Types of addiction

What is addiction?

Addiction is a chronic disease that can destroy lives and breakdown relationships.

Addiction is a chronic condition that compels a person to seeks and use damaging substances or engages in dangerous behaviours, such as using street drugs, overworking, and excessive shopping.

According Gov.uk, between April 2022 and March 2023, 290,635 adults where in contact with drug and alcohol services in the UK to treat their addiction or problematic substance use.

Addiction is a disease and is closely linked to a change in brain function and activity, so often proper clinical intervention is needed to overcome addiction.

Addictions can come in two forms, substance addiction to drugs and alcohol, and behavioural addiction, like shopping compulsion or extreme social media dependence. Behavioural addiction can also be referred as process addiction or impulse control disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms can vary from person to person and depend on the additive substance or behaviour. There are similar symptoms to watch out for you believe you may have an addiction or someone close to you has an addiction.

Common symptoms of an addiction:

• Difficulty in work or school
• Defensive when asked about the substance, alcohol intake, or problematic behaviours.
• Strained relationships or full relationship breakdowns.
• Change in appearance, for example the individual could forget about hygiene whilst addicted.
• Reduction in self-control
• Taking significant risks
• Withdrawing from social interactions

Common substance or alcohol addiction signs:

• Poor hygiene
• Secretive or dishonest behaviour
• Poor behaviour, including violence or frequent frustrations.
• Taking risks

Common behavioural addiction signs:

• Lying to loved ones about spending
• Lying about where they are
• Frequently missing work
• Neglecting responsibilities often
• Escaping problems
• Frequently feeling a compulsion to engage in dangerous behaviour
• Becoming distracted thinking about the addiction.

Addiction to work

In the modern world we live in today, many people feel the need to prioritize work commitments over their personal lives to keep up. Work can feel difficult and mundane for many of us, but for some it acts as an escape and distraction from difficult challenges and satisfies the compulsion to succeed.

Workaholism is an intense compulsion to work around the clock and achieve success within a workplace. Workaholism often stems from an urge to succeed, gain professional status, or as a distraction to escape emotional pressure. This can have serious consequences and come with significant impacts on mental health, such as depression, anxiety, and burnout.

Common symptoms of workaholism

• Staying later than normal
• Coming in earlier than needed
• Obsession over work-related success
• Strong fear of failure at work
• Defensive over work

Other examples of behavioural addictions

• Shopping
• Internet
• Gaming
• Sex
• Overeating
• Social media
• Work
• Television compulsion

Alcohol Addiction

The UK is known for its binge drinking culture and close relationship with the pub. The accessibility and acceptance of alcohol creates the ideal environment for alcohol to become a crutch and slowly turn into an uncontrollable addiction for many in the UK. According to the Mental Health Foundation, in the UK 16.6% of adults reported drinking hazardous levels. Like work addiction, alcohol dependency can originate from wanting to distract themselves from trauma or emotionally charged experiences.

Other addictive substances

• Nicotine
• Alcohol
• Coffee
• Prescription drugs
• Street drugs, such as cocaine or heroin

How are substances addictive?

The Reward system

Addictive substances and behaviours affect the brain’s reward system, pumping dopamine into the brain when the substances enter the body. The reward system is a group of structures that are triggered when an individual experiences something rewarding. This encourages a wide range of feelings and emotions depending on the substance or addictive behaviour, such as relaxation, euphoria, and/or motivation.

Similarly, behavioural addictions encourage high levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain in the same way, giving the effect of a ‘high’ and deepening the dependency further.

Treatments

Most addictions become worse over time if not managed, so it is vital to seek professional advice and support as soon as possible. Understanding what treatment is best for you can be difficult and draining, but with the right help individuals suffering from an addiction condition can make a full recovery.

Anonymous Groups

Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Workaholics Anonymous are there to support individuals who are struggling with addiction challenges. Anonymous groups provide a sense of community and support by bringing fellow addiction survivors and suffers together to discuss shared experiences, strengths, challenges, and provide community, hope, and development.

Mental Health Assessments

Someone with a severe work addiction will need a different level of treatments to someone who is addicted to substances or alcohol. You will be able to gather specific needs and information about the addiction through a mental health assessment provided by a GP. From there the experts will be able to advise a relevant plan to combat the addiction that suits the needs of the dependent.

Rehab treatment

Rehabilitation is the method of undergoing several stages of treatment to support overcoming addiction, often these stages include detox, addiction therapy, and aftercare. The individual may also be offered medicines to help with addictions where withdrawals are dangerous for physical and mental health.

Rehab treatments supports the individual in overcoming withdrawal symptoms, getting through the detoxification stage, introducing counselling, and provides advise on how to manage life without addiction.

Counselling and talking therapies

Counselling offers a professional therapist to discuss issues that are decreasing the quality of life and mental health of an individual. It provides the space to vent any pent-up frustrations, tensions, and allows the individual a safe environment to be open and honest about their addiction.

Counsellors can offer relevant and specific advice to the individual with 1-to-1 meetings and support.

Where to start

If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with an addiction speaking to your GP can be the best first step. They will offer you professional advice and signpost to potentially life-saving literature and tools to support overcoming addiction.