Drug addiction is a disease of the mind. It starts voluntary but drugs change gene expression and brain circuitry, effecting human behavior. With the development of addiction the changes interfere with voluntary decision making ability,leading to fierce addiction of craving, seeking and use. This way drug addiction alters the personality of the addict. Does anyone have any examples to prove this?
My husband is an addict in recovery. Some of the things that changed within him were.. He lost his ability to relax. To sit still. To smile. He felt like he no longer had any emotions. He couldn't get excited or find pure joy in anything other than getting high. He couldn't remember ever being happy in the past without getting high. It was like he was living in a constant haze.. a cloud over him.. his memory was awful, he was always stressed, short minded and short tempered. Yet he felt like the only think that gave him any joy or made him feel any better was his drug of choice, pills. He didn't realize that the only thing that he thought was helping him was actually destroying him!!!! He couldn't see that the reason he felt so empty was because the pills were altering his mind and making him depressed, lonely and paranoid.
My husband is also a recovering substance abuser. He showed lack of responsibility in all areas at home and work. Lying was a real culprit and then the silence. He always turned every thing around to be someone else's fault. He was easily persuaded by other users and was very self-centered. He put on a good mask in public to make it seem like everything was okay.
Agreed. Drugs can change a person completely, even certain meds can do it as well. It's terrible, I don't know if drugs bring out the worst in people or if the drugs just turn them into someone they are not. I think it's a little bit of both, I should know since I was an addict... back then I was so selfish and didn't care or think about anything else.
When a person is addicted to drugs, eventually, his/her personality, and attitude would change. The substance abuser would often look gloomy, depressed, and angry, and it would also seem like he/she has already lost his/her sense of responsibility.
Drugs can totally change someone's personality. Some alcoholics I know who used to be very outgoing soon convince themselves that they can't function without alcohol and any time they haven't drank something they'll prefer to stay home which though it isn't so bad reinforces the false belief that without alcohol . . . Others who were not violent before they started using drugs end up being some of the most belligerent and violent people. So yeah, drugs do change people's personalities.
Is it wrong not to feel guilty that someone close to you is addicted to drugs. This person used to sell drugs. Now he is addicted to the worst crack, what happened I don't understand. I don't know that person, I guess I never did. But now I see why the marriage never worked.
Some that I knew who have been into addiction obviously shown changes in behavior. Seemed to be aggressive and easy to be mad. They become irresponsible like not supporting their family and resulted to broken relationships.
My husband becomes very aggressive and angry when he is drunk or high. He gets upset over the smallest of things and it sends him off on a rage, cursing non stop and just acting like a complete idiot.