What is addiction?
It can be harder than it looks to recognise an addiction in someone. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction can be defined as a chronic disorder that affects the brain’s rewards, memory, and motivation functions. A person with an addiction will desire for a substance or other behavioural habits. An addict often disregards other aspects of life to support their desires.
Generally, an addict can show signs such as, unable to stay away from specific behaviour or substance, lack of control, less socialisation like ignoring relationships, or abandoning commitments, ignoring risk factors, such as sharing needles even with potentially harmful consequences, physical effects, including needing higher dosage for effect or withdrawal symptoms. The intensity of each symptom depends on the length of addiction someone has been going through.
Types of addiction:
Behavioural addictions such as the Internet and mobile phone addictions, are also serious threats to human health and lifestyle. Behavioural addiction is the compulsive, self-destructive, and recurring behaviour to an extent that results in harmful effects on the personal and social life of an individual, as well as the physical and mental health.
Behavioural addictions are as consequential as substance addictions. Both types of addictions result in dependency and have similar adverse effects and negative consequences. Behavioural addiction includes addiction to things like mobile phones, working, shopping, video games, using social media, or others. Regardless, it is essential to understand the warning symptoms and get help if needed.
Internet Gaming:
Addiction to the Internet is a comparatively a new finding, but it doesn’t mean that it’s less dangerous. According to Kimberly Young, Psy D, Clinical Director of the Centre for Internet Addiction, obsessive gaming exactly meets the criteria of addiction. Young said that children may become aggressive, depressed, or angry if parents stop them from playing games and they can cry and refuse to sleep or eat or do anything else!
Mobile phone addiction:
When a person spends more time using a mobile phone than interacting with the real world, or can’t control him or herself from using a mobile phone,it has negative consequences in your life, then it is time to reconsider technology use as the chances are that you are a mobile addict!
Smartphone addiction, also known as nomophobia meaning the fear of being without a smartphone is often geared up by Internet addiction disorder or Internet overuse problem. After all, it is not the tablet of the phone itself that generates the problem but the apps, games, and online world that connect us to.
Shopping Addiction:
Addiction to shopping features excessive money and time spent on shopping, not mentioning the activities and hiding purchases. Shopping addicts feel a high sense of excitement from buying different things. Shopping may also bring on feelings of emptiness, helplessness, depression, anger, and the terrible need to create a sense of control. A person addicted to shopping purchases frivolous stuff and feel extremely guilty about it later!
Difference between passion and addiction:
Our many daily activities and behaviours represent our motivations, aspirations, and passions for growth and improvement. Passion is a measure of a person’s enthusiasm and delight for a highly desirable goal of life that he/she pursues with pleasure and excitement for satisfaction and self-fulfilment.
Moderation and balance are the key components when we talk about a passionate behaviour. The balance disrupts when a person loses control, satisfaction, a sense of fulfilment and joy, but obsessively and uncontrollably continue to engage in that behaviour despite negative effects on physical, mental, social, and financial life, that is termed as addictive behaviour!
Addiction treatment:
We have learned about the various forms of addiction that people can be affected by. They all have one thing in common, and that is that they have harmful consequences for addicts. Addiction is a disease that can be treated with professional help.
In the case of substance addiction, an individual needs to go through a programme of detoxification. Recovery from substance addiction needs an addict to stay away from that substance to maintain their recovery.
In contrast, for behavioural addicts like people addicted to the internet, social media, or an eating disorder, it is not possible to completely stay away from those things for which they have an addiction. They need to know how to manage their behavioral habits to prevent addiction.
Ask yourself now, are you an addict?
*The author is a consultant in Public Relations and Personality Types. Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill
