In all times of human society, people have had flaws. Some of them are quite harmless, while others can lead to obsessions. They are the main reason that a person ceases to live peacefully.

Note that there is no such thing as a perfect person. Almost everyone has a certain type of unhealthy addiction. What kind of addiction is there? What is the danger of this syndrome? How to fight the addiction? Experts in the field of psychiatry and psychology, dealing with this problem, can tell you.

Addiction. Definition of the concept

In medicine, addiction is seen as an inadequately heightened or uncontrollable susceptibility and craving for a particular action or substance. And such a compulsive state leads to the development of addiction. That is why a person is forced to either increase the dose of a certain substance to satisfy his craving, or to make an increase in behavioral tactics.

Types of addictions

People in today’s world are far from perfect. Experts say that today there are more than 60 types of addictions. At the same time all of them are divided into two large groups. These are:

• Chemical addiction. With these types of addiction a person has a craving for some particular substance that enters his body from the outside;
• Psychological addiction. The principle of the development of this type of addiction is similar to the chemical one. The only difference between the two groups is that the substance causing the addiction does not come to the organism from the outside. It is created directly by him.

Chemical addictions

In this group, experts include the following addictions:

• drug addiction;
• alcoholism;
• tobacco smoking;
• addiction to medications (sedatives, tranquilizers, sleeping pills).

Chemical addictions are not seen as normal bad hobbies or habits. This is despite the fact that most addicts are sincerely convinced that they could easily cope with such addiction if they wished. However, this is far from the case. Any of the addictions that make up the chemical group is a separate disease, and chronic in nature, which is assigned its own code in the classification of diseases.

These are very bad habits, and their effect on human health is extremely negative and can even lead to death. This kind of addiction brings a lot of trouble for the family members of the sick person as well. That is why it is necessary to begin in time a course of treatment of such person. It is worth remembering that therapy is quite a long time and does not exclude the risk of regression and disruption.

The most dangerous types of chemical addiction are drug and alcohol addiction. People with these addictions greatly increase the number of murderers, rapists and robbers.

How to deal with this type of addiction? Relatives need to understand that their loved one is seriously ill. That is why he needs long-term therapy. Without treatment, the pathology will begin to affect all aspects of a person’s life, making his existence unbearable. The main thing is that he will lose his health. With prolonged intoxication of the body with alcoholic beverages or drugs, all internal organs suffer. The heart, lungs, brain and liver are at particular risk.

In addition to this, a person with negative addictions has a degradation of the psyche. After all, it is only at the beginning that taking certain substances promotes the appearance of pleasant relaxation and euphoria.

Socialization also suffers in such people. The addict soon loses everything that previously surrounded him in life. Family and work, friendships and family ties, as well as the respect of colleagues, become secondary importance for such a person. Addiction destroys all of the accumulated years of moral guidelines.

Psychological Addictions

Non-chemical addiction affects a person’s psychophysical state. And in this it is no different from drugs and alcohol. Examples of this are addictions to shopping, to food, playing computer games and gambling.

When considering such bad habits and their impact on human health, it is worth noting that they are less damaging to the body. However, along with chemical addictions, they also change the biochemical regulation of the brain. Addictions of both groups show themselves similarly in external reactions of patients. In other words, both are equally dangerous for human health (mental as well as physical).

How do you fight psychological addiction? It requires a long way of realizing the problem and freeing yourself from it.

The most common addictions

Psychologists argue that all types of addiction are the most convenient and easiest way to eliminate stress. The mechanism of formation of negative cravings is triggered at those moments when it becomes difficult for a person to perceive the existing reality that is damaging to his psychological state. This allows him to find himself in a more comfortable world and get rid of unpleasant feelings.

The addictions that modern people have are very different from the addictions that existed, for example, 100 years ago. So what are they? Let’s look at the most common types of addiction that occur today.

Internet and gadget addiction

These types of addiction are at the top of the list of the most common addictions of modern man. After all, computers, tablets, cell phones and other electronic devices are quite trendy in the 21st century.

In what cases can we say that a person suffers from Internet addiction? Then, when he spends more than 6 hours in the World Wide Web during the day. To date, people who have observed Internet addiction, much more than drug addicts and alcoholics put together. That is why this disease is in first place in the list of such ailments created by experts.

One of the components of Internet addiction is a modern person’s addiction to gadgets. People with this kind of addiction, among other things, differ from everyone else by the fact that they regularly buy various new electronic devices, including netbooks, tablets, cell phones, etc.

Food Addiction

This psychological addiction is the second most common addiction of modern man. It is formed as a protest against the turmoil of life.

