Treatment Centers

What is addiction?  We hear the word addiction used rather liberally these days.  Is this because we have come to  better understand that addiction is real, or is it a sign that we still do not take addiction seriously – joking that we are addicted to a TV show or chocolate ice cream.

Addiction is a very serious matter, and while some might scoff at terms such as shopping addiction or sex addiction, these are very real problems that lead to the destruction of finances and families.  Not everyone who displays bad behavior has an addiction, but there are some identifying features that indicate addiction is indeed present.

1. Compulsive nature of the behavior: the person feels compelled to participate in the activity, and usually to a degree that other people find extreme – this could be drinking too much, taking too many prescription opiates, incurring huge amounts of shopping or gambling debt, or acting our sexually with hundreds or thousands of partners.

2. Unable to stop on their own for any length of time:  with an addiction, there are usually pretty negative consequences.  Relationships end, money runs low, you end up in jail on a DUI maybe.  Yet, even with these clearly unwanted consequences, the addict can rarely stop the behavior on their own for more than a short period of time. The alcoholic might white-knuckle it for a few weeks, or the shopper might freeze their credit cards in a block of ice, but at some point, the addiction rears its head.

3. Cravings: these are obvious symptoms in alcohol and drug addiction – there are withdrawal symptoms and physical cravings for the substance of choice. The body becomes conditioned to the substance and rebels when it’s stopped. It can be dangerous, even fatal, to stop some substances too abruptly.  For this reason, medically supervised detox is advised for alcohol and drug addiction.  With other addictions, such as gambling or sex, the cravings are more related to the original driving motivation for the behavior, and that often has to do with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. The compulsive behavior kicks into high gear certain brain chemicals that make a person feel “high” or for some, just “normal.”  The craving to feel that again compels them to recreate the situations that made them feel good in the past.  That could be standing at the craps table or getting bags full of new shoes at expensive boutiques.

4. Despair:  For most with full-blown addictions, the behavior might give them immediate relief, but it is usually followed by a feeling of despair or depression.  There is often deep regret as they question why they cannot stop drinking, or gambling, or doing cocaine.  They feel despondent because they made promises to family members – promises they believed at the time they would keep.

5.  Increasingly Negative Consequences:  Because addiction is progressive, the consequences tend to get much worse over time.  The early alcoholic might wake up with a bad hangover, but as the addiction progresses, they start to get DUIs or show up to work in bad shape. Maybe a significant other threatens to leave at some point, and if the disease progresses, they do eventually follow through on that threat.  The compulsive shopper may have to stop answering the phone because they can’t deal with one more debt collector. The compulsive sex addict may end up with a sexually transmitted disease.  The gambler may alienate his children when he gambles away the college fund.

In the end, a true addiction is not that difficult to spot. The problem tends to be denial on the part of the addict, and often their loved ones.  By dismissing addictive behavior as something less serious – just bad behavior or weak will – you risk not getting to the root of the problem.  Addiction requires treatment.