Addictive Behaviors
Common Characteristics of Addictive
Behaviors
According to W.R. Miller, in The Addictive Behaviors, an
individual can become dependent, addicted, or compulsively
obsessed with any activity, substance, object, or behavior that
gives him or her pleasure. What are addictive behaviors? There
are similarities between physical addiction to alcohol and
other chemicals, and a psychological dependence that occurs
with such activities as compulsive gambling, sex, and eating
disorders.
Many individuals with addictive disorders report a blackout
for the time they were engaging in the behavior and don’t
remember how much or what they bought, etc. Endorphins
are released in the brain during an addicting activity and a
feeling of well-being and euphoria results, which can lead to
some people getting into an addictive cycle.
The behaviors of the addicted person may progress into
negative health and/or social consequences because the person
becomes obsessed and will seek out the substance or activity at
the detriment of work or interpersonal relationships. He or she
will compulsively engage in the activity even if there is no
desire to do so, when not engaging in the activity withdrawal
symptoms will often occur, like irritability, craving, and
restlessness.
The individual may not feel that a problem exists because of
the addictive
behaviors, and deny that it is affecting them
and their livelihood, even when confronted by concerned friends
and family members. He or she may feel that it’s just a bad
habit, they have total control of the situation, and that they
can control how often they engage in the behavior, which is in
direct opposition of the term compulsion.
Depression is common in individuals with addictive
behaviors, as is low self esteem, and they usually come from
psychologically or physically abusive families. According to
professional literature, there is no common consensus as to the
etiology, prevention, and treatment of addictive disorders.
Many people consider these behaviors diseases while others
consider them to be behaviors resulting from a combination of
heredity and environmental factors.
Some people disagree that addictive behaviors are diseases
simply because there is no definite cause and course of
treatment used by all practitioners. This lack of agreement
among researchers and health care professionals causes problems
with prevention and treatment approaches, because no one
approach works for every addict and his or her addiction. All
this aside, there are various types of therapy that do work,
and continue to be a successful for treatment of
addictive
behaviors.
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