0207 205 2845 0207 205 2845
An addiction is a disorder that causes a physical and mental need to do or take something. It is a dysfunction of the brain’s pleasure and reward system. Dependences are influenced by genetics, mental health and environment.
People with an addiction will continue to take or do what they are addicted to, even when the consequences far outweigh the benefits. Someone with a dependence, physical or psychological, will keep coming back to the well, even to the point where it ruins their life.
It might seem illogical to an outsider or even families and loved ones when an addiction is causing terrible problems, but the person continues. If you see a loved one risking financial ruin, divorce, disease and job loss, you might understand how irrational people can be when they are addicted.
Drug addiction symptoms are not necessarily the same as signs of drug use. Addiction usually brings more severe side effects, and ignoring catastrophic actions and behaviour is one of the main signs of addiction rather than habit.
Alcohol addiction has different characteristics to drug addiction because alcohol is legal. Therefore, it is easier to deny and disguise an alcohol addiction as regular drinking.
Behaviour addictions are not physical, and therefore, indications are more signs than symptoms. Depending on the specific addiction, the symptoms can vary.
The thrill of gambling and the potential future of a big win is a common addiction for those with depression and stress. Signs range from financial to rage and aggression when success is not forthcoming.
A form of sexual addiction that involves excessively watching pornography despite negative, often sexual, consequences.
Defining the two things, personality and addiction can help us understand this often-overused expression.
Personality is defined as a person’s long-term characteristics, including behaviour, interests, beliefs and emotional expression.
An addiction is defined as an uncontrollable need to take a substance or do an activity you are dependent on.
An addictive personality is a label for people who are more prone to becoming addicted to substances or activities than others. It is not a generally agreed-upon idea because while there are many traits and genetic features that increase the likelihood of becoming addicted, studies show this to be far from a reliable indicator.
It is widely accepted in the scientific and medical community that genetics has a role to play in the likelihood of addiction. What is not entirely agreed upon is the influence of the environment and the degree to which it may be skewing the results of genetic factors.
Simply put, children with addicted parents are more likely to live and grow up in a challenging environment, with or away from their genetic families. They are more likely to be exposed in utero to drugs or alcohol and, therefore, suffer health complications.
How much these factors are cause or result of addiction genetics is difficult to gauge. Likely, it is compounded, making it hard to judge whether it is nature or nurture that leads to addictive personalities.
The range of things that can be addictive raises the question: what is it about these things that makes people become addicted?
Under the umbrella of addiction, there are two main categories to help us understand. Physical Addiction and psychological addiction.
These are substances that our body and brain become used to to the extent that if we stop, we have very physical withdrawal symptoms.
For example, people who sedate their system with alcohol for a long time might experience delirium tremens, shaking, hallucinations and seizures. You can expect no such symptoms with a behavioural addiction.
Behaviour addictions such as being obsessively and destructively unable to stop watching pornography, having sex, gambling or playing video games manifest differently. Withdrawal is more psychological, with symptoms such as depression, anxiety, intrusive thoughts and mood swings.
It is worth noting that while behavioural addictions don’t share the same physical withdrawal as drugs or alcohol, 50-70% of people with physical addictions also experience psychological symptoms and withdrawal.
This is one of the reasons that drug and alcohol addiction are two of the most common problems.
When you are enjoying something or someone you love, a thrilling movie or time with people you care about that feel good factor is caused by dopamine. It is a hormone and a neurotransmitter sending positive feeling to your nerves and creating pleasure.
The most addictive drugs cause unnatural levels of dopamine to be released into your nervous system. The reward this creates not only leads you to want more but also makes it harder to create dopamine naturally.
The idea of dopamine is to keep you wanting to do things you enjoy, but artificial dopamine overloads in drugs, alcohol and rewarding activities such as sex, gaming and gambling causes you to become addicted.
Some substances are more addictive than others. It might surprise you to find that tobacco and alcohol are among the top 5 most addictive drugs in the world.
The most addictive drug in the world is heroin, although increasingly rivalled by some synthetic opioids. The increase in dopamine that heroin causes is what makes it so addictive. It can seriously disrupt the pleasure centre of your brain, which causes both physical and psychological withdrawal.
Another dopamine-influencing drug is cocaine. It does not have the sedating effect of opioids, however. It is a stimulant, which makes it highly addictive. Cocaine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world.
It might surprise you that a legal substance is on this list, but it isn’t hard to see that nicotine is highly addictive. Again, dopamine stimulation is the reason it is addictive. It is also so widespread and is the second most common substance after alcohol.
These sedatives are addictive because they cause euphoria but also relax and calm people who take them. Those self-medicating with these may become unable to sleep or relax at all without them.
Recent studies caused a stir by putting a staple in billions of households and across many cultures on this list. The statistics don’t lie, though; alcohol stimulates dopamine and GABA. It may not do so at the same levels as heroin or cocaine, but by replacing both, it causes dependence on pleasure and sedation. Interestingly, it isn’t just addictive but is rated as the most damaging of all drugs in the world.
It can be difficult to tell where the line between misusing something and being addicted is.
Denial is a powerful function of the brain, and it is very common in both addicted people and those who misuse drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography and other addictive substances or experiences.
The main question to ask yourself is if you have control. Without control over your actions, it is likely you are completely addicted.
Trying to stop is the quickest way to tell if you are addicted. If the thought of stopping fills you with fear and dread, it is likely you are addicted.
There will be instances where someone goes from using infrequently to full-blown chronic addiction in the blink of an eye. The occasion it takes someone to go from recreational to everyday use differs on a person-to-person basis.
The first stage of the addiction cycle is known as initiation. This is when someone hasn’t used it yet, but they’ve been introduced to a substance, whether it’s by family, friends, or things in their environment.
In the case of young adults, the younger they are during the initiation phase, the more likely it is that they will live a life of addiction as they continue into their adulthood. The next phase is experimentation.
The person has been exposed to the substance enough to know that they at least want to give it a try. They may experiment with friends to see how it affects them. During the experimentation phase, most don’t realize that using one time can cause them to become addicted to a substance.
After experimentation, someone may begin to use it more consistently, but they still have some control over when and how frequently they use it. They’ve entered into addiction when their use begins to take over their lives and becomes more of a priority than it used to be.
The last stage of the cycle is physical and psychological addiction. This is when using the drug is all someone can think about, and their willingness to do whatever it takes to reach the next high. The side effects of taking drugs are usually put to the back of the mind at this stage.
About Addictive Drugs
What kinds of prescription drugs can you get addicted to:
When you have both a substance abuse problem and a mental illness, it is referred to as a co-occurring disorder.
Depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, schizophrenia or anxiety are all mental health problems that can be difficult to deal with, and some individuals use drugs or alcohol to cope.
Unfortunately, medication with addictive substances can have the opposite effect and worsen mental health symptoms in the long run.
Treatment for your mental health problem may include medication, individual or group counselling, self-help, lifestyle changes, and peer support.
Treatment for your substance abuse may include detoxification, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and support groups to help maintain your sobriety.
As a loved one, dealing with addiction can be both overwhelming and frustrating at the same time, but drug addiction therapy can help.
You don’t want to turn your back on someone who is struggling, but at the same time, one can recognize how detrimental keeping someone struggling with active addiction in your life can be.
If someone you know is an alcoholic or is struggling with addiction, you do what you can to get them the help they need, and if they choose not to enter into treatment, you’ve got to ensure that you’re taking care of yourself as well.
Don’t enable them or provide them with money to continue supporting their habit; all you’re doing at that point is bringing them one step closer to dying.
