 What Is Addiction? Addiction has been an age-old problem. From the time of our ancestors to the time of new technologies cropping up nowadays, addiction has always been there, but is not fully addressed because it is getting very rampant and very hard to control. But the question still remains: What really is addiction? How do you define it? How does it begin and how do you know if you are already addicted to something? Addiction is a recurring compulsion of some particular substance or activity that keeps on happening any time of the day. It is a dependence on a behavior or a substance that a person feels powerless to stop. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities. Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (for example, alcoholism, drug abuse and smoking); and process addictions (for example, gambling, spending, shopping, eating and sexual activity). In other words, addiction is a term often used to describe someone who is dependent on something. Unlike the past, when addiction was associated mainly with drugs, addiction now includes different forms such as gambling, smoking, drinking, food and even sex. Here are some questions you should ask yourself to determine if you are addicted to a substance or a behavior:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be struggling right now with an addiction problem. The medical community now makes a theoretical differentiation between physical dependency and psychological dependency. But in recent years, medical experts have now bridged the gap between these two differences to come up with the same meaning for addiction. People who are addicted to something have both physical symptoms and they have compulsive behaviors. They act on something without even thinking of the consequences. But with these definitions, let us now narrow down and discuss the two forms of addiction – physical dependency and psychological dependency. Physical dependency means that when a person is addicted to something and then the addictive substance is suddenly withdrawn or discontinued, the person suffers physical pain and discomfort. Although the role of addiction is usually seen as a way to induce pleasure, this is not necessarily so. In fact, one purpose of addiction is to reduce anxiety or panic in a person, and on the physical level, this means avoiding the pain of withdrawal symptoms. One of these examples is nicotine, which is a drug found in cigarettes and some other drugs. Users have reported that they experience extreme pleasure when drawing on a cigarette, which is relative to his or her psychological state. Furthermore, the physical dependency of a person engaged in nicotine use makes it a lot harder for him to quit smoking since the substance itself is quite addictive As for psychological dependency, it leads to various psychological syndromes such as irritability, anxiousness, depression, anorexia and bulimia and others. In this case, addiction can actually be attributed to what is known as the dopaminergic system, or the brain’s ability or lack of ability to produce dopamine, a pleasure-inducing substance. This kind of psychological factor is considered as a way to escape the realities of life, especially in individuals who have psychological, emotional or social dysfunctions. Psychological dependence can involve behaviors such as the overuse of computers, the internet, pornography, gaming and many other types of addictions. There is actually little difference between physical and psychological dependency as far as the results are concerned. The difference lies in the causes and characteristics of each of these two types, and with the types of treatment that are being used for each of them. How Does Addiction Begin? Contrary to what many might think, addiction basically starts in the mind and the emotions that you feel. In life, there are trials and struggles that you have to deal with every day but there are some persons for whom these trials seem to be too much. This kind of person has quite a difficult time in dealing with the negative things that are besetting him. Emotions such as pain, discomfort, depression and anxiety overcome him. This person basically starts out just like any ordinary person – as a normal individual who is not being influenced by anything. When trials and problems come his way, such as fitting in with a group as a child or as a teenager, a confrontation within his family, the loss of a career, the loss of a loved one or even low grades in school, this person is submerged by negative emotions and may feel unloved and unworthy of love. When a person experiences these kinds of discomforts, he feels that it is unendurable and unmanageable. He sees no solution to all of these experiences, and resorts to something that could take away all of these pains forever. And so the influence begins – from his friends, from society, even from the media. From experience and from the usual conversations with people who are influenced by all kinds of things, addiction usually begins with just a look, smell, feel, touch and then a taste – a taste of a “better” life. In other words, it starts out with just being curious. Once a pleasant and blissful feeling overcomes them, then they would like to taste it again, over and over. Until it becomes an “addiction.” This addiction isn’t necessarily focused on drugs, but there are other types of addictions that people fall into in an attempt to take away all of their problems – such as cigarette and liquor addiction, internet and gambling addictions, as well as sex, which has also come to be considered as an addiction under certain circumstances. When this person engages in the addictive substance or behavior, he feels relieved because the pleasure is there –these addictions have finally relieved him of the discomfort he feels. Or have they? Their addictions now become so important to them because they make them feel better. After they have tried it several times, it becomes an addiction and finally they lose their ability to control the use of these substances or the behavior. Addictions, no matter what they are then, result from an excessive or a continuous use of a substance or a behavior to hide or remove the negative emotions that a person feels inside, such as depression, pain, anxiety or panic. And for a person who is suffering all of these struggles and problems, being addicted to something seems to be the real answer – a dangerous answer that could overcome not only a person’s physical well-being, but it could affect his relationships with others, his heart and his personality. Assorted Explanations on Addiction Aside from the ones discussed above which consider the aspects of psychological and physical dependency, there are also several models which scientists have proposed that might explain how addiction begins and why people become hooked. There are models which explain that addictions also have physiological and psycho-social factors. Here are a couple of explanations of why addiction happens.
