Myth buster IS THERE SUCH A THING AS AN ‘ADDICTIVE PERSONALITY’?

If you’re, say, a recovering alcoholic, does that mean you’re liable to become hooked on something else, whether it’s shopping or doughnuts?

Not quite. While the term ‘addictive personality’ gets thrown around a lot, experts point out that it’s not a clinical diagnosis. It’s true that the same risk factors that make you susceptible to one addiction can make you more likely to become addicted to something else, and some people get hooked on more than one thing (a study in the journal Evaluation & the Health Professions found that around 23 per cent of addicts have multiple addictions).

But much of that may just be because of proximity, says psychiatrist Dr Michael Weaver. “These things cluster together. If you spend a lot of time in a casino, where there’s alcohol around, there are probably a lot of cigarettes, too.” So there is every reason to believe that those who are able to kick one habit can steer clear of others, as long as they stay away from the places and people who trigger them.