New light is being shed on addiction constantly, and all new information is pointing in a similar direction. Where society used to label addicts as incapable people, studies are now showing that addicts tend to be very high functioning people who have wrongfully channeled their energy and focus into a harmful behavior or substance. There is no demographic of society that is free of addiction. It literally strikes every group, denomination, class and socio-economic bracket. One group in particular that is hit hard by addiction are those in technical professions or vocations, such as technicians and engineers. This type of linear thinking individual is susceptible to addiction for a number of reasons.

The commonality between different cases of addiction in high functioning people is that their brains have been found to not produce as much dopamine as the rest of our brains. Dopamine is the neurological chemical produced by pleasure. It has been found that high achievers, thrill seekers and addicts alike have this quality in common. They live in a more extreme way than the rest of us because they have to do more to achieve the rewarding chemical dopamine. Because strong technical minds fit into this category, they are easy candidates for addiction. In some ways, they are more susceptible to addiction because of how left-brained and linear they are. It is not uncommon for a professional such as a technician or engineer to have all of their high-functioning capabilities compartmentalized into their technical skills, leaving their personal lives largely unexamined. When someone does not think cognitively or critically about their emotional life, addiction may have a stronger foothold.

These are all generalizations, but have statistically been found to be true. Technically minded individuals can be prone to serious addiction denial and can require professional assistance in separating themselves from it. The old adage about an engineer never being wrong applies to addiction as well. Technically minded people can be very stubborn in their addiction. If you have a technically minded person in your life who is in denial about their addiction, do not hesitate to seek the services of a professional interventionist or addiction treatment center.