If you know a technician, engineer or another technically minded individual who is struggling with addiction, help is available, but you should consider carefully where to turn. It is common for rehab programs and addiction counselors to specialize in certain types of clients, for example, doctors, lawyers, CEOs or actors. Believe it or not, there are treatment programs that specialize in people with technically minded professions. This exists because people from common backgrounds tend to approach problem solving in similar ways. Technically minded people approach addiction recovery in different ways than people of other vocations and backgrounds. Therefore, it is beneficial to technically minded people and addiction treatment professionals to offer recovery programs geared toward the way they think.

The psychological treatment that takes place in a rehabilitation center is the most effective part of the treatment. There is an initial detoxification period for those who were abusing a substance, and this is essential to the person’s health, but the psychological treatment will leave the most lasting impression. This is the portion that is best when tailored to specific mindsets. Technically minded people can be more resistant to addiction treatment than others because they are used to thinking of themselves as having everything under control. They do not entertain their emotional faculties much and are therefore not used to thinking about their behavior or their thought patterns. This can make for a tough case to crack, but with specialists, counselors and facilitators who are familiar with the workings of the technical mind, the likelihood of success is increased.

Moving from addiction into recovery is challenging for anyone, and everyone needs support while going through it. Technically minded people are not used to being vulnerable and influenced by outside forces, and for this reason, in some ways they need even sturdier support than the average person. There is addiction treatment for technically minded individuals available through out North America. Engineers and technicians can find services in locations that have a strong work force in their field, such as Texas rehab centers and Fort McMurray addiction treatment. If you or someone you care about is a technical professional who is battling addiction, seek the type of treatment that will work with who you are as a person.

Addiction is universal, striking every demographic on the planet equally. There are certain types of people in certain vocations who would seem to be more prone to addiction than others. One of these groups of people is technical thinkers, such as technicians and engineers. There have been studies and inquiries into why this personality profile may be more prone to addiction than others, even if just slightly. The consensus is that there are certain tenants of a technically mind that lead to addiction, such as:

• The extreme intellect of a technical mind looks for ways to relieve boredom. Because a technically minded person, such as a technician or engineer, makes short work of any linear task or problem solving, they often run into situations where they are bored and seeking mental stimulation. This can lead to experimenting with addictive substances and behaviors that even an intelligent person can find themselves craving uncontrollably.
• Technically minded people are intelligent but still vulnerable. Certain parts of their brain are highly developed, but typically, other parts are undeveloped and somewhat “wet behind the ears,” which makes them susceptible to addiction despite their frequent perception of themselves as infallibly logical.
•  It is very common for a technically minded person to be a bit stunted when it comes to emotional reasoning. Their technical brain is overdeveloped and their emotional faculties are undeveloped. This can be problematic for a technically minded person who is addicted, because they do not navigate changes to their thinking or their behavior well. They are used to having everything under control, and are unequipped to deal with being out of control.
• Technically minded people are prone to having inhibited dopamine production, meaning the chemical in their brain that indicates pleasure is produced in short supply. This may simply be due to how overdeveloped their unemotional faculties are. This often means that when they encounter something that gives them immense pleasure, such as an addictive substance or activity, they overuse it to a fault and become addicted.

Engineers and technicians are quintessential examples of the technical mind. Their professions depend on the highest form of technical reasoning, which is the ability to foresee, execute and troubleshoot technical processes smoothly and efficiently. They are high achieving, problem solving, linear thinking personalities who serve an important purpose in our society. They are also typically people who do not value emotional reasoning very highly and can be prone to boredom, rigidity and emotional dysfunction.

Technicians and engineers are high achieving. Because their thought patterns are so linear and non-circular, they are high functioning when it comes to productivity and can make short work of things that would take other people much longer. This efficiency and speed in task completion makes them a very valuable asset to the work force.

They are also natural problem solvers when it comes to matters that are technical. Even the smallest of technical functions and operations stand out to them in a way they do not stand out to people of other talents. They are intuitive with machinery and technology, and are able to manipulate it without much effort.

These talented individuals tend to have some quirks and some detriments that go along with their abilities. Probably the worst of these is their stunted emotional faculties. Because they are so linear thinking, they tend to view linear, technical reasoning as logical and emotional, circular reasoning as illogical, despite the fact that mental health experts and psychologists recognize the need for both faculties to be functioning in order to achieve true logic. Because of this, technicians and engineers, as well as other technical professionals, can become emotionally stunted and unavailable. They often become incapable of change, seeing their way of thinking as the only acceptable way.

Technical minds can also be prone to boredom. Because they are so often only willing to follow a linear train of thought, they can be somewhat limited in scope in other ways. Their boredom can also get them into trouble as they become highly experimental in order to entertain themselves.