Addiction
Causes of Addiction:
Addiction is a very complex disorder and has components of both nature and nurture. In other words, an individual can have a genetic predisposition that makes them more susceptible to developing an addiction, sometimes specifically to one substance, but not always. There are also facets of the brain that are involved in addiction—like the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in judgment and impulsivity—both aspects that are involved in addiction. And then there’s nurture. An individual can be socialized to develop an addiction as well. For example, among college students, vaping is very popular so someone may vape in order to fit in. Vapes contain a large quantity of nicotine and thus, the students that started vaping just to fit in could develop a nicotine addiction.
Anyone can develop an addiction, under the right circumstances. And almost anyone can develop an addiction for most anything. In psychology, the term addiction is defined as, a psychological and physical inability to stop consuming a chemical, drug, activity, or substance, even though it is causing psychological and physical harm. Furthermore, “the term is often used as an equivalent term for substance dependence and is sometimes applied to behavioral disorders, such as sexual, Internet, and gambling addictions. A chemical substance with significant potential for producing dependence is called an “addictive drug” (APA Dictionary of Psychology). Therefore, anything that someone compulsively uses or does to the point that it impedes life function would be considered an addiction.
Addiction:
Not all addiction is the same…
Just like everyone’s mental health is unique, so is everyone’s addiction.
Here are three examples of the many forms of addiction:
Food Addiction:
Food addiction is closely related to eating disorders, but someone can develop a food addiction whereby their brain considers food as almost a type of drug. Due to this possibility, some people literally cannot stop themselves from eating. As is typical addictive behavior, someone with a food addiction will often try to hide what they are eating and may try to restrain themselves from eating, but can’t help it.
Alcohol Addiction:
An alcohol addiction would be more of what one probably thinks of when they hear the word “addiction”. There is even a special word for alcohol addiction—alcoholism (not an official medical term). Alcoholism is especially dangerous because of the culture around drinking, particularly in the United States. In the media and movies, drinking is portrayed as a way to forget one’s problem and deal with grief. It is also portrayed as a way to go have fun at a party, particularly for the high school and college-aged demographics. What often isn’t shown are the negatives of such behavior. Such as getting one’s stomach pumped, developing an alcohol dependency, etc. Not to mention, addictions often change people. Someone who is addicted to a substance such as alcohol are often more easily irritated, more secretive, and their personality and behavior can change from the person they were before their addiction.
Internet Addiction:
Today almost everyone has a computer, cell phone, or some other way to access the internet. For some, they spend the better part of their time on the internet, whether it be online gaming, surfing the web, or performing online business meetings. Having something so big as the internet available to us all the time can be a negative too, however. Some can develop a dependency on the internet and freak out if they are cut off from the internet for any given reason. There are several different reasons why someone might develop an internet addiction. One such reason would be the stimulation. Having access to the internet all the time has made it so people are used to having a large quantity of stimulation all the time and when the stimulation is gone, the individual craves for more stimulation. Online gaming has become a huge issue, especially in Asian countries. In fact, internet gaming was considered as a disorder in this version of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual); however, due to the lack of research, it did not officially make it.
Trauma and Addiction:
Trauma:
Trauma is, “any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough to have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning” (APA Dictionary of Psychology). It is not uncommon for trauma and traumatic events to lead to addiction. This is often referred to as “self-medicating”. For example, after experiencing the trauma of losing a loved one, it is not uncommon for people to try to escape that pain and reality by consuming alcohol. This, in turn, can lead to alcoholism.
Getting help for an Addiction:
There is no one way to get out of an addiction and into recovery. Everyone is different. Luckily, there are countless methods to help people recover from an addiction. For some people, something as small as finding a new hobby or challenge keeps one occupied and not focused on the lack of the substance they crave. Exercise also helps, since exercise can act as an antidepressant and promotes the release of endorphins in the body (Harvard Medical School). If personal remedies such as these aren’t enough, there are self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, etc. as well as rehab centers and addiction treatments that therapists can help an addict with as well.
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357