You probably know if you have an addictive personality or not, based on your own lifestyle choices. You may only be addicted to one substance or behavior that directs your life, such as an alcoholic. You could transfer addictive behavior from one thing to another, such as a compulsive over eater, who becomes an obsessive exercise fanatic. Or you could become addicted to everything new you pursue, from your career to your relationships.

There is nothing wrong with having an addictive personality, if your addictions only have positive results. The problem is, addictions take over your life and do not allow room for other important aspects. Numerous addictions lead to misplaced priorities, where the addiction becomes number one in your life.

Most of the time, the true extent of the addictions we encounter does not become apparent until it is too late. Addictions can start off innocently, with an increasing passion, which becomes destructive. Going to the casino one weekend a month and playing nickles, may become a weekly habit at the dollar machines, a hundred dollar weekend may become a thousand dollar weekend. A few beers on Friday night may lead to an entire weekend of partying and calling in sick on Monday. An occassional $100. purchase may become a daily habit of charging a $100. A hundred dollars a day adds up to three thousand dollars a month, or $36,000. a year before interest. And before you know it, simple passions become destructive addictive habits.

Obvious addictions make the news: Like the bank robber who got caught because he needed to stop and get a pack of cigarettes at a gas station. Or the father who left his child in the car, because he needed to stop at the brothel for sex. Or the college kid who robbed a bank, to pay his five thousand dollars in gambling debt. Or the driver who wrapped his convertible around a telephone pole while texting. Besides all four of these individuals being stupid, what they really have in common is being addicts. The bank robber needed to give in to his cigarette addiction. The father needed to fulfill his sex addiction. The college kid needed to remedy his gambling addiction. The driver needed to give into his texting addiction.They were all controlled by addiction.

You too may be controlled by your addicion, especially if you have an addictive personality. Think about your addiction. Does your heart beat race, do your eyes light up, do you feel high just at the mention of your addiction? Does a great big beautiful smile come over your face when you speak of your addiction? Do you have to face your addiction?

Do you love diet coke? Do you love starbucks? Do you love smoking?Do you love gambling? Do you love drinking? Do you love getting high?

Can you get through a day without addictive substances or addictive behaviors? Are there addictive patterns in your life that you can not live without?

Can you make it through the day without caffeine, coffee or diet coke? Can you make it through the day without red bull, rehab, energy drink, etc.?

Can you make it through the day without your computer, cell phone, texting? Can you live without myspace, facebook, ____________fill in the blank?

Has your addiction completely taken over your life? Does your addiction prevent you from living your life to the fullest? Do you even realize your addiction is a problem?

Do you only wake up in the morning so you can start eating? Do you only wake up in the morning so you can start drinking? Do you only wake up in the morning to light your bong, smoke your pipe? Do you only wake up in the morning to "wank your willy", "pet your kitty", or look at porn? Do you only wake up in the morning to feed your addiction?

Are your worried about ...where your addiction will take you?

In American society we treat everything that brings us pleasure like an addiction. Why can't you have a couple of beers, a bottle of wine, a few tequilla shots, a tall glass of everclear and lemonade, jello shots off your stomach, a beer bong in the pool? Why can't you live like your in college everyday, after work?

Are you on the verge of being out of control? Do you need someone to tell you your an alcoholic? Would you be shocked if someone called you a drunk? Or more glamorously a slush? How do you know if your social drinking has reached a new level? Can you continue on the same road and function on a daily basis?

Some alcoholics can function daily in society, they can control there addiction just enough to get by. Yes, others know they are alcoholics, but no one interferes with them because they are still functional. They can still do there job, make it 8-5, and wait til they get home to unwind. They may be wasted all weekend from 5pm Friday until 8am Monday. But come Monday morning they pull themselves together.

On the other hand, many mornings come when alcoholics can not pull it all together, maybe something triggers them to go on a tail spin, or maybe the trigger that usually calls them back from a drunken binge fails to work. Or maybe the weekend binge turns into a DUI, a jail stay, or worse a fatality. At some point it all ends. For many carefree addicts, the question is not if, but how it will end.

Only in America is drinking a cup of coffee or having a soda an addiction. Why can't you wake up in the morning and have a double shot of expression from Starbucks, a tall Cafe Americano, a Venti -Vanilla Sugar Free, Non-Fat, Cafe Latte, or An Iced Blended Mocha? Sure you can have it frozen, sure you can have it fast. But why can't you be late to work again, just to wait in the Starbucks drive thru? .

