Addiction And Addictive Behaviors, Warning: 7 Danger Signals
Addiction is much larger in scope than dependence on alcohol or drugs.
There are process addictions in in addition to addiction to illegal drugs or alcohol. These addictions are related to compulsive behavior such as shopping, gambling, and disordered eating. When active in addiction, negative consequences can happen to self and others. This raises questions. Do we know what addiction is? How does it start in when? When does a pattern of behavior cross the line into addiction?
It is a mystery why some can use drugs or alcohol and not become addicted, while others cannot avoid it. Those who cannot stop and control their behaviors get addicted, and that is unfortunate. Addiction strikes across all strats of race, culture, and economic status.
There is not a standard addict profile. There is no ‘one type’. Despite a lot of study scientists cannot agree on the causes or cures for addiction. A real hard part of addictive behaviors and addiction to measure is the emotional impact on self and others. It is not uncommon to see addiction being fed by the quest to gain relief from emotional distress. The irony is that using generates more negative emotions that require more relief.
While addiction manifests itself in different people in different ways, here are the most common signs and symptoms of addiction:
Symptom 1 - Unable to meet responsibilities of relationships or at home, school or work.
Symptom 2 - Compulsive preoccupation, meaning one spends a great deal of time thinking about the substance or behavior
Symptom 3 - Has tried but failed to stop using the substance or end the behavior. Things spin out of control.
Symptom 4 - Engages in the behavior or substance use knowing it is dangerous or in dangerous situations such as driving.
Symptom 5 - Because of the addiction, one stops activities or hobbies that were fun or enjoyable.
Symptom 6 - There is a need to increase the amount and frequency of the behavior or substance to achieve the desired felling or affect.
Symptom 7 - Ones life has become centered around the addiction, isolation from others occurs.
Get some help if any of those danger signals are occurring. One thing all researchers and addiction professionals agree on is that addiction is progressive. If you do nothing, the disease will progress toward the worse.
There is more information available here on addiction treatment.