When there is a psychological addiction to food, a person does not follow a proper diet, suffers from overweight and other health problems that are associated with obesity.

Smoking

Tobacco addiction is also widespread on our planet. And this is of serious concern to doctors.

Smoking causes the development of many diseases. According to statistics, in spite of active anti-smoking measures, 1.1-1.3 billion people in the world today suffer from tobacco addiction, that is, almost every 5th people in the world!

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

These addictions are next on the list after smoking. Statistics show that almost 2 billion people in the world abuse alcohol. Every year about 3 million people around the world die because of alcohol-induced diseases.

As for drug addiction. According to statistics, 250 million people in the world has taken drugs at least once in their life. Every year more than 30 million people are treated for drug addiction and 500 thousand die from drug use and its associated health consequences.

Games addiction

In fifth place among the addictions is a rather dangerous and unpleasant addiction. The cause of its emergence is gambling. This addiction brings a lot of problems both to the people suffering from it and to their families.

Gambling addiction in adults forces a person to spend his last savings on gambling. And this despite the fact that he constantly loses large sums, spending all his time at the slot machines.

How to determine the presence of addiction?

How do you figure out a person who is caught in the net of this or that addiction? According to experts, it is quite easy to do. To do this, it is enough to turn off the Internet, take away the cell phone, not allow alcohol, etc. The behavior of the addicted person will immediately change dramatically.

There are also some psychological characteristics of addiction. Among them:

1. Increased level of suggestibility. The addicted person easily assimilates external attitudes coming from another person, without striving to critically analyze reality and confront what is happening;
2. Inability to predict and plan for the future. Chemical dependents in most cases do not want to take responsibility for their choices of action. They may say one thing and do another;
3. Self-centeredness. The addicted person is completely fixed on their desires, feelings and interests;
4. Dreaminess. People who are addicted to addiction are very fond of fantasizing. They live in an imaginary world and easily disown reality;
5. Maximalism and intolerance. Addicted people strive to eliminate all problems that come their way quickly with minimal effort on their part. Maximalism is called extreme in judgment. And this trait is very pronounced in addicted people. They see the whole world only in two colors: black and white.

How to cure an addiction?

First of all, it is necessary to understand that any addiction (aka mania) is a psychological problem. And such a disease has its own stages of development.

So, at first, a person’s occupations are only occasional. And only after that do they become permanent. At this initial stage, there is a psychological dependence, because a person gets pleasure and pleasure from a certain occupation. And only after some time there is the formation of physical dependence.

For example, it is very difficult to give up drugs at this stage, as it immediately causes “withdrawal”. Alcoholics may end up with “white fever”. Such phenomena occur because of the already formed habit of the body to function according to a certain scheme. When a malfunction in its work begins a kind of panic, because in another way the body can not work.

How to treat gambling addiction, alcoholism, smoking and other manias? To do this, it is recommended to contact a specialist. Only he will be able to choose the most effective course of therapy. It is practically impossible to cope with such situations by yourself.

How to overcome Internet addiction and other types of mental addiction? In these cases, no drugs are prescribed to patients. In this case, how to treat gambling addiction and similar addictions? In some situations the doctor may prescribe symptomatic treatment. Specialist recommend medicines that reduce anxiety, irritability and so on. But as a rule such treatment lies in carrying out conversations during which a psychologist needs to identify the cause of the illness. In this case, the doctor influences his patient, trying to convince him that he does not have any need to commit such acts.

Some addictions, such as gambling, alcohol, and tobacco, are treated by hypnosis. During the session, the specialist convinces his patient that drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes can lead to unpredictable results.

The patient can be placed in a clinic for the treatment of alcohol addiction. Here he will be treated 24 hours a day by qualified specialists. In the clinic for the treatment of alcohol addiction are used drips, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, as well as hardware methods that allow to restore the body.

How to cure phone and Internet addiction?

You can do it on your own by following 10 steps:

1. Recognize the problem;
2. Analyze the addiction. To do this, you need to answer yourself why this happens, is there an urgent need for the actions you are taking?;
3. Make a firm decision. It will allow you to go for a change;
4. Clarify your own desires;
5. Formulate the result of your actions;
6. Develop an intention to change your life;
7. Mentally shift to a new state. This allows you to see the world in bright colors;
8. Take control of your behavior in relation to your bad habits;
9. Change behavior;
10. Change the environment. Going through this stage will require breaking up with the people who keep pulling the addict into his past.

After getting rid of the addiction, how can you avoid getting addicted again? There is only one recipe in this case. A person needs to be aware of the problem of mania, not ceasing to study himself, as well as to observe his actions and deeds, not allowing the development of the mechanism of a bad habit.