When the urge arises, how intense does it feel — how hard is it to think about anything else?

Overwhelming — nearly impossible to ignore

Strong enough to disrupt my focus or plans

Noticeable but manageable with brief redirection

Mild — easy to notice and move on

Think about where and when the urge to engage actually shows up. Which of these best describes your pattern?

I'm not picky about it — pretty much any place, mood, or moment can set it off

There are quite a few situations — several places, moods, or times of day — that reliably set it off

A couple of specific situations set it off, but it's fairly limited beyond that

It's really tied to just one specific situation — outside of that, the urge barely registers

When you resist the urge, how long does the craving typically persist before it fades on its own?

Hours — or it fades and returns repeatedly

Usually 20–30 minutes before it fades

Within minutes — it passes quickly

Think about the amount it takes for you to feel the effect these days. Which sounds like you?

Honestly, I can handle a lot now — it takes a serious amount before I really feel anything

I need noticeably more than I used to for it to do much

I need a bit more than when I started, but not dramatically so

It really doesn't take much — even a small amount still does the job

How has your level of involvement in this behaviour changed over the past year?

Escalating substantially and continuing upward

Increased noticeably over the year

Are you aware of needing to push the behaviour further — more, longer, or more intensely — to get a result that once came easily?

Clearly yes — what was plenty now barely registers

Yes — I regularly find I need more

A slight sense that more is needed sometimes

No — the same amount still works fine

How often have you tried to reduce or stop the behaviour, only to return to the same or higher levels?

Repeated attempts have consistently failed

Several attempts — I usually slip back

Tried once or twice; managed with effort

Haven't needed to try, or it works when I do

How often do you engage in the behaviour for longer, or in greater amounts, than you originally intended when you started?

Almost always — my intentions rarely match what happens

Frequently — going beyond my plan is the norm

Occasionally, but not a pattern

Rarely — I generally follow through on my intentions

When you decide in the moment to resist the urge, how often do you actually succeed?

Almost never — the impulse almost always wins

Rarely — resistance usually breaks down

How much does going without the behaviour affect your mood or emotional state?

Significant — I feel meaningfully worse without it

Noticeable low mood, anxiety, or restlessness

Mildly flat or irritable for a day or so

When you go without the behaviour, how often do you notice physical signs — such as poor sleep, tension, restlessness, or appetite changes?

Consistent and sometimes strong physical signals that drive me back

Noticeable physical discomfort on most stopping occasions

Mild and brief physical discomfort

When you feel a bit off after stopping, how does 'fixing' that feeling usually work for you?

I trust myself to know what I need — going back to it reliably and quickly sorts out how I feel

Going back to it reliably eases the discomfort, though it takes a little while

It eases things somewhat, but the connection isn't that strong

There isn't really a consistent fix — stopping doesn't leave me chasing anything in particular

How much has this behaviour affected your key relationships — with a partner, family, friends, or colleagues?

Significant — important relationships have been damaged or lost

Noticeable strain — people close to me have been affected

None — relationships are unchanged

How much has this behaviour affected your physical or mental health — sleep, mood, energy, or physical wellbeing?

Clear and significant effects on my health that concern me

Noticeable effects — sleep, mood, energy, or physical health

Minor effects I have noticed but not acted on

Think about the total footprint this behaviour has on your day — doing it, recovering from it, thinking about it. Which comes closest?

It's a big part of my day — but that's because when I care about something I go all-in, not halfway

It takes up more of my day than I'd like, and displaces other things

It takes a noticeable chunk of my day, but I can still fit everything else in

It's a small, fairly forgettable part of my day

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Reading Your Behavioural Hold Pattern

Your Behavioural Patterns Reflection

Reading Your Behavioural Hold Pattern

A 20-scenario self-report that groups your selected answer points across five editorial dimensions. It is not a validated measure of an underlying trait.

20 questions5 groups4 forced choicesno neutral option

Topic context from the cited source; it does not validate this questionnaire or its score thresholds.

— Vafaie & Kober (2022)

What your answers coverCraving IntensityHow often and how strongly urges to engage take hold of you.Tolerance SignalsNeeding more of the behaviour over time to get the same effect.Control MarkersHow reliably you can stop once you've started or as you planned.Withdrawal SensitivityHow much discomfort you feel, physically or emotionally, when you stop.Life-Domain ImpactHow much the behaviour is spilling into your work, relationships, and health.

Addiction Patterns Check: Which Behaviours Have the Strongest Hold on You?

