San Diego Sober Living - Recovery

How Drugs & Alcohol Lead to Personality Changes

In pharmaceutical research, substances that affect the mind or behavior are defined as psychoactive. This definition extends to substances that alter perception, mood, consciousness, or cognition. Then you have psychotropic substances, which are also psychoactive but are mostly used to treat mental health conditions. Psychoactives can range from tobacco and coffee to liquor and methamphetamine. Psychotropics may include antidepressants such as Prozac, antipsychotics like Haldol, and mood stabilizers like lithium. Both psychoactives and psychotropics can put you in altered states, and their abuse or long-term intake can change your personality.

Understanding Personality in Addiction Recovery

What we commonly refer to as “personality” is more nuanced in the field of mental health research. There’s a combination of traits and qualities that shape our personalities, but psychologists approach it as an enduring pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Four major theories define personality in mental health: psychoanalytic, social-cognitive, trait-based, and humanistic. In Western society, the theory of personality that’s more conducive to addiction recovery is the humanistic model, which focuses on the potential for personal growth and fulfillment.

How Liquor & Drugs Change Personality

Thanks to decades of research into the neurochemical effects of psychoactive substances, we can understand the mechanisms that result in altered states, but we still have much to learn about how and why many alcoholics and addicts go through radical personality changes. With liquor, for example, we know ethanol molecules bind to neuroreceptors that slow down brain activity, create excitement, and spark euphoria. We also know about the neurochemical mechanisms that enable chemical dependence, but long-term personality changes are more difficult to understand because they involve perception, emotions, and behavior. When we view personality through the lens of various theories, we can get an idea of how substance abuse changes personality.

Personality Changes as Negative Side Effects

The package inserts of most prescribed and over-the-counter medications provide detailed information about potential side effects, which are usually negative. With controlled substances, the side effects are widely known through social and public awareness, and they often focus on unpleasant personality changes. Drinking a couple of beers with friends while enjoying a nice meal isn’t going to change anyone’s personality, but alcoholism often results in people becoming overly secretive, depressed, anxious, emotionally unstable, and careless. These are side effects that only flash during the altered state of inebriation. They become pronounced during hangovers, and they frequently persist afterward.

Undoing Personality Changes through Addiction Recovery

When substance abuse patients don’t regain their personalities after they stop drinking or using, mental health professionals analyze the issue through the social-cognitive and humanistic theories of personality. When someone becomes secretive and antisocial, for example, the recovery plan may include group therapy in settings such as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Addicts who can’t get back on the right track because they lost their motivation to recover from substance abuse can benefit from staying in a facility such as an Encinitas sober living home. Liquor and drugs aren’t the only catalysts of personality change. In many cases, people and places are negative factors that can be ameliorated through the recovery process.

If you or a loved one are struggling with the effects of substance abuse and experiencing personality changes, seek help from a medical professional or another person you trust, such as a sober coach. Encinitas men who need help with taking the first step toward reclaiming their lives and rediscovering their true selves can reach out to the dedicated team at Casa Pacifica Sober Living. Contact us today to learn more about our sober living options and how we can support your journey to lasting sobriety.