What is addiction? Types, symptoms, causes and treatment.

10 min readMar 27, 2020

What is addiction? Types of addiction, symptoms, causes and treatment

Definition of addiction:

Addiction is a physical or psychological inability to stop consuming a substance, drug or pursuing an activity despite harm to physical body and psychology. It pertains a compulsive act, thought or behaviour repeated for the harmful yet gratifying reward. As a person gets addicted to a substance or a behaviour, the brain craves the pleasure from that it again and again. This happens due to the intense stimulation of the reward system in the brain.

Addiction leads to the physical and psychological inability to stop consuming a harmful chemical or drug even if he or she knows about its obvious harm. Addiction can also be behavioural, where a person cannot control his addictive behaviour despite knowing about its detrimental effects. Some of the examples of substance addiction include caffeine, cocaine heroin, and marijuana. Behavioural addiction may include habits like gambling or even eating.

Addiction can also be due to overuse of prescription drugs and cases being reported of drug abuse are increasing every day. A lot of newer studies link addictive behaviour to a various psychological phenomenon like reinforcement and increased stimulation of reward centre in the brain. Addictive behaviour is also known to affect areas of cerebral cortex like a prefrontal cortex that controls a person’s behaviour and motivation. Disruption of neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex can lead to disinhibited behaviour, not uncommon in addicts.

Individuals with addictive behaviours may continue to diverge in their addiction leading to impaired control over their habits. This not only affects their work-life but also relationships. Their social circle is also affected by this disinhibited behaviour, involving daily activities and friendship circles. One of the distinguishing features of an individual with addictive behaviour is that they continue their habits despite physical and psychological harm that is occurring to them and their loved ones.

Effect on the brain:

As mentioned before, addiction usually affects prefrontal cortex which is also involved in the behaviour of an individual, addicted individuals might not even be aware of the effects of addiction on their behaviour or even that they are addicted! With time, tolerance is increased to the effects of their addiction and they indulge in more. This leads to a vicious cycle resulting in the destruction of one’s state of mind.

In order to recover from addiction, an individual needs help from within and outside support too. Some individuals have the power to achieve a positive state of mind on their own and they can battle their addiction without any outside help. Other may require the help of their families and communities to get rid of this destructive behaviour. The road to recovery is not smooth either. Multiple recurrences can come in the way of achieving a normal state of mind. But relapses are part of this journey. The greater the time between relapse, less is the chance to fall into old habits. Research shows that if there has been no relapse for five years or more, one is at the same level of risk of addiction as a general population. On only behaviour, but neurons in the brain also acquire their normal state with recovery.

Addictive behaviour is also linked to mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. There are multiple psychological studies showing an increased prevalence of mental health disorders in addict individuals. These psychological disorders can also be cured once the addiction is controlled.

The science behind addiction:

There is not a single reason that can explain the behaviour of an addicted individual. A lot of misconceptions surround this phenomenon and no definitive reason could be found. Some claim that genetics have a base in a person’s addiction, while other studies claim that a person’s personality can influence his addictive behaviour. An individual’s lack of ability to tolerate stressful situations can predispose to addictive behaviours. Still, there is no definitive personality type that can be said to contribute toward addiction.

Environmental, social and psychological factors, all are the reason behind the start of any substance abuse or a destructive habit that later leads to addiction.

Types of addiction:

Addictions can be classified into two broad categories, mainly Substance abuse or behavioural addictions.

Substance abuse:

Most common addictions are related to the following substance:

Alcohol
Tobacco
Marijuana
Cocaine
Heroin
Prescription drugs

Behavioural addictions:

Behavioural addictions involve:

Kleptomania
Pyromania
Gambling
Eating disorders

Behavioural addictions can also include, working, shopping, exercising, pornography and sexual addictions.

Signs and symptoms of addiction:

There are a number of symptoms that can point towards a person’s addictive behaviour, some of them being:

Use of an addictive substance more than intended.
Inability to cut down the use of a substance or get rid of a particular habit despite having a desire to do so
Addictive behaviour or substance is causing a lot of time to go to waste
Particularly high craving for a habit or a substance
The addictiveness is causing work life to be affected
Homelife and relationships are being affected by addicted behaviour
Inability to continue social appearances due to addictive behaviour resulting in loss of fiend and family
Changing routines due to addictive behaviours and habits that result in a decline in social activities
Physical harm due to addictive behaviours
Being aware of the harmful effects of addiction and the inability to stop the destructive behaviour
Increase the time is given to an addictive habit or increase amount of substance being used due to development of tolerance
The occurrence of symptoms of Withdrawal when addictive behaviour is tried to stop. Common Withdrawal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, tremors, anxiety and irritability
Increase risky behaviour to get hold of the addictive substance or to perform certain habits

Reasons that lead to addiction:

There are no definitive causes of addiction, as a lot of factors governs its possibility. Though, there are risk factors that can cause a person to adopt this type of behaviours and develop an addiction. These factors can be environmental, biological and psychological.

