Addiction

The term addiction is often associated with drug and alcohol addiction. However, addiction has many types; it’s also considered a disease in itself, and it’s a serious disorder that significantly impacts different aspects of life.

Addiction

Addiction is a lifetime health condition that causes persistent and compulsive seeking to take a certain substance or do a certain behavior that has negative and harmful consequences on the person and their health. Addiction is considered a chronic mental disorder that requires a specific treatment.

Types of addiction

There are two main types of addiction:

Substance addiction

Substance addiction includes drugs that cause addiction in addition to other non-medical drugs, and they include:

• Alcohol.
• Cannabis (marijuana).
• Caffeine.
• Nicotine and tobacco.
• Hypnotic, sedative, and anxiety drugs.
• Opioids, such as heroin and codeine.
• Stimulants, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.
• Hallucinogens, such as LSD and PCP.
• Inhalants, such as paint thinners and glue.

Behavioral addiction

Behavioral addiction (non-substance addiction) includes any activity or behavior that negatively affects physical, mental, or social health, such as:

• Internet and mobile or computer use addiction.
• Eating addiction.
• Dieting and exercising addiction.
• Shopping addiction.
• Shoplifting or risky behaviors addiction.
• Gambling addiction.
• Video game addiction.
• Sex and watching pornography addiction.

Causes of addiction

There isn’t a specific cause for addiction because it results from a combination of factors that cause changes in the brain chemistry.

In general, people continuously seek to feel euphoric and happy, and usually this feeling comes from doing normal behaviors, which causes the brain to release dopamine. In case this person couldn’t reach this feeling from normal behaviors, then they tend to abnormal ones that give it to them, and with time, these behaviors change the brain chemistry.

Other causes that lead to addiction are the following:

• Genetics.
• Some mental disorders, such as depression, PTSD, and bipolar disorder.
• Environmental factors, such as adverse childhood experiences, easily reaching addictive substances, and others.

Symptoms of addiction

• Inability to control or stop.
• Increased tolerance, which means the need to increase the substance rate or do the behavior more with time.
• Excessive focusing on the addictive substance or behavior.
• Developing health issues in the addicted person in addition to social problems with the surrounding people.
• Withdrawal symptoms when stopping, such as sweating, shaking, and vomiting.

Treatment of addiction

• Psychotherapy.
• Rehabilitation.
• Medications.
• Support groups.
• Addiction can be prevented or reduced by reaching out for help whenever an addiction symptom manifests in addition to managing stress.