Twenty forced-choice scenarios are summed into editorial answer-score bands; the result does not diagnose or measure an underlying trait.

~8-10 min · Item answers and results stay on this device · Share links and invite cards carry no scores

Answer for what actually happened recently, not your strongest day — honesty here is progress, not failure.

A structured self-reflection — not a diagnostic.

This assessment is a structured self-reflection tool and educational resource — it is not a validated diagnostic and is not a substitute for clinical evaluation. Every dimension insight references peer-reviewed literature for educational context only. If you have concerns about your health, consult a qualified professional. Self-report instruments of this kind have no validated retest interval; the four-to-six-week Second Reading is a sensible practice, not a clinical standard.

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Addiction Patterns Check: Which Behaviours Have the Strongest Hold on You?

This literature-informed structured self-reflection adds up what you select about craving intensity, tolerance signals, loss-of-control markers, withdrawal sensitivity, and life-domain impact. It does not describe addiction or any other condition — only a qualified professional can do that.

Interactive scoring requires JavaScript. You can still read every question and answer option below.

How often do you notice a strong urge or pull to engage in the behaviour — whether using a substance, scrolling, gambling, eating, or something else?
- Multiple times a day — almost constant
- Most days, and it takes real effort to resist
- A few times a week, mild and manageable
- Rarely — the urge is easy to set aside
When the urge arises, how intense does it feel — how hard is it to think about anything else?
- Overwhelming — nearly impossible to ignore
- Strong enough to disrupt my focus or plans
- Noticeable but manageable with brief redirection
- Mild — easy to notice and move on
Think about where and when the urge to engage actually shows up. Which of these best describes your pattern?
- I'm not picky about it — pretty much any place, mood, or moment can set it off
- There are quite a few situations — several places, moods, or times of day — that reliably set it off
- A couple of specific situations set it off, but it's fairly limited beyond that
- It's really tied to just one specific situation — outside of that, the urge barely registers
When you resist the urge, how long does the craving typically persist before it fades on its own?
- Hours — or it fades and returns repeatedly
- Often an hour or more
- Usually 20–30 minutes before it fades
- Within minutes — it passes quickly
Compared to when you started, how much of the behaviour or substance do you now need to achieve a similar effect?
- Much more — the original amount has little effect now
- Noticeably more — the original amount feels insufficient
- Slightly more than at the start
- About the same amount or less
Think about the amount it takes for you to feel the effect these days. Which sounds like you?
- Honestly, I can handle a lot now — it takes a serious amount before I really feel anything
- I need noticeably more than I used to for it to do much
- I need a bit more than when I started, but not dramatically so
- It really doesn't take much — even a small amount still does the job
How has your level of involvement in this behaviour changed over the past year?
- Escalating substantially and continuing upward
- Increased noticeably over the year
- Increased a little
- Stayed steady or decreased
Are you aware of needing to push the behaviour further — more, longer, or more intensely — to get a result that once came easily?
- Clearly yes — what was plenty now barely registers
- Yes — I regularly find I need more
- A slight sense that more is needed sometimes
- No — the same amount still works fine
When you start engaging in the behaviour, how do you typically handle the question of when to stop?
- I don't set a fixed stopping point — I'd rather stay flexible and stop whenever it feels right in the moment
- I plan to stop at some point, but in practice I usually go longer than intended
- I generally set a point in advance, though I go a bit over some of the time
- I set a specific stopping point in advance and stick to it almost every time
How often have you tried to reduce or stop the behaviour, only to return to the same or higher levels?
- Repeated attempts have consistently failed
- Several attempts — I usually slip back
- Tried once or twice; managed with effort
- Haven't needed to try, or it works when I do
How often do you engage in the behaviour for longer, or in greater amounts, than you originally intended when you started?
- Almost always — my intentions rarely match what happens
- Frequently — going beyond my plan is the norm
- Occasionally, but not a pattern
- Rarely — I generally follow through on my intentions
When you decide in the moment to resist the urge, how often do you actually succeed?
- Almost never — the impulse almost always wins
- Rarely — resistance usually breaks down
- About half the time
- Most of the time
When you go without the behaviour for a day or more, how do you typically feel?
- Significantly distressed — physically or emotionally uncomfortable
- Noticeably agitated, anxious, or uncomfortable
- Mildly on edge or irritable for a short while
- Normal — no particular discomfort
How much does going without the behaviour affect your mood or emotional state?
- Significant — I feel meaningfully worse without it
- Noticeable low mood, anxiety, or restlessness
- Mildly flat or irritable for a day or so
- Little to no change
When you go without the behaviour, how often do you notice physical signs — such as poor sleep, tension, restlessness, or appetite changes?
- Consistent and sometimes strong physical signals that drive me back
- Noticeable physical discomfort on most stopping occasions
- Mild and brief physical discomfort
- Rarely or never
When you feel a bit off after stopping, how does 'fixing' that feeling usually work for you?
- I trust myself to know what I need — going back to it reliably and quickly sorts out how I feel
- Going back to it reliably eases the discomfort, though it takes a little while
- It eases things somewhat, but the connection isn't that strong
- There isn't really a consistent fix — stopping doesn't leave me chasing anything in particular
How much has this behaviour affected your performance, reliability, or output at work, study, or key responsibilities?
- Significantly — it has meaningfully damaged my productivity or standing
- Noticeably — I have missed things or underperformed repeatedly
- Mildly — occasional dips but nothing sustained
- Not at all — performance is unaffected
How much has this behaviour affected your key relationships — with a partner, family, friends, or colleagues?
- Significant — important relationships have been damaged or lost
- Noticeable strain — people close to me have been affected
- Mild tension occasionally
- None — relationships are unchanged
How much has this behaviour affected your physical or mental health — sleep, mood, energy, or physical wellbeing?
- Clear and significant effects on my health that concern me
- Noticeable effects — sleep, mood, energy, or physical health
- Minor effects I have noticed but not acted on
- No noticeable impact
Think about the total footprint this behaviour has on your day — doing it, recovering from it, thinking about it. Which comes closest?
- It's a big part of my day — but that's because when I care about something I go all-in, not halfway
- It takes up more of my day than I'd like, and displaces other things
- It takes a noticeable chunk of my day, but I can still fit everything else in
- It's a small, fairly forgettable part of my day