Do you live for your cup of coffee? Can't get started without your diet coke? Drink a gallon of caffenated soda everyday? Do you think to yourself, you really shouldn't be drinking so much caffeine, but you really like it? Do you need it for extra energy?

If you are addicted to caffeine you probably can't see any reason to stop drinking it, especially if it makes you happy, makes you more productive and adds something special to you day. There's no point in addressing downsides, that you might not even notice, that it makes you moody, bitchy or tempermental. That you'd go through serious withdrawls like a drug addict without it. No point in mentioning the damage it might do to your body, your metabolism, or your kidneys or liver. Even if there are serious health consequences for massive consumption of caffenated beverages, it would probable not impact your intake.

So how do you know if you are drinking too much caffeine? How do you measure the expense or cost of your addiction?

Just the mention of the American Diet brings up a series of negative connotations. What's wrong with having a diet of hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza? Why can't you just enjoy a pint of ice cream, a handful of chocolate chip cookies, a few candy bars, a half a dozen donuts or a whole banana cream pie?

Why do Americans need to be so obsessed with dieting? Why do people have to be so judge mental? Why can't you just eat what you want? What difference does it make if your clothes doesn't fit and your out of shape? Is it really anybody elses's right to tell you how you should look or feel in your own skin?

Well, the truth is that other people may be telling you with their eyes and their remarks, that your full figure is out of control. It may be something that you know but that you are reluctant to admit. You may be afraid of admitting that your a fatty. When you look in the mirror, can you accept that you have problem areas? Do you feel like you need help to get back into better shape? No one can tell you how you should look or feel about your own body. You do not need to be a perfect size or shape. But if you are addicted to a bad diet, with bad eating habits, you can be destin to a fat future.

In any town across America, you can find the recreational drugs you need. How come you can't just smoke a little pot, snort a line of coke, take a tab of ecstasy, shoot up meth, fly high on heroine?

There use to be a time when you could have a drug of choice or be a casual user. But that time is long gone. Todays drugs and drug dealers play for keeps. Drug users are disposible commodities. Drugs are made quick and cheap with fatally dangerous ingredients.

There is nothing liberating about experimenting with drugs when one use could be your last: When one use could be your introduction to the underbelly of society. So what do you do when one use, turns to two, and two times becomes three and pretty soon you don't even know how many times you've used. You just know that you can not wait for your next fix. You know exactly what to expect nad know that you will not be disappointed.

What about everyone else who would be disappointed in you, your parents, your teachers, your friends, your co-workers, your children... That's right, the truth is, none of them matter no matter how much they once did. Well, what about you? What about the dreams you had when you were younger, what about the goals you set for your future, what about the direction your life is going in?

With casino revenue on the rise, across Indian reservations everywhere in the nation, gambling is becoming one of America's greatest past times. Why shouldn't you stop by the casino on the way home from work, cash your pay check on the way, put a few dollars into the slot machines, play a few twenties on blackjack, drop a few hundred at the craps table, go all in at the poker table, or bet your savings on winning the progressive jackpot.

A gambling addiction starts off as a real fun past time, a great getaway, something you can do by yourself or with others. Families plan their vacations around going to the casinos in Las Vegas. You use to be able to play the penny machines, now its two cents. But even two cents times a hundred rows is two dollars a spin. The faster the wheels spin, the more money you put in. That is if slots are your thing. (Maybe its the tables instead.) What ever you play, gambling is not a game. For many, it becomes a serious illness.

Unlike drinking or drug use, you can not overdose. Death will not save you from this addiction. Instead you must continuously face the consequences of your actions. First it may be overdrawing your bank account. Then after you spend your entire pay check, you have to go on living for the next two weeks with no money to eat or buy gas. Next time, you might have to find a way to pay the rent after you have spent your rent money. then when it gets real bad, you will have to start borrowing money from relatives, until they realize that you are never going to be able to pay them back. And even if you can recover, you will have a seven year sentence of bad credit that will remind you why you should never gamble again.

