!

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    GrumpyEagleMaia Szalavitz
    4/05/16 4:46pm

    Growing up with a father who was very active in his AA chapter, I noticed that there were certain common characteristics of his fellow “alkies” (as he referred to them). Many of them were charming, interesting individuals who, when they were using, were able to manipulate those around them to give them “just one more chance.” And almost all of them took up another habit after they’d given up booze - Dad became a chain smoker (as in, smoke the cig to the nub, then use it to light the next, repeat...) and a nonstop coffee drinker. A couple of them turned their attentions to gambling or exercise. And one guy became a constant, nonstop woodworker - we ended up with an endless supply of napkin rings, small shelves, and other doodads over the years. It's as if they needed to be kept constantly busy so they wouldn't think about drinking, and ended up being obsessed with something else.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      potahhhtoMaia Szalavitz
      4/05/16 4:03pm

      The only people worse than those who say they have addictive personalities are the people who think they are OCD because they like to straighten pictures.

      Reply
      <
      • Read More
        raincoasterMaia Szalavitz
        4/06/16 1:46am

        I saw this book mentioned on the Guardian yesterday. It looks very, very interesting.

        Reply
        <