Skip to content

Types of additions

 

Addictions are considered a disease, unfortunately many people fall prey to this type of behavior. There are many types of addictions , and what they all have in common is that they inhibit the addict’s ability to make consistent decisions about their health and well-being.

Addictions and their consequences

Anyone at some point in their life can become an addict, usually due to the circumstances that surround them. There is a network of factors that make it possible for a person to end up falling into an addiction. The social context, personality, education, socioeconomic level; and even how you learn to manage your emotions are influencing factors.

The person who is addicted seeks satisfaction and well-being through external stimuli such as some substances and behaviors. Although it may develop little by little, the person usually realizes when it is already very difficult to reverse on his own. On many occasions he does not even want to realize it, which makes him fall into addiction in a deeper and more isolated way.

It can be said that this pathology affects and modifies the behavior of the person who is addicted. He suffers from withdrawal syndrome, so when he does not get the stimulus to which he is addicted, any type of behavior is justified to achieve it.

The situation can lead the addict to behave in a violent, aggressive, criminal and unconscious way. So it is common for many conflicts of all kinds to arise, both at a family and social level.

What types of addictions are there?

As we will see, there are different types of addiction . We will analyze what its main characteristics are, and how some types of addiction differ from others.

Chemical or substance addictions

This is one of the most devastating types of addiction. The addicted person is addicted to a substance or chemical compound that generates a state of satisfaction much higher than what he is used to with any other kind of stimulus.

Every time the person turns to this substance or chemical component, they receive a large dose of brain reward . Their brain secretes chemicals, enveloping the individual in an altered state of consciousness.

One of the main problems is when the brain stops producing these substances normally. Usually the addicted person needs more to obtain the sensations with which they have been hooked.

It’s late when you try to stop using

When the person tries to stop using, it is too late. The consequences of having habituated the brain to these stimuli, is translated into different types of symptoms, associated with the withdrawal syndrome .

These stimuli that we are talking about in this type of addiction are not only about illegal substances; but also of products that we can buy in any store or supermarket such as alcohol , caffeine and tobacco . Also those that we can find in pharmacies as anxiolytics , sedatives or hypnotics .

As for illegal substances, there are a large number and variety of all kinds, which are usually present in our society: marijuana, opiates, cocaine, among many others.

Addiction to tobacco

Tobacco addiction is one of the most common and popular, until recently it even had a certain attraction and enjoyed great popularity and sympathy. To this day, after having verified the lethal consequences of nicotine and all the components that are in a cigarette . The laws have put measures to try to reduce its consumption in the vast majority of countries.

However, its consumption is still common today, despite health warnings. Including explicit images in the packs about what smoking can mean.

Why do smokers still smoke?

This is part of what addiction is all about. Tobacco claims millions of lives a year , being one of the leading causes of death from lung cancer.

Alcohol addiction

One of the main problems with alcohol is that it is well accepted by society in general. Most people consume alcohol to a lesser or greater extent, with more or less alcohol. By assuming a form of social interaction in any age group from adolescence , it increases the chances of causing an addiction.

Many people unable to solve their problems take refuge behind alcohol. People of all kinds who consume it under the unawareness of knowing the harmful effects on their health. In addition, this type of addiction does not destroy only the person himself but his entire environment.

The social network of the person addicted to alcohol is seriously affected

The alcoholic needs increasingly higher doses, which unleashes a multitude of devastating consequences for his health. Assuming a great tragedy for his family and loved ones. This type of addiction is also usually accompanied by a considerable increase in social problems and conflicts.

Caffeine addiction

We are usually little aware of this type of addiction. Coffee is something that is consumed daily around the world by most people. Many of us are addicted to caffeine without knowing it or accepting it .

If you are one of those who has to have a coffee when you get out of bed, and if you do not drink it, you spend the day wishing you had taken it, with great discomfort. So it may not be just a routine.

For those who have to drink up to two and three cups of coffee to feel good during the day, they may have a caffeine addiction. Although this type of addiction is mild and does not affect our daily lives like many others .

Fortunately, this type of addiction is not as harmful as that of other substances . Serious consequences can only be experienced when coffee is ingested in large quantities on a daily basis. Abstinence from this substance does not leave serious consequences, neither physical nor social.

Drug addiction

In this section we consider drugs that are illegal in most countries . Steroids, cocaine, marijuana, methadone, opiates, ketamine, etc. They are drugs that, in addition to being illegal, have serious social and health consequences for addicted people.

