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What are the most surprising types of addiction1? This article will highlight all the aspects of addiction and its types.
Have you heard someone joke about being addicted to chocolates? Such jokes might be funny, but addiction is actually a thing to worry about.
Signs of addiction include – obsessive thoughts, feeling like you can not stop, and continuing to use or do that – substance or behaviour despite having negative consequences.
1. What Is Addiction?
Addiction is an epidemic globally, whether it is drugs, gambling, alcohol, food, or even shopping addiction which can probably destroy careers, families even individuals.
2. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs?
Sometimes a person starts using a substance or behaviour to fit in. Other times, it is to ease the pain from a traumatic experience or mental health issues.2
It also has to do with how the brain works. When you do something that feels good or exciting, like eating ice cream, the feeling of pleasure enters your brain, and “feels good” chemicals are released.
This same pleasure pathway is activated when you consume drugs or Alcohol. Over time, the paths in your brain get used to handling these things in your life, which can be hard to stop.
3. Different Types of Addictions
3.1. Substance Addiction
Let’s consider drugs. Drugs are a substance. There are a bunch of different drugs and substances that people use. Some of the most common addictions include alcohol addiction and tobacco. But also, there is a range of other ones, including cannabis, and opioids, that includes things like heroin and things like Stimulants.3
However, the commonly used substance is caffeine. Addiction to such chemicals can lead to both physical issues as well as psychological issues.
3.1.1. Side Effects
Injecting or digesting substances like alcohol and drugs can directly impact your body. In fact, alcohol consumption can cause liver failures and disorders over a period of time. If the substance in our body exists after prolonged use, we may experience withdrawal symptoms, behaviour, or addiction.
3.2. Gambling Addiction
Gambling addiction is a terrible problem that someone can have, Gambling addiction is a dangerous addiction, and this type of addiction also leads to behavioural issues4. Many people struggle to get rid of this situation.
According to the data, it is estimated that this addiction type has led to severe problems as it also affects some parts of the brain, similar to drug addiction. Which also leads to mental health issues.
3.2.1. Treatment
The treatment of gambling addiction 5is similar to the treatment of drugs and other substances. It requires therapy which will eventually decrease the addiction.
3.3. Sex Addiction
Sex addiction is also considered under some behavioural addictions. For example, sex addiction is an obsessive addiction where a person craves sex very often. Many types of treatments are included in this addiction.
3.3.1. Symptoms
The fifth edition of sexual behaviour consists of a statistical manual of mental health disorders and diagnostics. These fall under the subheading of the condition of hyper-sexual behaviour. Losing control is one of the prominent symptoms of this type of addiction.
3.4. Internet Addiction
Human beings nowadays are dwelling in a wined and materialistic world. And, internet addiction has been a drastic and severe problem for many of the young generations nowadays. But somehow, psychiatrists and psychologists do not consider this internet addiction as an actual or real addiction.
3.4.1. Side Effects
The main side effect that arises in the case of internet addiction is the loss of control over anything. It also has some negative impacts on life. It is estimated that approximately 7.15 per cent of the people in this world are addicted to the Internet.
This type of addiction harms the mental health of the young generation nowadays. If the internet has benefits, it too has many effects. At a young age starts living in a world of fantasy, and their mind is occupied with wrong ideas that many people post on social media.
3.5. Shopping Addiction
Shopping addiction involves behavioural addiction, where people seem to be obsessed with shopping. This mainly includes clothes and shoes. Shopping addiction is considered to be an impulse control disorder. Women are more shopaholics or shopping addicts than men.
3.5.1. Treatment
Treatment included for shopping-addicted people is counselling and behavioural therapy.6
But there is a significant problem. This type of addiction is not only harmful but can also affect one financially. This has become a drastic problem from both sides – personally and economically.
3.6. Video Game Addiction
Video game addiction is very common and dangerous in young children, especially boys and men worldwide. It is also estimated that about 8 to 19 years are out of control lately.
After that, video games seem to be more realistic than fantasy.
3.6.1. Treatment
Many medical treatments are offered to teenagers and adults who are addicted to video games or other types of gaming kinds of stuff. Counselling sessions and therapy can treat behavioural addiction. In fact, You can decrease all types of addictions with the help of therapy.
3.7. Food Addiction
Food addictions are considered to be eating disorders. Food addiction or food disorder is a huge problem that affects many people. About 3 per cent of adults in the United States are affected by this disorder.
3.7.1. Symptoms
Many symptoms are included in this list of food addiction or food disorders, such as over-eating food alone. Also, to ease emotion for eating and eventually feeling guilty after an overdose of food.