Appendix · Method & evidence Habits · Case file

How this instrument works

This is a 20-item structured self-assessment of your behavioural hold pattern, read across 5 dimensions: Craving Intensity; Tolerance Signals; Control Markers; Withdrawal Sensitivity; and Life-Domain Impact. Each item is a concrete scenario with four forced-choice responses — no neutral midpoint, so every answer commits to a direction — and response order is shuffled on every run to vary position; this implementation has not been tested for bias reduction. 5 of the 20 items are reverse-keyed — the attractive-sounding response is the structurally weak one — with wording intended to challenge socially desirable framing; this design has not been tested for bias reduction.

Scoring combines an overall reading with a per-dimension profile. Cascade flags compare configured dimension totals with editorial thresholds. They do not establish a compound risk and may not reflect the item-level pattern. The result bands are editorial guidance, not clinical thresholds: they organise the reading, they do not describe.

Every dimension insight cites peer-reviewed literature, and most answer reveals do — 5 sources back this instrument, each with DOI metadata supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. Compiled by the High Performance Culture editorial team. Instrument v1.1 · August 2026.

Read the full assessment methodology →

Items: 20
Dimensions: 5
Format: Forced choice, 4 options
Sources: 5
Instrument: v1.1 · August 2026

The 5 editorial answer groups

Craving Intensity

Strength here looks like noticing urges briefly and moving on without significant disruption, with few situational triggers producing a persistent pull.

The vulnerable pattern: frequent, intense urges that are reliably triggered by everyday situations and linger long enough to compete with other priorities.

Sample itemHow often do you notice a strong urge or pull to engage in the behaviour — whether using a substance, scrolling, gambling, eating, or something else?

First structural move: When an urge arises, name it, give it a time estimate, and observe it without acting — labelling and waiting interrupts the automatic pull and returns the choice to you.

Go deeperDeep dive: The reward prediction error math →Glossary: Craving →Glossary: Dopamine pathway →

Tolerance Signals

Strength here looks like needing roughly the same amount as when you started, with a sustained sense of reward and no noticeable escalation trajectory.

The vulnerable pattern: needing progressively more to achieve the same effect, with diminishing pleasure alongside persistent urges — the wanting and liking systems diverging.

Sample itemCompared to when you started, how much of the behaviour or substance do you now need to achieve a similar effect?

First structural move: Compare your current level to where you started, not just to yesterday. A clear upward trajectory over months is the most informative signal — and gives you an honest baseline to work from.

Go deeperGlossary: Tolerance →Glossary: Reward prediction error →

Control Markers

Strength here looks like generally stopping when you intend to and not needing repeated attempts to cut back, with deliberate resistance working reliably most of the time.

