It’s said that almost 50% of young people use an illegal drug by the time they leave high school. With statistics like this, it’s understandable that there has been a lot of research put into addiction.
But how many addictions are there? And how do you know if you are becoming addicted? And are all addictions treated the same?
If you’re interested in the different types of addictions plaguing the world today, keep reading. We’re discussing some of the less spoken-about ones today.
Types of Addictions
The more we learn about the disease of addiction, the more we realize that it is a complex medical problem. As a result, we’re slowly moving away from seeing addiction as a personal failing and more to understanding how it rather affects the brain.
Most industry professionals have identified two primary types of addiction:
Chemical Addiction: When the user becomes dependent on mind-altering substances, i.e., cocaine, heroin, and meth.
Behavioral Addiction: Repeated and persistent behaviors that the addict keeps doing despite negative consequences
Seeking help is the first step to addiction recovery, and there are several recovery methods available today. Successful approaches include:
- Talk therapy, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- 12 Step programs, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous
- Treatment centers such as Hope Rising Recovery Center
Video Game Addiction
For many, playing video games is a relaxing past-time that we can spend alone or with friends. However, for some, it can generate an unhealthy dependence. It becomes an addiction when the gamer starts neglecting other areas of their life in favor of gaming.
This addiction may seem harmless, but it can have serious real-life consequences like spending crazy amounts on gaming even if they go into debt in the process.
- Ideal Treatment: Talk Therapy like CBT.
Internet Addiction
With an internet addiction, users can waste hours aimlessly scrolling online, and this addiction is expanding thanks to mobile technology like smartphones and tablets.
This addiction can cause problems in the user’s life when they neglect responsibilities in favor of sitting on the internet. Users can also become addicted to comparing themselves to others over social media and start basing their self-worth on views and internet “likes.” This can lead to additional mental health problems like depression and suicide.
- Ideal Treatment: Talk Therapy like CBT.
Porn Addiction
The more access one has to porn can significantly increase the risk of forming a porn addiction. The consequences of this addiction are a loss of reality, a disinterest in real sex, distorted views of attraction and sexual acts, and even erectile dysfunction in men.
Porn addiction affects not only the addict but their partner as well. Unfortunately, porn addicts rarely seek help due to the shame attached to this addiction.
- Ideal Treatment: 12 Step Programs like Porn Addicts Anonymous and Talk Therapy like CBT.
Food Addiction
Food addiction is one of the more complicated addictions to treat. While addicts in recovery can abstain from using substances or watching porn, removing food from one’s daily life is nearly impossible. In addition, food addiction is often enmeshed with emotions. This can make recovery even more difficult as the addict also has to address their dependence on a psychological level.
People who are addicted to food get a release of dopamine whenever they succumb to cravings and often have a distorted self-image, risking their health and wellbeing.
- Ideal Treatment: Treatment centers specializing in eating disorders.
Find a Treatment That Works for You
Every addict is different. Not everyone can go to rehab, and not every treatment method will be successful. The essential thing to remember is to keep trying. Actively working on recovery can be challenging for many addicts, so finding a treatment that suits your needs is critical to succeeding. We encourage anyone who thinks they have an addiction to consider seeking help.
If you’ve found this article on types of addictions informative and interesting, we encourage you to view more just like it in our Health Life Services category.