Each of the addictions to these different drugs has its own symptoms and consequences . Some have a greater impact on health in the short term like heroin, and others in the long term like marijuana or steroids. In all of them, abstinence is difficult to cope with, and in some cases, such as cocaine, the very life of the addicted person is put at risk.

Behavioral addictions

In this type of addiction it is not necessary for the person to be hooked on any type of substance. It really is a behavioral addiction on which it depends, to some type of behavior and conduct, which generates well-being when doing it.

It also develops as a process of addiction, since when trying to stop emitting these behaviors, the withdrawal syndrome occurs , incapacitating the person in the tasks of their daily life.

There are many behavioral addictions, we all know some of them, since we have seen them on television, in the movies and in people from our closest environment.

The treatment for these types of addictions is very different from the addictions we have mentioned above, related to chemistry and substances. Treating behavioral addictions mostly requires psychoeducation, group therapy, and relapse prevention. These are some of the best known and representative behavioral addictions:

Food addiction

In food addiction we find people who have their full refuge in food , eating is how they feel good, even if they later regret it. They eat uncontrollably and express their emotions through their consumption of food.

People addicted to food suffer from eating disorders, leading to diseases such as diabetes or obesity . The type of food they eat is not exactly the healthiest, since it is usually fast food, which contains a lot of fats and sugars.

Gambling addiction (gambling addiction)

This type of behavioral addiction is one of the best known. The consequences of this addiction are above all on a financial level , since the addicted person gambles all his money in slot machines, casinos, gambling games, etc. It gives them great satisfaction to bet their money with the desire to get more.

In any case, they bet it again and again until they lose everything .

The problem is that this money that they put at stake until they lose everything, is the money usually from their salary, or with which they have to be able to eat or take care of their family. The priority is gambling and they are capable of putting anything at risk , gambling even their most valuable personal items and assets.

They are even capable of borrowing to continue their addiction to gambling. The situation affects the addicted person himself and also his entire environment that is affected and completely powerless.

Shopping addiction

A person becomes addicted to shopping when for him it stops being a playful activity and becomes a necessity in itself. Using this behavior to cover some deficiencies , buying to buy in a truly compulsive way.

The consequences of this problem are economic, since regardless of the purchasing power that the person addicted to shopping has, they will give priority to buying all kinds of objects and products, putting it before any other need. The affected person is unable to control his impulses and tendencies that lead him to buy .

Work addiction

This type of addiction, especially in some countries and cultures, is even frowned upon and goes unnoticed. People addicted to work never disconnect from it, no matter where they are, they are always aware of their work. This prevents them from providing quality time for their loved ones , as they are always busy attending to business matters.

This type of addiction usually affects relationships with others , especially with the closest loved ones, and also on the individual’s own health. The stress to which he is exposed every day is high and he hardly takes time to rest.

After considering the types of addictions, reviewing the most characteristic and well-known, we will answer what are the causes behind them.

What are the causes of addictions?

In general, there is usually a great misunderstanding towards people who have fallen into an addiction. This means that they are isolated and neglected. It must be clarified that an addicted person is a sick person, who needs help. Behind addictions there is a great diversity of causes as we will see below .

Emotional causes

People who are not capable of managing their emotions and therefore cannot bear certain emotions, such as sadness or anger; they take refuge in something that generates immediate well-being. Addiction is the stimulus that makes you feel better . These are psychologically fragile people who need help to learn to cope with and manage their emotions.

Social causes

The person may already have an addictive personality. If, in addition, you are in an environment that favors a particular addiction, such as having a group of friends who use drugs. In this sense, the social environment is a facilitator to fall and maintain addiction. On many occasions, what helps the individual in his recovery is to get out of the social environment in which he finds himself.

Genetic causes

As we have said before, there are people who have a greater facility than others to fall into addictions. Genetically there is no specific tendency that makes us fall into a particular addiction, or to certain substances in particular.

However, it is possible that we are more likely to fall into an addiction than other people . Given certain circumstances and adversities addiction may appear, in which other people could appear any other disease or disorder.

 

Website | + posts

Hello Readers, I am Nikki Bella a Psychology student. I have always been concerned about human behavior and the mental processes that lead us to act and think the way we do. My collaboration as an editor in the psychology area of ​​Well Being Pole has allowed me to investigate further and expand my knowledge in the field of mental health; I have also acquired great knowledge about physical health and well-being, two fundamental bases that are directly related and are part of all mental health.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *