Two myths of addiction: the addictive personality and the issue of free choice

Abstract

This short review paper examines two aspects of addiction controversies: whether there is such an entity as an addictive personality, and the question of whether free choice is involved in substance use. The former is part of an argument with a long history, with the case for the existence of an addictive personality being put more often, particularly in the USA. The latter is a more recent development in the debate that raises important issues in the research on substance use and addition. It is concluded that there is no evidence for the existence of a personality type that is prone to addiction, and that free choice can be seen to be a part of substance use, i.e. the compulsion element is lacking. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.