We often associate an addiction as being related to certain substances. You might be addicted to an illegal drug, or perhaps a legal drug like alcohol. You may also be addicted to a harmful activity such as gambling that some people believe is just as addictive as cocaine.

There is evidence to suggest that casino owners make gambling more addictive by tampering with the environment. Or, even controlling the odds. If you win the first round, you’re more likely to play big in the second and then inevitably lose it all in the third. In fact, there’s a fact about gambling that everyone should know. The big winners often lose what they make on the same night because they are “persuaded” not to leave the casino. In Vegas, you are lucky if you even break even. So, yes, gambling is a dangerous addiction.

IMAGE SOURCE: PIXABAY

However, it’s important to realize that addictions do not have to be dangerous. The official definition of addiction is a condition being addicted to a certain substance or activity. There is no mention of that substance or activity being harmful.

Of course, it could be argued that anything in excess is harmful. An example of this might be running. If you run on a regular basis, this can be good for your body. It will keep your body healthy and keep your body fat levels quite low. However, if you run every day for more than two hours, you might be doing more harm than good. You can damage the joints in your legs, making it more likely that you develop arthritis as you age.

Thus, it does seem being addicted to a health activity can ultimately, damage your health. That’s a brutal irony of healthy living.

TYPES OF ADDICTION

IMAGE SOURCE: DEVIANT ART

The truth is that we are all addicted to something. If you don’t think you’re an addict, consider the activity that you love completing the most. Or, the substance that you love taking the most. That might be watching TV, drinking, eating chocolate or weight lifting. Now, consider how often you complete these activities or consume these substances. After that, consider how difficult it would be to stop these activities or to stop taking these substances if you had to. If the answers were “all the time” and “incredibly difficult,” you probably do have an addiction. If you still don’t think you have an addiction, there’s a good chance you’re lying to yourself.

The bad news is that on some level, all addictions are bad for you. You might think that binging Netflix all day is not particularly bad for you. Scientists claim sitting down is just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes every day. So, unless you’re watching Orange Is The New Black while working out, you are putting your health in danger. Of course, we don’t have rehabilitation facilities for TV bingers, but we do for alcoholics and drug users. Why is this?

Firstly, the dangers of drug and alcohol addiction have been known and reported on for some time. Both have harmful effects on the body and the mind. For other addictions, research isn’t quite as clear. As well as this, other addictions aren’t as common. Therefore, while there are dangers from being addicted to other things it’s these big two that you need to worry about. Finally, other addictions are far more socially acceptable. Take caffeine as an example here. A caffeine addiction can be quite dangerous, but it is not taken as seriously as alcohol. That’s why we’re going to be focusing on the big two when finding out whether you have an addiction.

SIGNS YOU ARE ADDICTED TO ALCOHOL OR DRUGS

IMAGE SOURCE: PIXABAY

Let’s look at alcohol first and think what it means to be addicted to this dangerous substance. When assessing whether you have an addiction, most doctors will ask how you drink alcohol. For instance, they may enquire as to whether you are purely a social drinker. By this, they mean that you never drink by yourself or privately.

They may also ask you about how much you drink each week. Most physicians will agree that if you have one glass of wine each night, this does not necessarily make you an alcoholic. It also depends on how much you need that glass of wine or dose of alcohol. To elaborate on this, we can think about mouthwash. Some mouthwash contain small levels of alcohol. Alcoholics can use this small dose to get the fix that they crave. Therefore you could be an addict and not buy any alcoholic drinks at all.  

Most people who drink will not consider themselves an alcoholic. Truth be told, they probably aren’t. The development of an addiction depends on a number of different factors. Genetics may have an impact on addiction levels. If your parent is an alcoholic, there’s a possibility that you might have this addiction as well. Similarly, you may have the genes that mean you are not easily addicted to otherwise addictive substances. This is why some people can take or leave cigarettes while others face severe levels of craving.

However, when considering whether you have an addiction to alcohol, you need to decide whether you can survive without it. If you can easily go one week without any alcohol, you are not addicted.

For drugs, the situation is a little different. This is because there are illegal and legal narcotics. For instance, paracetamol can be bought over the counter. However, if you take too many, you can get addicted to the drug. On the opposite side of the scale, there is marijuana. An illegal drug with very little evidence of addictive traits at all. As such, there are two ways to know whether you are addicted to drugs.

If you are using a legal drug but taking more than recommended, you may have an addiction. Using an illegal drug is always dangerous, but it is not necessarily addictive. It is only addictive if you constantly, find that you need a fix for your craving.

THE NEXT STEP

IMAGE SOURCE: FLICKR

If you have reached this point in the article, you may have realized that you do have an addiction. The question then becomes, what should you do about it? Already, you might have decided that there is no reason to take any official action at all.

This is usually where the idea of a functioning alcoholic or a functioning addict begins to form. Rather than admit you have a problem, you continue on the path that you have already chosen. There are people who believe themselves to be functioning alcoholics. Essentially, this means that they can get through life without their addiction posing a major issue. They do not resort to dangerous and damaging behaviour such as stealing to provide for their addiction.

However, there is a problem with this train of thought. Usually, functioning alcoholics progress into full blown addicts. At that point, they lose their way completely and start to travel down a dangerous road. The addiction takes over their life, destroying relationships and even their career.

You don’t have to let it get to this point. The hardest part is over, and that is admitting that you have a problem. But with drugs and alcohol admitting you are an addict isn’t the end of the fight. Typically, people need trained professionals to help them beat the addiction. This might involve treatment that includes both drugs and therapy. For instance, you can discover Alcohol Recovery Centre online. There you will find all the advice you need on beating addition and getting clean.

Of course, medical treatment can only go so far. If you want to get better, you will also need the support of your friends and your family. You need to admit to them that you have a problem so that they can help you through it in any way possible. Let them be your support as you climb this mountain and find a better, healthier life, on the other side.

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make as an addict is thinking that you need to travel this path alone. You don’t, and if you do this, you might be putting yourself in more danger. When there’s no one with you, helping you, it’s easy to fall back into old habits for support. Don’t make this mistake and instead allow those around you to provide the support you need.

A LIFE WITHOUT ADDICTION

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay

Once you beat your addiction, you will notice how much your life has changed. When you are under the constraints of a harmful addiction, it can be like walking around in a thick fog. You know things aren’t right, but you can’t see them clearly. After you get past your addiction, that fog will lift, and you will see the world as it is. This can be both a positive and negative experience. You will have to find other ways to deal with problems that you have had in your life. But, with a new perspective, you will be ready for these challenges and a new chapter of your world will begin.