Are addictions the root of low self esteem?

Question

I've had a bad few years for self esteem. I have been badly bullied, suffered domestic violence and had financial and housing problems. I have only just moved forward from those and my self esteem is good now.

But looking back when I went through those hardships I realised that I developed obsessions and addictions. I've overcome them but here are a few examples:

Eating too much sugar

Internet addiction

Exercise addiction

Obsessing over unobtainable men and dating emotionally unavailable men

Spending too much and buying too many things that I didn't need

Partying to 'forget about things'

Are these related to self esteem?

Also have you been through a stage where you had low self esteem? What happened and what lowered your self esteem?

Answer 1

addictive behaviour can effect everybody low self esteem could be one element where simply boredom could be the reason depends on the individual  

Answer 2

Actually, many addictions result from low self-esteem. What happens is that when someone has low self-esteem, like in your case, they choose an outlet to focus on something, for example the Internet. It could also cause addictions that may make you feel better about yourself, so maybe others could appreciate you as well.

Yeah, I have been though a major time period of low self-esteem that lasted for years, and, like you, I have just recovered from it. I didn't really have any addictions, but I was always self-conscious and withdrawn. I would say, really, just staying at a neighborhood and at a school with no friends made me that way.

I pretty much helped myself by looking at my beliefs and using research to help myself. In other words, I guess you may say I was on a road of "self-discovery", and I would keep telling myself that. ^^

  

Answer 3

Hello,

(ANS) No! I think its actually the other way around entirely, I think its low self esteem that leads a person into negative or self destructive behaviors such as obsessions or addictions.

NOTE:- Look let me explain a little more. OK! so you have low self esteem and are probably quite emotionally vulnerable too at the same time. So in order to push away those feelings of hurt or upset or distress and in order to attempt to feel better. We end up repeating behaviors which either numb us out like drink or drugs, over eating squashes the feelings down inside us, we look for comfort in others who are totally unable to help or support us etc.

Thus the addictions are the avoidance of the real or deeper or core issue i.e. I hurt because of something that happened way back in my past, possibly even in my distant childhood or growing up. We might be fully aware of what those hurts are (were) or they may well be very deep down or unconscious which would explain why we do things we don't fully understand.

**Addictions are always a good way "to avoid" the real pain deep down what ever that is. This is often called denial. We do one behavior to deny facing something else more painful thus our addiction/s.

**A person who has positive "self esteem" doesn't need or rely on addictions or have serious neurotic obsessions such as compulsive shopping or over eating. You shouldn't need to rely upon those sorts of things in order to feel OK or good about yourself.

**Positive self esteem is feeling safe & secure in who you are, without any emotional baggage. You know you are good enough as you are, you are OK! as you are. Nothing extra is required. I am good enough as I am. (STOP comparing yourself to other people or to celebrities etc).

Ivan.

Answer 4

I think self esteem develops in childhood as a result of your parenting.  If you have loving, involved parents who treat you with dignity, let you know that you can do anything, and help you overcome challenges, you will grow up with high self esteem.  If you have a less than ideal upbringing, you might grow up with low self esteem.  Once you have high self esteem, it's a part of who you are, and individual events won't lower it.

If you had low self esteem, it could explain how you ended up in a domestic violence situation and also why you had financial problems (you didn't think you deserved better).  Your obsessions and addictions were probably due to a combination of your low self esteem and your desire to run away from your problems.

Congratulations on overcoming your difficulties and raising your self esteem.  I'm sure it wasn't easy, but your life will be so much richer from now on.

Answer 5

Sugars not an addition u just like the hyper buzz

Internet we all do it its the 24th centuary

Excersize addiction is great! Wish i could get it =[

Everyone had c**p relationships. if it went well for everyone no one would have an ex partner would they

EVERYONE buys things they dont need, its the fun of spending money lol

LOL I party alot to forget things lol Nothings wrong with you, your paranoid. chilll :P

ANSWER PLEASE!

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...

Answer 6

You may have a point, I tend to be addicted to the net during low points.

and to the 1st poster, this is the 21st not 24th century.

Answer 7

Don't listen to the idiot with the first answer-if that's what you call it.

Being addicted to the internet is very real, just like sugar, exercise or partying.

I don't think that addiction is necessarily the root of low self esteem, there are many people (try the entire teenage age group) with low self esteem, who don't necessarily have addictions.

Actually, I think addictions might be more of a result of low self esteem than a cause.  Something to rely on and care about, when you don't trust or care about yourself.

Everyone's had low self esteem I think, and.. I have no idea!

Therapy next week! Yay!

I know..i'm totally in a position to be giving advice right?

Answer 8

addictions is the confusion between pleasure and happiness. example, people smoke because they say it keeps them happy but like all addiction, it' gives temporal happiness or pleasure.

Answer 9

Addictions are a loss of control of oneself.  Low self esteem tends to go hand in hand with a loss of control of oneself.  I would not say that addictions cause low self esteem, although I might say that they do result as a consequence of low self esteem.

I have had several times when self esteem has been knocked.  However, they had a known etiology.  For example a significant loss in terms of a partner, a job, friends, money, status etc.

You tend to find that after you come out the other end of suffering from what is essentially grief,  you bounce back and with a harder shell to crack.