The vulnerable pattern: regularly going beyond what you planned despite advance intentions, and returning to the same or higher levels after multiple genuine attempts to cut back.

Sample itemWhen you start engaging in the behaviour, how do you typically handle the question of when to stop?

First structural move: Set limits before you begin, not in the moment — and use external commitments (timer, environment change, another person) rather than in-the-moment willpower, which is less reliable once the pull is active.

Go deeperProtocol: The Discipline Protocol →Glossary: Self-control →Glossary: Ego depletion →

Withdrawal Sensitivity

Strength here looks like little or no noticeable discomfort when stopping, with mood and physical state largely unchanged by the absence of the behaviour.

The vulnerable pattern: noticeable physical or emotional discomfort when stopping, consistent relief on return, and the behaviour increasingly functioning as a relief mechanism rather than a source of pleasure.

Sample itemWhen you go without the behaviour for a day or more, how do you typically feel?

First structural move: Log what you notice when you stop — irritability, restlessness, sleep disruption, mood dip. Naming the pattern is the first step. If discomfort is strong or if you use a substance, speak to your GP before making abrupt changes.

Go deeperProtocol: The Breaking Addiction Protocol →Glossary: Withdrawal syndrome →

Life-Domain Impact

Strength here looks like the behaviour causing little or no disruption to work, relationships, health, or the amount of time and attention available for other valued activities.

The vulnerable pattern: repeated performance dips, relational strain, health effects, and significant time displacement — the behaviour having expanded into domains that matter and that you would not willingly sacrifice.

Sample itemHow much has this behaviour affected your performance, reliability, or output at work, study, or key responsibilities?

First structural move: Name the one domain most affected and make one concrete, small protective action this week — a recovered commitment, a conversation, a health habit — as early evidence to yourself that change is possible.

Go deeperDeep dive: The psychology of self-sabotage →Glossary: Attention economy →

Questions, answered

Is this a diagnosis?

No. This assessment is a structured self-reflection tool, not a validated clinical instrument. Its result bands are editorial guidance, not clinical thresholds — they organise your answers into a readable profile; they do not describe a condition. If you have concerns about your health or wellbeing, speak to a qualified professional.

How were the questions designed?

Each of the 20 items presents a concrete scenario with four graded responses and no neutral midpoint, so every answer commits to a lean. Items were authored against the peer-reviewed literature listed in the evidence file on this page, and citation metadata is supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. Response order is shuffled on every run to vary position; this implementation has not been tested for bias reduction.

What happens to my answers?

Assessment answers stay on this device. Unfinished progress expires after 30 days. A completed profile and optional comparison history remain until you delete local assessment data or clear browser data. If you opt into email, your email address is sent; item answers are not. If you share a result link, total and dimension scores are included in the URL and may appear in browser, server, CDN, or analytics logs.

How often should I retake it?

The instrument keeps your previous reading and sets the two side by side when you retake — the Second Reading. There is no validated retest interval; repeat only if a raw answer-point comparison would be useful, and do not treat it as confirmed underlying change.

Why bands instead of percentiles?

Because this assessment does not collect a population score set, there is no reader population to rank you against — and we will not invent one. The 5-dimension profile groups selected answer points for editorial display; it is not a validated structural or decision-utility model.

Where does the evidence come from?

Every dimension insight cites peer-reviewed research, and most answer reveals do — 5 sources stand behind this instrument, each with DOI metadata supplied at build time; source relevance and claim interpretation remain editorial judgments. A few reveals are straightforward editorial reasoning from the same evidence base and carry no citation by design. The full list, with DOIs, is in the evidence file below.

The evidence file

5 peer-reviewed sources stand behind this instrument's items and insights.

Volkow et al. (2016) — Neurobiologic Advances from the Brain Disease Model of Addiction. New England Journal of Medicine. DOI: 10.1056/nejmra1511480 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Robinson & Berridge (2008) — The incentive sensitization theory of addiction: some current issues. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0093 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Sayette (2016) — The Role of Craving in Substance Use Disorders: Theoretical and Methodological Issues. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-021815-093351 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Vafaie & Kober (2022) — Association of Drug Cues and Craving With Drug Use and Relapse. JAMA Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.1240 ✓ Crossref‑verified
Koob (2021) — Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development. Pharmacological Reviews. DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.120.000083 ✓ Crossref‑verified

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Reading Your Behavioural Hold Pattern

Reading Your Behavioural Hold Pattern

Addiction Patterns Check: Which Behaviours Have the Strongest Hold on You?

Answers that stood out on their own

Your answers

How this instrument works