by Addiction. It's got to be one of the heaviest chains we can wear. Addictions can be expensive, damaging, cause us to do irrational things for what we're addicted to or money to get it, and so much more.
Helpful Links:
https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/withdrawal.htm (Drug & Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms)
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline (SAMHSA Website and Helpline)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323465.php (What is Addiction?)
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/behavioral-addictions (Process/Behavioral/Non-Drug Addictions)
https://www.mentalhelp.net/addiction/vs-behavioral-addictions/ (Are Behavioral Addictions the Same as Drug Addictions?)
General Information
Addiction is an affliction of variance. This can effect so many different people of any ethnic background, at virtually any age, as well as include a wide range of culprits (what you're addicted to). Addiction isn't always cigarettes, street drugs or alcohol. Addiction can be food, pornography, computer/cell phone usage, video games, sex, and gambling, etc. Regardless of what you're addicted to, the same mechanism drives it: the reward system in your brain. When you do the activity you're addicted to, your brain releases pleasure chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and the likes, and along with that, artificial chemicals that are chemically addictive have a mechanism of their own to cause addiction. With artificial drugs, the brain gets used to the chemical it's receiving, often requiring more and more of it to obtain the desired effect (also known as building a tolerance to the drug). If you were to stop using a chemically addictive drug suddenly, after you've become addicted to it, your brain's attempted to re-stabilize the chemicals in it is going to go haywire. When your brain has been thrown out of balance and is no longer receiving what it changed and adapted to, your body will go into a sort of shock, the severity of that depending on the type and strength of the drug(s) you were using. These are called withdrawals. Some withdrawals are mild, like nicotine and certain medications, and some are very severe or even dangerous to go through without a physician's supervision, such as narcotics, opiates, or amphetamines. There are still withdrawal effects for activities and such that are not chemically addictive, although these are mostly behavioral, and can sometimes be substituted with similar but less dangerous behaviors or things.
Addiction is more likely to occur in people with a greater access to addictive substances, objects, or behaviors, people who have been raised in environments where this coping mechanism was part of the usual or accepted way of life, or there was other exposure to it, pre-existing mental illnesses that cause a vulnerability like psychotic disorders, anxiety, depression, etc. and usually in lower socioeconomic households and/or areas.
Symptoms
(These are generally pretty self-explanatory.)
-Unable to function normally on a daily basis without using/doing
-Withdrawal symptoms when substance/activity is stopped suddenly
Withdrawal Symptoms
(These vary depending on what you're addicted to)
-irritability (anything)
-sweating (drugs, alcohol)
-seizures (hard drugs like opiates)
-unable to sleep (most things)
-anxiety, depression or worsening of that (anything)
-muscle pain (drugs)
-dilated pupils (hard drugs)
-restlessness (drugs and some other things)
-racing thoughts (drug)
-nausea/vomiting/stomach cramps (drugs, such as opiates)
-shaking, trembling (drugs)
-crying/agitation (anything)
-clammy skin (drugs)
-feeling cold (drugs)
-loss/gain of appetite (drugs and food)
-paranoia (many things, but mostly drugs)
-delirium (drugs)
-hallucinations (drugs)
Effects
The effects of addiction can sometimes be life-long. There are people who have quit their addictions but have relapsed once or more than once, must avoid the thing they used to be addicted to, lest they crave it and perhaps relapse, etc. A lot of people will always struggle with the substance/activity after recovering from the addiction to it.
The effects that being addicted to something can have in your daily life are more so than you can usually perceive at the time. There's usually a hindsight effect associated with the effects of addiction. The effects include, but are not limited to: negatively impacted social life with family and friends, financial instability, mood and behavioral changes, social isolation, spending excessive time devoted to dealing with the addiction, poor school and work performance, legal consequences due to possession of an illegal substance or behavioral issues caused by it, time spent in dangerous places and situations, loss of home stability, homelessness, prostitution (in severe cases), brain trauma, different types of cancers, heart-attack, stroke, seizures, fainted, low/high blood pressure and glucose levels, liver and renal (kidney) damage, possibly resulting in failure, damage to the stomach lining, mouth, and esophagus, organ failure, hallucinations, delusions, undesired sexual interactions, eye-strain, obesity, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, loss of emotional range, no longer being able to feel joy or pleasure in daily activities, insomnia.
Tips & Strategies
-Don't start or continue taking something that you know is addictive unless you have to (otherwise prescribed by a physician).
-Practice mindful consumption and activity.
-Learn to value a life free of addiction.
-Understand what a chain an addiction is and how it's caused. It's a heavy burden that nobody wants. Don't assume it can't happen to you.
-If you want to stop, do so slowly, weaning yourself off.
-Don't be afraid to be honest with your family and friends if they are not abusive.
-Know your value as a human being.
-Don't value something to the degree that it becomes habitual.
-Know your limits.
Seeking Professional Help
If you think that you have an issue with addiction you should seek professional psychological help for an accurate diagnosis. This website is not intended to diagnose or treat any mental illnesses! It is merely here for advice and as a communication platform for those who want to discuss their issues and other things.
If you do choose to see a professional, expect the first meeting to be informative, where they gather information about your general health, history, and demographic information. Then, they will discuss a treatment plan with you, which may include different types of therapies, group therapy, and/or medication. You will have different options most of the time for the route that you will take into recovery, and your therapist and other doctors can help you establish what would be the best one for you in particular. No two cases of addiction are alike, thus everyone requires individualized treatment.
