Patrick Carnes once said that ‘Addiction is a relationship, a pathological relationship in which obsession replaces people’. Keeping that in mind, all compulsive behaviours that give pleasure temporarily can have long-term harmful effects in people’s lives. In scientific terms, it is a neural disorder. The addictive behaviours may include but are confined to substance abuse, like alcohol, marijuana, drugs like cocaine, excessive work, or even chocolate etc. compulsive habits like gambling, excessive indulgence in sexual stimulation, shopping, also fall into the category of addiction. In most cases, the addict hardly recognizes their behaviours as abnormal ones and has almost no control over their impulses.
It is difficult to understand why people become addicted to alcohol and drugs. Many people assume that those who are addicted have no intention of leaving the substances.
Unfortunately, addiction has a complex disease that can be difficult to change. For most people, the only way to successfully quit drugs is by going through the steps mentioned above.
Addiction is a compulsive urge that makes a person’s brain want to use and do without any consideration for the consequences.Some people are more prone to becoming addicted than others. Researchers believe this phenomenon is due to various factors such as an individual’s biological functioning, environment, and age.
Other factors such as race, gender, and ethnicity can also affect the development of an individual’s addiction. Being exposed to the harmful effects of drugs can also lead to their downfall.
Overcoming addiction is a major task to take on, but sooner or later, most people who have an addiction decide a change needs to happen. Once the decision is made, most people have a specific goal in mind. It might be to quit entirely, to quit some addictive behaviours or substances (but not all), to reduce the amount of time or money spent on addictive behaviours, or to reduce the harm of addictive behaviour.
For example, many drug users decide to quit heroin or meth but continue to drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes or marijuana. Many heavy drinkers have the goal of just one drink a day, or only drinking socially.Getting clear on your goal before putting it into practice is helpful for success in changing addictive behaviour. Although quitting entirely is the best path to wellness, reducing or eliminating the most harmful substance use is a huge improvement and will greatly reduce the harm caused.
The same is true of behavioural addictions: Anyone who decides to quit eating entirely is putting themselves at serious risk for an eating disorder. But stopping overeating and embracing a healthy diet is a healthy decision to change. Complete abstinence from sex can be another form of sex addiction, known as sexual anorexia, yet developing healthy intimacy after a sex addiction can be greatly fulfilling. And reducing obsessive exercise to healthy levels is likely to improve health and wellness more than quitting exercise entirely.
Making the decision to change, and deciding what that change will look like, is a process that often takes a while. This is known as the contemplation stage because it involves contemplating, or thinking about, whether to change and what the change should involve. Ambitious goals are not always best; it is better to set a goal that you will achieve rather than planning to quit cold turkey and end up relapsing, which can be more dangerous than simply continuing without any changes. Consulting a doctor, addiction counsellor, or psychologist is particularly helpful at this stage, as these professionals can help you understand the risks and what can help alleviate them.