FDS Insight Magazine Aug - Oct 2022

9 Is there really such a thing as an ‘addictive personality’? N. Lee, P. Ross & S. Bothwell, theconversation.com (25/7/22) e’ve all heard of someone referred to as having an ‘addictive personality’. Some even say it about themselves. But you may be surprised to know there is no such thing. Despite decades of research, no-one has been able to identify a consistent set of personality traits or a single personality type that can reliably predict whether someone will have problems with alcohol or other drugs. The development of alcohol or other drug problems is a complex and difficult-to-predict mix of factors. The ‘addictive personality’ is, in essence, just a stereotype. Where did the idea of an addictive personality come from? Nearly 90 years ago, around the time of the birth of the Twelve Step movement and Alcoholics Anonymous, there was a move away from thinking about alcohol problems as a moral failing and towards taking a more medical approach. The first step in this transition, based on the relatively little that was known about alcohol and other drug problems in the 1930s, was seeing these problems as a personality flaw. It was the best explanation at the time of why some people develop problems with alcohol and others don’t. Later those ideas further developed into a broader ‘disease model’. The disease model and the later ‘brain disease’ model viewed alcohol and other drug problems as a lifelong and incurable disease of the mind, making abstinence the only option. The disease model views alcohol and other drugs as a lifelong and incurable disease of the mind. Shutterstock Why is the idea of an addictive personality a problem? The term ‘addictive personality’ generally conjures up negative images: weak, unreliable, selfish, impulsive, lacking control. It’s a stereotype that increases stigma about alcohol and other drug problems and reinforces the idea change is difficult or impossible. And stigma prevents people from seeking help when they need it. The addictive personality idea can also lead people to believe they are either destined for problems, or completely protected from them, neither of which is true. For those who do experience problems, they may have a sense of W