Addiction
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What is addiction?
According to UK charity Action on Addiction, 1 in 3 people are addicted to something. Addiction is a complex brain disease where a person compulsively needs to use or take something that has a harmful consequence. Their intense focus on using a substance can take over their life even if they know that their constant use of a drug or alcohol, for example, can cause problems.
Changes in the brain’s wiring are what make it difficult for a person to stop using or craving the substance that they are addicted to.
What can people be addicted to?
Besides addiction to toxic substances, such as alcohol and drugs, there are addictions of other types, such as:
- Food
- Cigarettes
- Sex (nymphomania)
- Gambling
- Exercise (bigorexia)
- New technologies (technophilia)
- Mobile phone use (nomophobia)
- Social media
For each individual case, professionals decide on the best treatment, depending on the patient’s symptoms and the degree of their addiction.
What are the symptoms of addiction?
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