Understanding the Addiction Mindset

An addict’s mentality refers to the mindset and thought patterns found in individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). 

The mindset of an addict is characterised by issues such as distorted thinking, irrational thought patterns, denial, rationalization, compulsive and risky behaviours, or any other type of thinking that prioritizes continuing to abuse the substance over their long-term well-being.

Chronic substance abuse creates a mindset wherein the addict prioritizes short-term, instant gratification, over the long-term benefits of quitting their drug of choice. This leads to difficulties in quitting despite the addiction’s negative consequences, feelings of helplessness, distortions of reality to protect their addiction, denying that they have a problem, and being unwilling or unable to accept help from others.

Individuals suffering from substance use disorders display behavioural traits such as telling lies to mislead others or conceal their abuse, manipulation, blaming others, or even criminal behaviour.

Thankfully, a full recovery is possible if the individual receives treatment for their addiction and mentality. Effective treatments such as medication-assisted treatment, support groups, counselling, and behavioural therapies exist that have proven to treat both the physiological and psychological issues associated with addiction. A happier, addiction-free life is possible, if the individual commits to rehabilitation, prioritizes their recovery, and receives ongoing support.

What is Addiction?

Addiction is a condition characterised by an intense desire to use a drug or engage in a behaviour despite its negative physical, mental, social, and behavioural consequences.

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s study “Health, United States, 2020-2021”, addiction “refers to the use of selected substances, including alcohol, tobacco products, drugs, inhalants, and other substances that can be consumed, inhaled, injected, or otherwise absorbed into the body with possible dependence and other detrimental effects.”

However, addiction is not limited solely to substances. Individuals can also be addicted to behaviours such as gambling, social media usage, or even sex.

Addiction has been proven to be a disease that hijacks the mind and body. It is not a choice, character flaw, or moral failing. Instead, it is deeply rooted in the mind and how it affects the mentality of the addict.

What is an Addict Mentality?

An addict’s mentality is characterised by an obsession with the substance or behaviour, instant gratification, impulsivity,  lack of control, engaging in risky behaviours, isolation and secrecy, and denial and justification.

People suffering from addiction are thoroughly convinced that the benefits of continuing their addictive behaviours outweigh any potential consequences.

In order to understand why they continue this negative cycle of addiction, it’s important to understand the psychology behind addiction and how it affects the individual’s mentality.

Individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) do not choose to be addicted. Instead, they suffer from changes in their brain that facilitate addiction. These range from changes in neurotransmitters like dopamine that affect the reward pathway to alterations in neural connections that impair decision-making and inhibition.

These changes in the brain result in an addiction mentality that prioritises “instant gratification” over the long-term negative effects of substance abuse. This causes the addict to develop a mentality that protects and prioritises the addictive behaviour over stopping the abuse and improving their lives.

How Does Addiction Impact The Brain?

Addiction is a physiological disease that changes the brain’s structure by altering the way it works and how it processes information.

Changes in Neurotransmitters That Affect the Reward System

Addiction results in negative changes to neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, the chemical messengers that send signals to the brain to regulate pleasure and emotion. This has a severe impact on the brain’s “reward pathway” that keeps the addict stuck in the addiction cycle.

In an addict’s brain, the reward pathway is damaged due to chronic substance abuse to the point that no natural activities are pleasurable – only the addictive substance.

Let’s cover the reward pathway in a bit more detail so you can better understand why an addict continues their harmful behaviours when they know they should stop.

The reward pathway’s primary function is to reinforce sets of behaviours. This is an evolutionary adaptation that tells us that certain behaviours are beneficial and that we should keep doing them. This process is mediated primarily via the neurotransmitter dopamine. When we engage in beneficial behaviours, we are “rewarded” with dopamine and are encouraged to repeat the behaviour in the future.

Addictive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, or nicotine hijack the reward system in the brain by releasing unnaturally high levels of dopamine in the addict’s mind. Chronic abuse of addictive substances results in these “reward circuits” adapting to high levels of dopamine, which reduces their sensitivity (known as tolerance). 

This now means that they’ll need more of the substance to achieve that same feeling and that no natural reward can compare to the feeling of using the drug.

This results in the person becoming obsessed with the drug or behaviour in order to feel the same level of pleasure and avoid the negative effects of withdrawals.

Alterations to Brain Structure

Chronic substance abuse results in changes in the structure of certain areas of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. These alterations to brain structure lead to negative consequences such as:

For example, addiction has been shown to reduce the size of the prefrontal cortex, which leads to issues with decision-making, impulse control, and logical reasoning. One study published in “The National Library of Medicine” entitled “Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health” says that brain imaging studies have proven these effects on the prefrontal cortex to be true. It explains that these studies show that addiction causes issues with the “stop and go” circuits of the prefrontal cortex, which leads to disruptions in decision-making skills and behavioural inhibitions.

Emotional Regulation And Stress Response Changes

Addiction increases baseline stress levels and creates issues with emotional regulation, awareness, and reactivity. This is due to constant overstimulation and alterations to different regions of the brain. Difficulties dealing with stress and regulating emotions often lead to depression, anxiety, and mood swings, which creates a vicious cycle: The addict struggles with their emotions due to substance abuse, and then abuses those substances because they struggle with their emotions.

What Are The Common Behavioral Traits of Addicts?

