Behaviors - Addiction;

Addict's Behavior;

There are many behaviours that are associated with drug use and addiction. The behaviours may vary from person to person and the type of drug that they are using. They may exhibit all the behaviours or only a few.

Use affects a person's entire body. Drugs change the way the brain functions, how fast their heart beats, and the level of their blood pressure; however, these are things that are not visible to the human eye. There are things that are visible to other people that a drug addict will exhibit; such as, emotional and physical behaviours.

What Causes Addictive Behaviors?

There is no consensus as to the etiology (cause), prevention, and treatment of addictive disorders. A United States government publication, "Theories on Drug Abuse: Selected Contemporary Perspectives," came up with no less than forty-three theories of chemical addiction and at least fifteen methods of treatment!

    

As an example of this confusion, many people consider addictive behaviours such as gambling and alcoholism as "diseases," but others consider them to be behaviours learnt in response to the complex interplay between heredity and environmental factors. Still others argue for a genetic cause. Some researchers point out that, unlike most common diseases such as tuberculosis, which has a definite cause (a microbe) and a definite treatment model to which everyone agrees, there is no conclusive cause or definite treatment method to which everyone agrees for most of the addictive behaviours.

This lack of agreement among experts causes problems with prevention and treatment approaches for many addictive behaviours. Professionals debate whether total abstinence or controlled and moderate use of a substance (such as alcohol) or activity (such as gambling) is effective. Others debate whether or not a medication is a desirable treatment method. In the area of addiction to food or exercise, of course,  few advocate total abstinence as a solution .Though  the theories for the causes of addictive behaviours and their treatment are numerous, various types of therapy can help a person who has an addictive behaviour.

    

If you think you, or a family member,  might be addicted to a substance, activity, object, or behaviour, please talk to your family physician, clergy person, Councillor, or seek out a support group for the problem. Do it today!

PATHOLOGICAL LIAR TYPES:

DAYDREAMING PATHOLOGICAL LIAR – PSEUDOLOGIA FANTASTICA:

Some of the more extreme forms of pathological lying is Pseudologia Fantastica. This is a matrix of facts & fiction, mixed together in a way that makes the reality and fantasy almost indistinguishable. The pseudologue type pathological liar makes up stories that seem possible on the surface, but over time things start falling apart. Pseudologues have dynamic approach to their lies, they are likely to change the story if confronted or faced with disbelief, they have excessive anxiety of being caught and they desperately try to modify their story to something that would seem plausible to create or preserve a sense of self that is something they wish they were or at least something better than they fear others would find out they are. The excessive anxiety is driven by unusually low self-esteem, the person tries to hide reality by creating a fake reality, and once the story has enduring quality to it, he/she is likely to repeat it and if repeated enough times he/she might start believing in it as well. This reality escape can be triggered of a past incident or of an unbearable present for the pseudonymous.

About 30% of daydreaming pathological liars have brain dysfunction. For some it may take the form of learning disabilities, ex. dyslexia. Often those with cerebral dysfunction have greater verbal production & lower developed logical, analytical parts of the brain, thus they often fail to control verbal output.

HABITUAL LIAR:

Habitual pathological lying is, as the name suggest, habitual. Habitual liar lies so frequently, that it becomes a habit, as a result, he/she puts very little effort in giving a thought about what the output is going to be, nor does he/she care much to process whether it’s a lie or not, it’s simply a reflex & very often can be completely unnecessary or even opposite to his/her own needs. If he/she stops & thinks about it, he/she knows clearly it’s a lie. Habitual liars lie for a variety of reasons, which include, but are not limited to - Take advantage of the situation or misguide a rival, Avoid confrontation or punishment, Cover up lack of knowledge, Cover up embarrassment, To entertain oneself or others, Reinforce self-esteem, because of failing own expectation

Receive unearned praise or avoid disappointment or disapproval. For no reason whatsoever Habitual liars gives very few if any psychical or vocal signs of lying, due to the effortless nature of lying. That said, since he/she gives a very little thought to his/her lies, they are usually inconsistent & obvious.

Fear is a major contributor in developing habitual lying in a child & further advancement into adulthood, more so in conditions when the child finds truth telling results in more frequent or more severe punishment. Lack of appreciating and likelihood of unwanted consequences of telling the truth may result in frequent opting out for lying, which often involves less punishment & therefore becomes more desirable.

IMPULSIVE PATHOLOGICAL LIAR – IMPULSE CONTROL DISORDERS & LYING:

Impulsive pathological liar lies due to impulse control problem, he/she lies to fulfill his/her present (in the moment) needs, without thinking of future negative effects that can be caused because of the lie. Impulsive pathological liar generally suffers from impulse control disorders, such as kleptomania, pathological gambling, compulsive shopping etc. Those suffering from impulse control disorders fail to learn from past negative experiences, frequently suffer from depression, likely to have history of substance abuse in family or have substance abuse problems themselves, likely to have deficiency in brain serotonin. Increase in brain serotonin may have positive effect in decreasing impulsiveness, such medication may have positive effects, however there hasn't been clinical research performed to confirm or deny this theory.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGICAL LIAR:

Self-Deception is an undeniable part of addictive process. People abuse alcohol or other drugs constantly lie to themselves & others to avoid embarrassment, conflict, as well as to obtain the substance. Getting off substance requires learning to distance oneself from the deceit, therefore learning to be truthful is generally a part of any Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous program.