Helpful Links:
https://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/withdrawal.htm (Drug & Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms)
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline (SAMHSA Website and Helpline)
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323465.php (What is Addiction?)
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/behavioral-addictions (Process/Behavioral/Non-Drug Addictions)
https://www.mentalhelp.net/addiction/vs-behavioral-addictions/ (Are Behavioral Addictions the Same as Drug Addictions?)
General Information
Addiction is an affliction of variance. This can effect so many different people of any ethnic background, at virtually any age, as well as include a wide range of culprits (what you're addicted to). Addiction isn't always cigarettes, street drugs or alcohol. Addiction can be food, pornography, computer/cell phone usage, video games, sex, and gambling, etc. Regardless of what you're addicted to, the same mechanism drives it: the reward system in your brain. When you do the activity you're addicted to, your brain releases pleasure chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and the likes, and along with that, artificial chemicals that are chemically addictive have a mechanism of their own to cause addiction. With artificial drugs, the brain gets used to the chemical it's receiving, often requiring more and more of it to obtain the desired effect (also known as building a tolerance to the drug). If you were to stop using a chemically addictive drug suddenly, after you've become addicted to it, your brain's attempted to re-stabilize the chemicals in it is going to go haywire. When your brain has been thrown out of balance and is no longer receiving what it changed and adapted to, your body will go into a sort of shock, the severity of that depending on the type and strength of the drug(s) you were using. These are called withdrawals. Some withdrawals are mild, like nicotine and certain medications, and some are very severe or even dangerous to go through without a physician's supervision, such as narcotics, opiates, or amphetamines. There are still withdrawal effects for activities and such that are not chemically addictive, although these are mostly behavioral, and can sometimes be substituted with similar but less dangerous behaviors or things.
Addiction is more likely to occur in people with a greater access to addictive substances, objects, or behaviors, people who have been raised in environments where this coping mechanism was part of the usual or accepted way of life, or there was other exposure to it, pre-existing mental illnesses that cause a vulnerability like psychotic disorders, anxiety, depression, etc. and usually in lower socioeconomic households and/or areas.
Symptoms
(These are generally pretty self-explanatory.)
-Unable to function normally on a daily basis without using/doing
-Withdrawal symptoms when substance/activity is stopped suddenly
Withdrawal Symptoms
(These vary depending on what you're addicted to)
-irritability (anything)
-sweating (drugs, alcohol)
-seizures (hard drugs like opiates)
-unable to sleep (most things)
-anxiety, depression or worsening of that (anything)
-muscle pain (drugs)
-dilated pupils (hard drugs)
-restlessness (drugs and some other things)
-racing thoughts (drug)
-nausea/vomiting/stomach cramps (drugs, such as opiates)
-shaking, trembling (drugs)
-crying/agitation (anything)
-clammy skin (drugs)
-feeling cold (drugs)
-loss/gain of appetite (drugs and food)
-paranoia (many things, but mostly drugs)
-delirium (drugs)
-hallucinations (drugs)
Effects
The effects of addiction can sometimes be life-long. There are people who have quit their addictions but have relapsed once or more than once, must avoid the thing they used to be addicted to, lest they crave it and perhaps relapse, etc. A lot of people will always struggle with the substance/activity after recovering from the addiction to it.
The effects that being addicted to something can have in your daily life are more so than you can usually perceive at the time. There's usually a hindsight effect associated with the effects of addiction. The effects include, but are not limited to: negatively impacted social life with family and friends, financial instability, mood and behavioral changes, social isolation, spending excessive time devoted to dealing with the addiction, poor school and work performance, legal consequences due to possession of an illegal substance or behavioral issues caused by it, time spent in dangerous places and situations, loss of home stability, homelessness, prostitution (in severe cases), brain trauma, different types of cancers, heart-attack, stroke, seizures, fainted, low/high blood pressure and glucose levels, liver and renal (kidney) damage, possibly resulting in failure, damage to the stomach lining, mouth, and esophagus, organ failure, hallucinations, delusions, undesired sexual interactions, eye-strain, obesity, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, loss of emotional range, no longer being able to feel joy or pleasure in daily activities, insomnia.
Tips & Strategies
-Don't start or continue taking something that you know is addictive unless you have to (otherwise prescribed by a physician).
-Practice mindful consumption and activity.
-Learn to value a life free of addiction.
-Understand what a chain an addiction is and how it's caused. It's a heavy burden that nobody wants. Don't assume it can't happen to you.
-If you want to stop, do so slowly, weaning yourself off.
-Don't be afraid to be honest with your family and friends if they are not abusive.
-Know your value as a human being.
-Don't value something to the degree that it becomes habitual.
-Know your limits.
Seeking Professional Help
If you think that you have an issue with addiction you should seek professional psychological help for an accurate diagnosis. This website is not intended to diagnose or treat any mental illnesses! It is merely here for advice and as a communication platform for those who want to discuss their issues and other things.
If you do choose to see a professional, expect the first meeting to be informative, where they gather information about your general health, history, and demographic information. Then, they will discuss a treatment plan with you, which may include different types of therapies, group therapy, and/or medication. You will have different options most of the time for the route that you will take into recovery, and your therapist and other doctors can help you establish what would be the best one for you in particular. No two cases of addiction are alike, thus everyone requires individualized treatment.