If any of this sound familiar to you, and you are still gambling, you need to know that it must stop. Enough is enough. It's hard to find help, real help for gambling. But it starts with the gamblers own desire to change. It's always up to the addict to determine his or her own fate.

In contemporary America, it has become so difficult to meet people and build relationships. How can you not be addicted to love, to relationships, to sex, to masturbation and to porn? What's wrong with looking for love on the internet, building intimate relationships in chat rooms, having cyber sex with strangers, only be satisfied with masturbation, and spending hours searching for graphic pornography?

What's wrong with pseudo sex or cyber alternatives to sex, is that these are not real relationships which can lead to happiness. They are empty self-fulfilling fantasies which leave you wanting more of the same superficial fulfillment. They can never lead to anything real or rewarding, even just physically rewarding.

New technology is one of the greatest aspects of living in American society.Your on the cutting edge of everything new without even realizing the full potential of new technology. So what's wrong with being fully emersed in it. Why shouldn't you be able to go on the internet the minute you wake up, come home from work, or walk inthe door? Why should'nt you live online, on myspace, on your cell phone? What's wrong with texting in class, at the dinner table, at work, at the movies, while driving in the car?

Besides the safety issue, there is the human interaction aspect to consider. Perhaps your response is - who needs human interaction anyway. Or even better, texting is human interaction isn't it. Sometimes, I'm not sure I can argue on the side of human interaction. Relationships are so complicated and take so much work. Computers, cell phones and electronics seem so relatively easy. They are always there for you. You just turn them on and they are ready to entertain, any hour of the day or night. They don't talk back, they don't demand anything from you or your checking account. And, although some might dispute it - the rewards are many and plentiful. Sigh! I love you computer, you complete me...OXOXOX.

Before I get carried away, I wish I could say I was only half joking. But I am sincerely happy right now at the thought of spending time with my computer, my digital camera, my cell phone (as long as my bill is current). Could this be love? No silly, this can not be love. There must be more to life. Like music and films, which also seem to tie in nicely to the beauty of new technology in the entertainment field.

This brings me to the question, of careers in new technology or any of the forementioned addiction areas. Is it okay to be addicted to a certain field if it is your career? As a filmmaker, I know having new technology at my finger tips makes it even more intriguing, dangerous, and addictive. Like a chef in a kitchen, who has every reason to become completely obsessed with food.

In America, the perfect body can be acheived in many different ways, other than diet and exercise. It starts when you look in a mirror and notice little laughlines around your eyes, or new dimples in your thighs. Why not start with a little liposuction on your thighs, an injection of botox to plump up your lips, a shot of butt fat put in your cheeks, a minor eyelift or mini face lift to knock years off your appearance? Why not take advantage of the fountain of youth, if you can afford it. A boob job and tummy tuck might be just what the doctor ordered.

But maybe you are perfect just the way you are, and you are buying into something you do not need. Who can tell you that you need a new nose, new boobs, a new butt, etc? Maybe you started criticizing yourself first or maybe someone else did. But it ends with you making the final decision. Do you accept yourself for who you are with all your stregnths and weaknesses, or do you wish you were someone else with different attributes all together? And once you start, will you be able to finish, or will one change lead to the next, until no one can even recognize the original you? Do you want to get rid of the old you?

The American life style can be tough, waking up early, staying up late, juggling responsibilities, balancing priorities, going 24/7. A trip to the doctors to talk about anxiety, depression and sleeping problems, may be fixed with a prescription for a number of prescription drugs. Or even worse, a painful surgery may leave you needing perscription drugs in increasingly high doses.

Perscription drugs can be just as addictive as street drugs, but easier and maybe even less expensive to get, at least in the beginning. The problem is that one prescription can lead to another, until you are completely dependent on them. Pain pills may not solve the problem of a painful surgery, but may prolong the problem. With each perscription the dosage may be less effective, and may require a stronger dose. As the stregnth increases the price often does too.

As the dependency increases it may be harder and harder to get on with your life, and more and more difficult to make it to work, and without work, you may find yourself without health insurance, and without health insurance you may find yourself without with out perscription coverage, and without coverage you may find yourself without the drugs you need. And, beyong the physical pain that you started with, you could be in more physical, emotional, and financial pain then you ever imagined when the doctor first offered you a little relieve for your pain after surgery.