In this model addiction is considered as an illness, resulting from a disruption of behavioral and neurochemical processes. This disease can be treated by specialists and experts. It is argued that in this case, those suffering from addiction have either a physical or mental illness to some extent. For some, the problem stems from the inability of addictive persons to produce dopamine in their brain, and then seeking to replace this lack by using various substances. Genita Petralli H.H.P., N.C., M.H., says “The home of alcoholism resides in the hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis and only through balancing the functional neuroendocrine system can one naturally feel good inside their own skin again.” For others, the root cause is a mineral deficiency. Linus Pauling said, "You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency" Dr. Joel Wallach has also spoken and written extensively on this subject, affirming that all addictions are a form of Pica, a craving for minerals which leads some people to ingest dirt and other substances. For naturopathic doctor Hulda Clark, the cause of addictions is food contaminated with ergot (a toxic mold) and the ingestion, usually through breathing, of the toxic substance beryllium, which is found in kerosene and coal products. These toxins affect the brain, causing cravings for different substances.
There is also a model which is called the genetic model, which states that there is actually a predisposition to certain types of behaviors and personalities. It is said that addiction is based on heredity and that it basically “runs in the family.” Experts and scientist are still studying this factor but they believe that the family or certain relationships can contribute to addiction, and that they have a lasting influence on the addict.
Stanton Peele devised a model called the experiential model which asserts that addiction is actually related to experiences outside the home, whether it has something to do with positive or negative factors. Aside from that, it also says that addiction can still be outgrown through natural process and is actually temporary.
This model, devised by Richard Soloman, states that if there is a psychological event A, for example, there will follow a psychological event B. An example of this would be if a person is addicted to drugs, the result of this might be withdrawal from his family and from his relationships. The same way, in a simpler illustration, if a person is concerned with being in small, enclosed spaces, that person might refuse to get inside an elevator. This model can also be associated with the color process scheme, in which if a person looks at the color red long enough and then looks at the color gray, he will see green. Other instances of the opponent-process model are those involving the sensory systems such as taste, sight, touch and smell. The opponent-process system might translate the sensory stems into addiction or something habit-forming. A variation of this model, designed by George Koob and Michael LeMoal, is called stability through change, where it modifies the opponent-process model by Richard Soloman. In this model, the continued use of drugs or any substance may lead to other symptoms such as uncontrolled usage, withdrawal, or negative emotions.
In this model, the culture where a person grows up or is transferred to might have a greater impact on addiction. An example would be the case of liquor, which is prohibited in some countries such as Saudi Arabia. This would then reduce the liquor addiction of some people. On the other hand, in the United States of America, gambling addiction has soared to new heights in recent decades, with the influence of some cities which allow gambling. There have also been studies in which liquor addiction gained ground in some families because liquor is prevalent in their households. On the other hand, people who are born into families where liquor is present in moderation may have more resistance to alcoholism.
As the name suggests, this model holds that addiction comes from a defect in the human character. Those who have this type of prototype believe that there is no biological basis for addiction. They can empathize with people who have suffered addiction in their lives but still hold them morally responsible.
Suggested by Thomas Szasz argues against the very theory of “addiction.” He states that the only way to tell the difference between a habit and addiction is “just to make someone perish.”
Proposes a different therapeutic treatment to each and every addiction for each individual and considers that these individuals must be regarded and treated separately. Above are just some proposals and suggestions to why a person gets addicted. Until now, scientists, psychologists and experts are still debating on how addiction begins – whether it is influenced by the family, by the culture or by the environment. They have devoted their time, energy and effort into solving this age-old problem. Conquering addiction starts from the heart and no matter what new technology crops up nowadays, how a person deals with his problems or trials in life makes all the difference. The more negative his perception, the more he will become addicted to something. The more positive, the better he can cope with these problems. |
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