Addiction And Its Types

Before we go into the depth of types of addiction, we first need to understand what addiction exactly is.

What Is Addiction?

Addiction is a biological, psychological, and physical inability of the body to stop the intake of drugs, chemicals, or any substance or engaging in any activity even though it is causing physical, social, or psychological harm to oneself and others.

Addiction can be of anything. It can be an addiction to drugs, alcohol, chocolates, gambling, or maybe just using the cell phone constantly. Addiction can bind a person to his desires and cause repercussions ranging from minor to severe, like withdrawal symptoms if they try to give it up.

Common Addictions

Some of the most common types of addiction are-

• Alcohol
• Sex
• Internet
• Smoking
• Shopping
• Work
• Gambling
• Video Game
• Food
• Drug (like opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, etcetera)

The usage of these drugs causes long-term effects on the brain after the period of intense pleasure just after consumption. These drugs cause euphoria, a state of happiness, increased alertness, calm, and other heightened sense of emotions. After the period of intoxication is passed, there is a craving to take the substance repeatedly, which ultimately leads the body to become addicted to the substance.

Due to the continuous abuse of substances, the body starts building tolerance towards the substance. So, the addict now needs more amount of the drug to feel the same effect earlier he was receiving from a lesser quantity.

Types Of Addiction

Addiction is broadly categorized into two main categories-

1. Chemical addiction-

This type of addiction mainly involves the compulsion of substance abuse. It is primarily defined as a chronic and potentially fatal, and threatening brain disease that results in loss of control, denial, and relapse. Chemical addiction goes through four stages: experimentation, regular use and abuse, dependency and tolerance, and addiction.

2. Behavioural addiction

It involves compulsive, repeated, and persistent behaviors that, when carried out, don’t help the person. The most common example of behavioral addiction is gambling or sexual addiction, which means the addiction of engaging in sexual intercourse. One of the most recent behavioral addiction which is rapidly gaining popularity is the internet gaming disorder.

Addiction causes a dent in the life of not only the addict but also in the life of the people who are related to the addict in any way.

Common Symptoms Of Addiction

1. A craving so intense that the addict cannot think rationally and not make decisions.
2. Getting restless if they don’t get the substance they are abusing.
3. Substance abuse also causes financial problems in the lives of many addicts.
4. Also, these people become social threats because sometimes they drive under the influence of drugs or pick up fights, etc.
5. This also causes worsening between the addict and his family members as the addicts tend to lash out at the people nearby or have foul behavior.
6. Decreased concentration in work.
7. Leaving the activities, you enjoyed doing.
8. Not able to leave the addiction despite trying.

The human brain is complex in nature, and substance abuse causes it to behave in ways we can’t comprehend. This causes giving up the addiction even more difficult. People start having withdrawal symptoms when they try to give up their addictions.

Common Withdrawal Symptoms

1. Anxiety
2. Restlessness
3. Nausea
4. Irritability
5. Loss of appetite
6. Tremors with shaking
7. Vomiting
8. Sometimes in cases of extreme addiction, the situation can become fatal due to withdrawal symptoms.

Treatment Of Substance Abuse Addiction

1. The first step is always recognizing and then accepting that you have a problem. Acceptance is something that troubles a lot of addicts because they cannot accept the fact that they are addicted to abusing some substance.
2. Talk to friends and family. They can be your rock at all times. They can help you stay positive and motivated at all times.
3. Seek out the help of medical professionals. They can tell you what the level of your addiction is and what you need to do to get rid of the addiction.
4. Attend counseling sessions. Meeting people who had similar problems and how did they overcome them.
5. Take medications on time. Regular usage of medications will help you to cope up with the withdrawal symptoms.
6. Lastly, stay motivated, and you can win the battle if you have the will to give up the addiction and stay away from all the negativity and all those things which trigger you and take you towards the addiction.

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