Pathological/Compulsive Lying:

Lying is the act of both knowingly and intentionally/wilfully making a false statement. Most people do so out of fear. Pathological lying is considered a mental illness, because it takes over rational judgement and progresses into the fantasy world and back.

Excessive lying is a common symptom of several mental illnesses. For instance people who suffer from antisocial personality disorder use lying to benefit from others. Some individuals with borderline personality disorder lie for attention by claiming they’ve been treated poorly (though it is not diagnostic). Pathological lying, on the other hand, can be described as an addiction to lying. It is when an individual consistently lies for no personal gain. The lies are commonly transparent and often seem rather pointless.

There are many consequences of being a pathological liar. Due to lack of trust, most pathological liars' relationships and friendships fail. If the disease continues to progress, lying could become so severe as to cause legal problems, including but not limited to fraud.

Psychotherapy appears to be one of the only methods to treat a person suffering from pathological lying. No research has been performed regarding the use of pharmaceutical medication to treat pathological liars. Some research suggests that certain people may have a “predisposition to lying”.Pathological lying is a complex phenomenon, differing from other mental illnesses. It has many life-changing consequences for those who must live with the illness. Currently, there is not enough research in the area of pathological lying to guarantee a cure.

Low Self-Esteem & Pathological Lying:

Low self-esteem is a commonly found feature in pathological liars. The lie maybe an attempt to feel good about themselves, generally for a short period of time, similar to the effect of drugs & alcohol. The same lie or deceit repeated over and over may create a myth of personal well-being or success or displacement of faults of own failures on others, thus creating an imaginary fantasy protection bubble, which may reinforce self-esteem. Pathological liars repeatedly use deceit as an ego defense mechanism, which is primarily caused by the lack of ability to cope with everyday problems in more mature ways.

Pathological Liar – Causes:

Causes of development of pathological lying can be, but are not limited to, one or more of the factors mentioned below:

A dysfunctional family;

• Sexual or physical abuse in childhood;
• Neuropsychological abnormalities (borderline mental retardation, learning disabilities etc.)
• Impulse control disorders; such as kleptomania, pathological gambling, compulsive shopping.
• Accommodating or suggestible personality traits;
• Personality disorders (E.G. Sociopathic, Narcissistic, Borderline, Histrionic & etc.)
• Substance abuse or substance abuse in family

Compulsive Behavior:

Compulsive behaviour is defined as; A person performing an act persistently & repetitively without it leading to an actual reward or pleasure! Compulsive behaviours can be an attempt to make obsessions go away.The  act is usually a small, restricted & repetitive behaviour, yet not disturbing in a pathological way. Compulsive behaviours  are a need to reduce apprehension caused by internal feelings a person wants to abstain or control. A major cause of the compulsive behaviours is said to be obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD).The main idea of compulsive behaviour is that the likely excessive activity is not connected to the purpose it appears to be directed to. Also, as well as being associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder,compulsive  behaviour is associated with Compulsive Sexual Behaviour or a lack of control over one’s sexual behaviour. Furthermore, there are many different types of compulsive behaviours including,shopping,hoarding  , eating, gambling, trichotillomania & picking skin, checking ,counting , washing, sex, & more. Also, there are cultural examples of compulsive behaviour.

Emotional Traits:

• Depression
• Apathy
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Excessive Calmness
• Excessive Energy
• Excessive Talking
• Violence Prone
• Easily Irritated
• Easily Angered
• Mood Swings
• Secretive
• Lying
• Stealing
• New Friends
• Physical Traits
• Lack of Hygiene
• Excessive Sleep
• Inability to Sleep
• Excessive Sniffing
• Sinus Problems
• Sudden Weigh Loss
• Sudden Weight Gain
• Excessive Spending

Be Thorough & Sure:

Drug addicts are hard to spot, while some will show very obvious behaviours of using, others are able to carry on their daily life amazingly well. It should be noted, that just because a person is showing behaviors of a drug addict, does not necessarily mean that they actually using and have an addiction to drugs. No behaviour trait will guarantee an addiction, so when looking for various behaviours of a drug addict, be thorough and as sure as possible before moving onto the next step.

Understanding:

Being able to understand the behaviour of a drug addict can be extremely frustrating. This is because there is no rational explanation for their behaviour, and it simply revolves around their addiction, and getting the next hit, high, or drink. Instead of trying to make sense of the behaviour of a drug addict, the loved one should understand that there is no logical explanation for their behaviour other than the addict being driven by the compulsion to use drugs.

An Endless Cycle:

All of the emotional behaviours and physical behaviours that a drug addict has can be incredibly difficult to deal with. Their lies about their drug use, their whereabouts, their mood swings, money spending, and distance from loved ones when they are using are typically followed by apologies and promises that things will get better. This becomes an endless cycle that can make a concerned spouse, partner, or family member feel trapped and helpless.

They Need Help:

When a person has an addiction to drugs, the substance becomes more important than anything else in their life. Along with the behaviours listed above, a drug addict may have times that they feel guilty and remorseful and decide to get help, in these times the drug addict will normally continue using. Most addicts will need help and support from friends or family members before they check themselves into a treatment centre.