Addiction is now regarded as a major public health problem, and its forms have severe consequences on the health of the individual and to society. There are many people today suffering from addiction, either chemical or behavioral. Drug addiction, alcohol addiction, gambling, are just a few of many addictions. They bring issues, damage, and harm to individuals and society. To understand what addiction really is, we will discuss:
Addiction refers to a wide range of compulsive behaviors. Traditionally, addiction refers to the excessive use of substances, including alcohol, prescription, and illegal drugs, cigarettes, and food. Today, addiction has a wider meaning. It also includes an out-of-control attachment to computers, other technology, the internet, video games, or even texting on cell phones. There is no limit on the age of addicted people. They can become addicted to many activities or stimulations that give them pleasure, and the desire for pleasure is normal to people. Younger people are more vulnerable to addictions.
Repeated exposure to an addictive substance or behavior causes nerve cells in the brain to communicate in a way that couples "liking" something with "wanting" it, in turn driving people to go after it. As addiction develops, it’s common for people to lose their interest in hobbies and other things they once enjoyed. Even when they want to stop using a substance or engaging in a behavior, they might feel like they still need them to feel good about anything.
As addiction takes hold, individuals exhibit certain behaviors. Some of them are:
Today, most experts recognize two types of addiction:
Chemical addiction is an addiction that involves the use of substances. Some of the more common addictive substances include:
Behavioral addiction is an addiction that involves compulsive behaviors. These are persistent, repeated behaviors, that a person carries out, even if they don't offer any real benefit. Behavioral addictions are a set of behaviors that a person becomes dependent on and craves. There are certain actions out there that people have found to be addictive, like gambling, food, shopping, technology, etc. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM), gambling addiction is the only non-substance (behavioral) addiction.
Like most diseases, it takes time for addiction to progress. The following are considered as the stages of addiction using substances:
Initiation is the first stage when people are exposed to a substance for the first time. This stage typically occurs during the teenage years. Many adolescents or teenagers try drugs or alcohol for reasons like curiosity, peer or social pressure, or lack of development in the prefrontal cortex, which manages decision-making and controlling impulses. Once someone has tried alcohol or drugs, they may move along to experimentation or they may stop once their curiosity has been satisfied.
Experimentation with drugs and alcohol can begin within childhood and adolescent years as well as in one’s adult years. People experiment because they may feel pressure from their peers, wants to cope with some negative emotions, like sadness. There are no cravings, and using is a conscious choice. Most people can not imagine and not aware that they can be trapped and become addicted. But, experimentation can turn into regular use, and the risks of becoming out of control are much bigger.
What is regular use? This may vary in the way that someone might use substances daily, while another person might use substances every weekend. And someone is using them only when stressed, sad, or worried. As people become regular users, they begin to display a pattern. Now, these people will begin to show the signs of addiction because the substance becomes more important in their lives, and will interfere with their ability to finish their responsibilities on time, like going to school or to work on time. The consequences that occur as a result of regular substance use can become more severe if the use of substances progresses.
The use becomes problematic if impacts everyday life. Also, it can potentially impact the lives of others. Examples of risky use would be stealing to provide substances or driving under influence of substances. Relationships with other people may be suffering at this point, and behavior is changed.
The dependence stage is the stage when the individual has developed a tolerance to the substance and needs a great amount of it to feel good again. The non-use of the substance for a certain amount of time can induce withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, shaking, sweating, vomiting, and depression. Cravings for the substance, both physical and psychological, are usually intense. There are three steps to developing dependence: tolerance, physical dependence, and physiological dependence.
A substance abuse disorder is a chronic disease. It is slow to develop and of long duration. At this point, individuals cannot function in daily life without the use of the substance. People with addiction may lose their job, drop out of school, and even face much bigger problems. Despite these significant consequences, individuals still abuse their substance despite the consequences that are of a great impact on their lives.
Anyone can become addicted to substances. This is the opinion of many experts. Some substances, like nicotine, are highly addictive. Using them excessively or on a daily basis can lead to addiction. But, in many cases, most people who try substances do not develop an addiction. Some people are more vulnerable to addiction than others. It depends on many factors, called risk factors for addiction. They include both, genetic and environmental factors.
One of the major risk factors for addiction is heredity. In fact, it is known that as much as half of a person’s risk of addiction to alcohol, drugs, or nicotine comes down to genetics. That is why it is common for those with family members who have experienced addiction to turn into addicts themselves. In some cases, they are developing the same addiction, and in some cases, they are developing different addictions, like a person with an alcoholic parent may not consume alcohol at all, but instead, become addicted to gambling or drugs.
Environmental risk factors include:
Addiction is synonymous with substance use disorder, and abuse means the same thing as misuse. But the terms dependence, addiction, and abuse are not interchangeable. In an aim to not misuse these terms, which have a lot in common, let's discuss them a little bit more.
Addiction is classified as a disease. Dependence is a state of being physically dependent on a certain substance. Addiction is rooted in the brain, and dependence occurs when the body as a whole becomes used to the effects of a drug and goes into withdrawal if the person stops using that substance. They often occur at the same time, but a person can be dependent on a substance without being addicted to it.
When some behavior becomes an uncontrollable habit it goes from normal to addictive. When it becomes an addiction, the consequences are negative and harmful. In many cases, the behavior becomes physically and psychologically addictive.
One more term, that needs to be distinguished from addiction is substance misuse. Substance misuse refers to any use of a drug that falls outside of its intended purpose. This can have little to do with addiction, but at some times, substance abuse and misuse can overlap. Abuse is an action and decision to use a harmful substance for a prolonged period of time, whereas addiction is a brain disease characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behaviors despite negative consequences.
Recovering from an addiction isn’t easy. It will take a significant amount of self-discipline and willpower to achieve and maintain long-term sobriety. There are ways to treat addiction, so people can regain control over their life, health, and wellbeing. It is imperative to obtain professional treatment at any stage of addiction, but most important when a substance use disorder has formed. The final stage of addiction often results in overdose, accidents caused by being under the influence, or harm to others.
Treatment of substance addictions usually begins with detoxification. Detoxification (detox) is often the first step in treating individuals recovering from moderate to severe forms of chemical addiction. Getting the person off drugs or sober becomes the first goal of treatment. During detox, drugs or alcohol are flushed out of the body under strict medical supervision. Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous, even potentially deadly.
After an initial detox period, residential treatment is available. Individuals may attend long-term treatment that lasts about six months to a year or a short-term program that usually involves a three to six-week stay at a treatment center, with additional therapy participation in a self-help group when this period ends.
Psychotherapy, family therapy, and medications are very important parts of the treatment of addiction. Behavioral therapy combined with medication is often the best course of treatment.
Behavioral addictions, like gambling, also need treatment. But, because of the uniqueness of behaviors, usually individualized treatment plans are a crucial part of an effective recovery. Psychological counseling is a significant component of behavioral addiction treatment. In some cases, medication may be used to treat behavioral addictions.
When treatments finish successfully, people are usually back to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and community.
