An Outlook On Addiction

You know understand that there is a problem. The behavior is turning compulsive and taking control over other aspects of life. It may be your life, or a friend’s, but now you can see it. At this time, you know it’s time to start calling the shots again. Maybe the addiction turned out to be a surprise, but no matter how the person got there, there is a way out. In this post, we are exploring how to break the bad habits-turned ugly.

Battling a dependency is a hard task, but it can be accomplished successfully. Addiction is no joke, and any kind of it can take a huge toll on your life, or even ruin it. Therefore, if you are yourself or know someone who is struggling, make an effort to help that person. There is always something you can do, so don’t let the addiction discourage you. The best support is always offered by the family members or close ones of the affected person. However, if circumstances are getting rather dire, it is wise to consult a medical professional.

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What Is An Addiction?

An addiction is a disorder where a person continues to engage in a certain behavior, such as alcohol or drug consumption, despite the known negative consequences and is unable to stop doing so even if willing. An addicted person can’t go through their day without thinking about or carrying out the pursuit. The bulk of common and medically recognized addictions are these two:

Drug Dependency

A drug dependency is a condition when an individual is craving a certain chemical substance, sometimes medical or illegally made. A more recent naming is “Substance Use Disorder”, which merges the previous similar conditions “drug abuse” and “drug dependency”. Using the drugs despite the social and other life repercussions, ignoring the negative health effects, and being incapable of stopping abuse are all clear signs of a disorder.

Over time, the human body will adapt to the abused chemical and start to suffer. The person may develop multiple medical diseases, both acute and chronic. Without administering a dose in time, the person will start suffering painful and dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Because of this, it is even harder to get rid of the addiction. As the condition progresses, the individual will require higher and potentially lethal doses to satisfy the craving.

Alcohol Addiction

Also known as alcoholism, this condition may affect anyone who partakes in the consumption of alcohol. This substance is still considered a drug but belongs to a separate category because alcohol is legal in most countries, unlike most other chemical substances. Its cultural acceptance and the absence of a direct punishment by law do not make it any less threatening. The person dependant on alcohol does not differ from a person dependant on cocaine, from a medical standpoint. Both are life-threatening and dangerous conditions. The disorders cause real changes in brain chemistry, altering the judging ability of the afflicted person, so they may no longer be in control of their actions.

Here are some manifestations of these two maladies:

  1. A constantly growing required amount of the drug, or a rapidly rising prevalence of use
  2. An excessive tolerance towards the substance, such as the ability to drink way more than a normal person or to use an elevated dosage.
  3. Engaging in the activity at an inappropriate occasion, such as right when you wake up, or in locations such as a place of worship or your job office.
  4. Constantly looking for opportunities to consume the desired substance, and avoiding all other circumstances when you are unable to do so.

While the most well-known addictions were a burden on societies for centuries, some are emerging only recently because of human technological advancement. For example, an article published on the Japanese website izonfree.com describes the extent of the internet obsession as an unhealthy addiction. Because the nation is so technologically immersed, we are now seeing the consequences of constant computer and gadget usage.

this Japanese website izonfree.com lays out perfectly how such a seemingly harmless thing as the internet can become the subject of your unhealthy obsessions.

How To Break The Cycle

It is named the cycle, because the addiction is an ongoing condition, that the person may wish to cease, but fails in trying to do so. He may promise himself that it’s over, but in a while repeats the activity again and again. Because dependency is a serious medical disorder, and one that’s very hard to manage alone, it is always best to seek help from the outside. There are trained experts who have all the tools and skills to help the person recover. Here are the signs you or the person should make a visit as soon as possible.