We are habitual beings. Repetitions of behaviors that bring pleasure and efficiencies in our daily function are usual human experience. But at times these bahaviours or use of substances could dominate our lives to a point where it begins to adversely affect our daily functioning and social life.
- What is Addiction?
There are broadly two types of addictions, substance and behavioural. Substance addiction includes alcohol, nicotine, legal and illegal drugs or narcotics. Behavioural addictions include gambling, porn and sex, internet gaming and social media addictions, and other habitual behaviors that adversely affect your daily function or are harmful.
- What are the signs and symptoms?
When some of the following signs and symptoms begin to be noticeable, help should be sought before the very behaviour or substance use becomes entrenched. The substance or behaviour becomes dominant method of lifting your mood. And, that the increased use or behaviour is necessary to maintain the mood or the feeling. The thought of the last or next occurrence dominates your thinking time to the point where you begin to adversely affect your family and social life, work, study and leisure time as well as your sleep. You no longer feel you are in control of yourself over the occurrence. You feel restless, moody and irritable without it. You begin to schedule your life around it.
- What can be done about it?
In order for one to understand addiction, one needs to identify the emotional payoff that the addictive behaviour brings. Addictive behaviour for most part is that it helps us manage our emotional discomfort. Therefore, in order to manage, reduce and master the addictive behaviour we must firstly identify the triggers for our discomfort, and ultimately replace the addiction with healthy behavioural and emotional strategies.