The following personality traits characteriหe an addict’s mentality:

• Denial: Addicts often vehemently deny that they even have a problem. Many are not even aware of how serious their problem is. For example, according to “The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences”, Patients with alcohol dependence often underestimate the amount of alcohol they consume, the duration of their drinking problem, or the impacts that alcohol has had on their lives
• Rationalisation: The addict justifies their substance abuse with “logic” such as “Well, I don’t drink every day”
• Blaming: Blaming others involves shifting the responsibility for their substance abuse onto family, friends, society, or genetics
• Minimisation: Addicts will often trivialise their habits by minimising their issues. They will downplay their problematic relationship with alcohol, drugs, or certain behaviours as well as their effects on themselves and others.
• Catastrophising: Catastrophising is when an addict expects the worst possible outcome and uses this to justify their continued harmful habits. An example of this exaggerated negative thinking is an alcoholic using the excuse “If I try to quit, I will fail and everyone will see me as a complete failure. I might as well not even try!”
• Manipulation: A person’s addiction often causes them to manipulate others to continue their addiction or avoid confrontation. Types of manipulation include gaslighting, lying, promising and bargaining, and guilt-tripping to make others feel bad for addressing the behaviours

What Are The Treatments For an Addict Mentality?

Treating an individual with an addict mentality often requires a combination of treatment for both the psychological and behavioural aspects of their addiction. When part of a comprehensive and individualised treatment plan, it’s possible to make a full recovery and live a long, healthy, and happy life.

Let’s cover each of these treatment options in more detail:

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Medication-assisted treatment is a treatment for addiction that involves the use of medications to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms combined with therapy and counselling for the psychological aspects of addiction.

MAT has proven to be a very successful method of treatment for addiction because it effectively treats both major issues at once: The physiological symptoms and the psychological issues underlying the addiction.

MAT has been associated with significant improvement in long-term outcomes including a reduction in mental health hospitalisations and emergency department visits as well as improved psychotropic medication adherence as per the study “Medication-assisted treatment for alcohol-dependent adults with serious mental illness and criminal justice involvement“  published in the National Library of Medicine by Robertson, Allison G., et al. in January 2019.

Counselling

Counselling for addiction is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals overcome substance use disorders by educating them on their addiction, providing coping skills, identifying triggers, gaining peer support, and obtaining guidance in the recovery process.

It involves regular sessions with a trained therapist to explore the underlying causes of addiction, develop coping strategies, and set goals for recovery.

Talking to a therapist helps an addict reduce their stress, explore their underlying issues, and hear stories from other addicts going through the same struggles. Having this education, peer support, and guidance has shown to significantly improve mental health and improve long-term outcomes.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a form of talking therapy for addiction that teaches addicts to recognise the connection between their thoughts and their feelings.

Once the individual recognises the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and actions, they’ll be empowered to make healthier choices. It also emphasises developing problem-solving skills and building resilience. These strategies improve long-term outcomes by giving you a sense of control and self-efficacy, reducing the likelihood of relapse, and promoting sustained recovery.

Support Groups

Support groups are one of the most valuable treatments for addiction, because they provide a communal space for individuals to share experiences, offer mutual support, and hold each other accountable. 

It’s said that the opposite of addiction is connection, and that’s what these groups provide. It’s the sense of belonging and reduced feelings of isolation that help addicts recover from their addictions.

Support groups have proven to improve long-term recovery outcomes through accountability, encouragement, and education. With enough support from family, friends, and peers, you can make a complete recovery too.

Inpatient And Outpatient Treatment

Inpatient and outpatient treatments are both effective for addiction recovery, but they’re for two different types of patients. 

Inpatient treatment involves staying at a facility 24/7 under constant medical supervision. The benefit of this is that it provides a structured environment with constant support. It’s great for those with severe addictions or who need to escape a triggering environment. 

Outpatient treatment, on the other hand, lets you live at home while attending therapy sessions. This works well for people with milder addictions or strong support systems from friends and family. Since the patient is not at a facility 24/7, they can still work, go to school, and maintain other daily responsibilities.

During outpatient treatment, the patient normally visits a healthcare centre or related facility during the day or at other regularly scheduled times, then goes home in the evening just like they would during regular life.

Both can lead to a successful recovery given the right circumstances.

Addict Mentality F.A.Q

What are the three types of addicts?

The three most common types of addiction are:

• Behavioural addictions: These include behaviours such as shopping, sex, and gaming.
• Substance abuse addiction: Substance abuse addictions include alcohol, illicit drugs, and prescription pain medications.
• Impulse addictions: Impulse addictions include impulsive behaviour such as theft or emotional outbursts.

What is the cause of an addictive personality?

Environmental influences, including traumatic childhood experiences like abuse or exposure to substance abuse, further contribute to the development of an addictive personality.

What are the 5 C’s of addiction?

The 5 Cs of addiction are commonly used to describe the key characteristics of substance use disorders. They are:

1. Craving: An intense desire or urge to use the substance.
2. Compulsion: A strong, often overwhelming need to use the substance despite the desire to stop.
3. Control: Loss of control over the amount and frequency of substance use.
4. Continued Use: Persisting in substance use despite knowing the negative consequences.
5. Chronicity: The long-term, ongoing nature of addiction, often involving cycles of relapse and remission.

Summary of The Article

Addict mentality is characterised by distorted thinking, denial, and prioritizing substance use despite negative consequences. Addiction alters brain structure and function, leading to impaired decision-making and emotional regulation. It emphasises that addiction is a disease, not a choice, and outlines treatment options like medication-assisted treatment, counselling, behavioural therapy, support groups, and inpatient/outpatient care. Effective recovery involves addressing both the physiological and psychological aspects of addiction, with the potential for a healthy, addiction-free life. Healing the addiction mindset is a journey that requires patience, understanding, and the right support.