And at this point, you may be so good at convincing your doctor that you really need the prescription drugs, that he may not be aware of how much you really need help for this addiction. In fact, you may have everyone fooled, even those closes to you - who really just don't want to see you in pain anymore. They won't even know how badly you need help, or how important it is to pray to God that you will not die of an overdose any day now. Only you will kinow when it has gone too far, and only you can take the first step to getting the necessary help.

The Mall of Ameica represents all that is great about America and living the American dream. In America we've come to expect stores to be open 24/7. We can shop all day long, especially with internet shopping, ebay and amazon, and retail outlets online.

If you're a shop til you drop type of guy or gal, you are defining the American dream, buying a new outfit for every occassion, finding the perfect pair of shoes to match, and probably living in credit card debt. Your might be in so deep that there's no way to stop. Plus shopping makes you feel better, you work hard for your money and you should be able to spend it how you want.

Do you want to go shopping today? after work? on the weekend? Are yu willing to go to work everyday just so you can go shopping for a new clothes, shoes and accessories every week? Have you stopped to think about how often and why you shop? Do you already have enough stuff at home? What else do you need to buy?

Many Americans live pay check to pay check, maybe its just the American way. So what's wrong with spending what you earn, treating yourself to an evening out, or buying something special to pick you up?

The corner stone to American success is self discipline and hard work. Why shouldn't you be the first one in to the office in the morning, and the last one to leave at night? How come other people don't understand how important your commitment to work is? What's wrong with working through lunch, staying late, going in on the weekends, missing family events, and living just for work?

There is nothing wrong with being an addict, if you have an addictive personality, In fact, it might be quite comforting to acknowledge your addiction. You may take pleasure in confessing your addictive vice: You speak of your addiction like its your best friend. The truth is being an addict is like having a love affair with your addiction.

The only problem is that your addiction can not give you anything back in return, it can only take and take, until you have no more to give. It's like the opposite of the giving tree tale, in which the little boy goes to the giving tree everytime he has a problem in his life and the giving tree can always provide just what the boy needs. As the young boy grows to be a young man, the giving tree manages to provide just what he needs. By time the young boy becomes an old man he has used up all the resources of the giving tree. But still its a good tale, because the giving tree manages to help through out his life.

The tale of addiction, no matter what your addiction is, does not have a happy ending. It can not give you anything you need to grow from a young boy to an old man, a young lady to an old lady, a misguided youth to a wise elder. But everytime you are in crises you will turn to it, because you know you can count on it to always be there for you. Beware: Your addiction is not a friend but a foe that will most certainly betray you. If its smoking, it may give you cancer. If its food, it may immobilize you. If its gambling it may financially destroy you. If its drugs, it may kill you in an instance. If its work, it may cost you to lose everything, including your family, friends and future relationships.

If you are on a website reading about your addiction, it has gone to far. Its no longer a healthy relationships. If you are attracted to the thought of being an addict, comforted by the realization that you are an addict, and resigned to accept your addiction, its time to get help.

The early signs will vary from addiction to addiction. What do you love more than anything in the world? The answer doesn't have to be my wife and my children, But if it's diet coke, my cigarettes, the internet, or scoring crack, you may have a problem. What's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night? Could you give it up forever if you needed to? Could you go cold turkey or would you need to be weened off slowly, with serious withdrawls?

The later signs may appear with more consistency. There is a desperation that comes over you. You can not think about anything but it, whatever your addiction is. At first you can put it off a little, you might be able to wait until lunch for a cigarette or until the weekend to go to the casino. You will be obsessed by your addictive need the urge is satisfied. Eventually, the addictive urges will take over completely.

It may take months, years or even decades. It may be slow and steady, or a sudden tail spin which throws you out of control. The point at which you know your addiction has gone to far may be too late for you to get help. When you are truly in the throws of your addiction, you will not be able to recognize your own cry for help.

You should look at yourself in the mirror and admit to yourself that you need help. Write down on a piece of paper what your addiction is and why it has become a problem. How will this addiction effect your life if you allow it to continue? How long will it be before you hit rock bottom? Do you need to hit rock bottom? What do you have to lose?

Call a help line immediately, speak to soemone about your addiction, ask what your options are for dealing with this problem and seek out local referrals. If you are in a desperate state, ask if any immediate help is available. If you are out of control, and may hurt yourself or someone else, call 911.