Environmental factors that influence addiction:

Family:

Family and relationships have a vast influence on addictive behaviours. Having stable relationships and being part of an understanding family makes a person emotionally strong and this decreases the risk of adopting addictive behaviours. On the other hand being part of toxic relationships, child abuse, bad parenting, sexual and physical abuse can lead to disinhibited behaviours and indulgence into addictions that can ruin a person’s life. Research also points towards the fact that marriage and children reduces the risk of addiction if they correspond to happy relationships.

Peers:

A person is influenced by the company he or she keeps. Negative social relationships push a person towards destructive behaviours and addiction can be a part of it too. Similarly, positive rewarding relationships can help a person develop healthy habits and refrain from such activities.

Employment:

Financial stability and satisfaction have a positive effect on the mind. These things also help a person develop a mind that can successfully cope with stressful situations and not fall into addictive behaviours. On the other hand, an unstable work environment can lead an individual towards a path of addiction.

Psychological factors that influence addiction:

Personality:

A person with an impulsive personality is more prone to destructive behaviours like an addiction than a person with a calm personality. Impulsiveness also makes it harder to get rid of bad habits with occasional relapses.

Abuse:

History of physical, sexual or psychological abuse can hinder the coping mechanisms of the human brain, this makes an individual susceptible towards habits lie addiction because they cannot handle stress full situation like normal people.

Mental health disorders:

People with a history of mental health problems who are having family members with similar problems are more prone to addictive behaviours than other individuals. These people have difficulty in managing emotions and it leads to negative coping mechanisms including addiction. Some of the common mental health disorders that are said to influence addiction are:

Depression
Anxiety
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Adjustment disorder

Biological factors that influence addiction:

Although there are currently no researches that definitively link addiction to presence or absence of genes, scientists believe that these too have a say in such behaviours, for example, the male gender is known to develop addictive behaviours more often than females.

How to treat addiction:

Any type of addiction is treatable with proper guidance. May it be substance abuse or behavioural. Recovery, however, is a long strenuous process that often has many relapses. Relapses are considered natural in any road to recovery. Effective treatments for addiction require regimens that address management and prevention of these relapses. Success is not an overnight phenomenon therefore any progress in curing addictions is a step along with the positive state of mind. A good treatment regimen focuses on the individual and his surrounding both. Since as discussed above, addiction can have multiple influences, its treatment should also focus on various psychological, environmental or biological factors that are influencing a person’s addiction. A person undergoing treatment for addiction is regularly monitored and his treatment is tailored according to how he is responding towards the regimen. Some of the ways substance abuse and behavioural addiction is cured are:

Medications: these help in reducing the rewarding effects of addictive substances and can also help in curing other associated mental health disorders.

Detoxification: this method is employed if a quick way out of substance abuse is needed. Detox is always done by a medical health professional and in supervised care.

Cognitive behavioural therapy: Cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT requires the help of a therapist who makes the patient understand the thought process and feelings that are influencing his or her addiction. During the course of therapy sessions, the patient learns how to identify and change destructive habits leading to addiction. The patient is also counselled about how to deal with any sudden stressful event. Cognitive behavioural therapy has become increasingly famous for its effectiveness in the counselling of patients dealing with stress and addiction.

Supportive Groups: support groups help individuals with similar issues come together and find common solutions. They also help motivate people. Support groups for addictions are very effective in keeping away from relapses and finding solutions to one's problem without indulging in harmful activities like substance abuse.

Family therapy: people whom addiction has some links towards family problems or abuse can be helped via family therapy, where they can confront their issues instead of finding gateway in drugs or other addictions.

No treatment plan is effective for all the patients. Each person is unique and there may be different reasons behind their addiction. Therefore, a treatment plan should be tailored to a person’s need. Treatment can be in an office, hospital or comforts of one’s home as long as it is getting results and helping the concerned person towards a better, addiction-free life.

What is a good treatment plan for treating addiction?

In a good program, there will be a detailed screening of a person’s psychiatric history and this helps find any hidden causes that led to destructive behaviour. There will be also complete medical screening to find any comorbid conditions, especially mental health disorders that can contribute towards addiction. Medical screening also includes organic diseases that can create stressful situations and make a person’s mind to indulge in destructive behaviours. Involvement of the family has its own benefits, especially if the reasons behind addiction arisen from home. Psychotherapy can help confront hidden feelings and make a person stronger towards facing one’s problems.

A good program will not only help a person get out of addiction but also keep checks for any relapses. If needed, also help a person in time of relapse so that he or she might not fall into old habits. All these programs are to respect the person’s privacy and personal needs.

There shouldn’t be any experimental treatments in an effective program as its failure can result in devastating consequences on a person’s life, who is already facing addiction. Evidence-based treatment options should be selected and the staff that is trusted with the personal treatment should have proper qualifications to do so. Feedback mechanisms in a program help identify how the treatment is helping an individual and which aspects of the treatment need adjustment. If a person is responding to the treatment as expected there is no need for any change.

Natural ways to treat addiction:

Mild to moderate addictions can also be controlled naturally without any outside help. Taking up a new hobby and filling the void that is normally filled by addiction with something help can reduce the craving for the addictive behaviour or substance. This can help a person get control of his own addictions. Similarly starting regular exercise can also help get rid of addictive behaviours. Exercising helps release endorphins which elevate a person’s mood. The better mood is linked to low rates of depression and anxiety and thus lower rates of addictive behaviours.