Introduction
Addiction is a physical and psychological disorder or incapability to stop consuming drugs, chemical, activity, or substance, even though it will eventually lead to mental and physical harm. Addiction does not necessarily mean dependence on substances such as cocaine or any other drug, but it also involves incapability to halt in certain activities such as gambling, working, or eating. Whether the addiction is compulsive use, diminished control, chemical or behavioral, it plays a significant role in the impairment of an individual life. Addiction is a negative word as it is often associated with disorders and negative attributes in its definition and the outlook of any given society.
Types of Addictions
Substance Addiction
This encompasses the addiction to physical substances, particularly the psychoactive ones such as alcohol, prescription drugs. These substances can lead to temporary chemical changes, which lead to dependence, tolerance, and, eventually, addiction; thus, people become dependent on chemicals within the drugs. (Bonhomme et al.,347) This is a repulsive and progressive condition categorized by drug use irrespective of the negative implications. Addiction harms the user's capacity to control or quit substance abuse. The two mechanisms that encourage substance abuse are dependence and tolerance.
A person who has developed these two mechanisms requires an increased amount or dosage to feel the anticipated effect. Always raising the doses and taking them frequently helps to overcome tolerance, therefore, speeding up the development of tolerance of a specific drug. For example, when a person is addicted or dependent on a particular drug, they will need the prescription to feel healthy and will regularly experience withdrawal when the supply of the medication is stopped or reduced. Even though dependence tends to differ from addiction, they always accompany each other.
Behavioral Addiction
This involves a collection of disorders that may include sex, gambling, and gaming addictions. Many professionals argue that behavior addictions should be recognized as they can cause a feeling of rejection, anxiety, shame, and hopelessness. For instance, when an individual reduces or stops a given behavior, they tend to experience lifestyle changes, excessive fatigue, reduced physical activity, and sexual deviations. (Bonhomme et al.,345) Most people engage in several different behavior in any given day, which may contain a set of different significances or consequences. People tend to make selections on the practices to engage in, relatively with the intent of improving an individual experience.
For instance, when a person is hungry one may decide to get a snack that will not satisfy his or her hunger but will give him or her the energy to continue with a day's activities as compared to a person with food addiction, who may choose to eat even when not hungry by consuming copious amounts of junk foods, when the behavior develops to be impulsive and contributes to the development of a range of mental and physical problems that becomes difficult to stop. Thus, becoming an addiction.
Effects of Addiction on the Brain or Mind
Addiction impacts the brain such that when chemical compound makes their way in the brain through the bloodstream, it causes people to crave a harmful substance or lose their impulse control. When a person develops an addiction the causes the brain to crave substances, this is due to the powerful reward system of the brain. Addiction tends to have consequences on the brain as long term abuse of drugs and substances can lead to severe brain damage and, eventually, death. (Satel et al.,141). As a consequence of addiction, the brain encourages drug addiction; therefore, keeping an individual in a cycle of highs and lows, thus feeling depressed and desperation.
Beyond the effect of addiction on the brain substances, it also affects the body. The impact addiction has on a body may lead to health complications such as liver failure, some types of cancers, and heart disease, to mention a few. Addiction affects not only the internal organs but also the physical appearance of a person by altering a person's nails, hair, and teeth.
Habit Changes to Addiction
People have actions, decisions, and behaviors that they make every day. Which is mostly driven by their habit and, most likely, their subconscious. For example, when one does not take coffee but can do without it, that tends to be a habit. Addiction occurs when behavior becomes compulsive and constantly repetitive despite its negative consequences and is often associated with a change in brain function and structure. Therefore, once a person becomes addicted, the substance becomes of more importance to the brain, thus leading to craving. For example, when one is unable to go without a cup of coffee, this changes from a habit to an addiction
Conclusion
In my definition, addiction is the act of dependence on different substances or activities that one is so found on doing or undertaking, and therefore living without having to engage with them becomes very difficult. For a person who is an addict, he or she has to engage in different activities so maximize their satisfaction.