However, the main reason for food addiction or food disorder is still unknown to us. Yet, it is believed that food addiction or food disorder may be linked to depression more than addiction.
3.8. Plastic Surgery Addiction
Plastic surgery addiction is a rare addition to people all over the world also in a reward system. Nowadays, people are on their way to desperately improving their old version of a face or any other part of the body, which they are not satisfied with.
People do this surgery to look more beautiful than they were in the past eventually. Some people attempt plastic surgery to be mentally well and satisfied with themselves.
Sometimes, people attempt plastic surgery repeatedly, which leads them to go through various types of medical cures or medications. This kind of person mainly prefers BDD or Body Dysmorphic Disorder to a cosmic surgery addiction.
3.8.1. Side Effect
According to the International Foundation, about 2 to 3 per cent worldwide go under BDD or body dysmorphic disorder. People who are addicted to plastic surgery basically seem to suffer from cancer.
They then eventually die after going through various plastic surgeries or this type of addiction throughout their body.
3.9. Risky Behavior Addiction
Risky behaviour addiction is especially addiction to those searching or who have already developed a love for thrilling adventures.
For example, everyday things are surfing, sky diving or rock climbing. These people are often set up for more dangerous activities or challenging adventures. They basically want excitement in their life.
3.9.1. Risks
People suffering from this addiction or are drastically addicted to risky behaviour and habits release some chemicals from their brains. This is very similar to those addicted to drugs and alcohol. They also show many risky habits compared to those addicted to risky behaviours.
3.10. Process Addiction
Process addiction is a kind of chronic addiction that makes a person high in emotion or emotionally high. Process addiction is classified into compulsive and addictive behaviours, which make a person detrimental to his or her well-being.
In process addiction, a person is not directly addicted to any substance abuse, or the person is affected by any substance use disorder kinds of stuff. They behave or share the same thing with that of a person addicted to alcohol or drugs because of the release of some chemicals.
While in process behaviour, a person cannot stop themselves from being in a sudden kind of behaviour. The person may also recover from process behaviour addiction which may also show an adverse outcome.
If you ever feel you cannot stop doing something or overcome something addiction, do not worry or panic because you are not alone.
3.10.1. How To Overcome
With the help of counsellors, and guidance, you can begin to work on your brain’s expected behaviour. You can bring your brain back from being hijacked.
It will take time for your brain to come into new pathways. But there is always a way to get back to everyday things, which would make your life easier. You can be expected and get rid of this behavioural addiction disorder with the help of treatments.
4. In The End
The treatments and therapy for all types of addiction are not similar. There is a therapy known as CBT or cognitive behavioural therapy, which is helpful to get rid of behavioural addictions.
The SSRI antidepressants also have some benefits for addressing addictive behaviours, so there is nothing to worry about, and you can get back on track and start your life with peace again.
It is always advisable to take suggestions from a qualified psychologist for the types of addictions. They are the best people to ask for help.
5. FAQs
Q1. What Is the Most Severe Form of Addiction?
Heroin ranks #1 as the most addictive substance in the world. 2.5 out of 3 points in Nat skill level. This powerful opiate has an alarming rate of addiction, with 1 in 4 people addicted to Heroin.
Q2. What Are the Modern Addictions?
Psychiatrists have only recently begun to recognize the mood-altering effects of some Internet use. Mainly from pornography, gambling, games and blogs. Anything that changes how we feel can become addictive if we don’t like how others feel.
Q3. What Is a Harmful Addiction?
If drug use makes the agent more compulsive, it is a drug. Thus, harmful behaviour is defined as the widening of the gap between what a person chooses before the experiment and what he chooses to do.
- Jazaeri, Seyed Amir, and Mohammad Hussain Bin Habil. “Reviewing two types of addiction− pathological gambling and substance use.” Indian journal of psychological medicine 34.1 (2012): 5-11. ↩︎
- Iarovici, Doris. Mental health issues and the university student. JHU Press, 2014. ↩︎
- Andersen, Susan L. “Stimulants and the developing brain.” Trends in pharmacological sciences 26.5 (2005): 237-243. ↩︎
- Hämäläinen, Raimo P. “Behavioural issues in environmental modelling–The missing perspective.” Environmental Modelling & Software 73 (2015): 244-253. ↩︎
- Yip, Sarah W., and Marc N. Potenza. “Treatment of gambling disorders.” Current treatment options in psychiatry 1 (2014): 189-203. ↩︎
- Jannini, E. A., A. Lenzi, and G. Wagner. “Behavioural therapy and counselling.” Andrology for the Clinician. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2006. 598-607. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
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