An addiction can be expressed or defined in so many ways that sometimes it is quite difficult to distinguish and, above all, recognize that there is a problem in ourselves or in someone close to us. Generally we relate addiction only to the consumption of some substance. Such as alcohol, cannabis, opioids, hallucinogens, tobacco, stimulants, inhalants, anti-anxiety drugs and others. But starting from the general knowledge that most of us have about addiction and the definition shared in the article. We will continue referring in Psychology-Online the different types of addictions and their consequences.
What addictions are the most common
In addictions, it is known that people lose control of their consumption, often resulting in a deterioration in the quality of life due to the negative consequences of addictive behavior. But this excessive, harmful and dependent consumption manifests itself in different areas, some of them are recognized as an object of study by the American Psychiatric Association, proposing for example the pathological gambling and the internet gaming disorder. Both pathologies present symptoms very similar to those of a substance addiction: tolerance, withdrawal and excessive anxiety about gambling.
List of types of addictions
What types of addictions are there? The types of addictions and dependencies are the following:
1. Substance addiction
Substance abuse addiction is one of the most recognized since this is one of those that can publicly generate greater and frequent obvious damage. Due to the physiological symptoms due to intoxication (nystagmus, motor disturbance, tachycardia, conjunctival injection, insomnia, hallucinations or illusions and hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system), the effects of this addiction develop serious and immediate problems after the start of consumption, which is why It is very difficult to cover up.
The effects of intoxication, whether chronic or not, are very difficult to hide or inhibit in the same way. its consequences: violence, accidents, physical illnesses, family and social problems, poor work performance, social indiscretions and failure to fulfill obligations. Although some of them may be hidden under expected medical expectations, such as the abuse of prescription opioids. In the following article you will find more information about .
2. People addiction
People addiction is generally known as codependency, i.e. needs or is dependent on another person to feel safe and serene. In this type of addiction, the emotional states depend on the other person (if they feel good, so do I), there is a constant and excessive need to have the other being close and under control, each time they need to share more time with the other. , spends much of the time thinking or looking for a way to be with the other person. These should not be confused specifically with romantic relationships; these codependency can also be directed at family and friends.
3. Social media addiction
It is one of the addictions that has recently begun to be reflected and better known where people spend most of the day browsing one or more social networks. In these they may be viewing different publications, commenting, corresponding with other people, uploading photographs, watching videos but all this with an intense anxiety that is not present in the usual use of these spaces. People addicted to social networks feel the need to be connected most of the time of the day, spending long periods browsing and getting access to the Internet or some device where they can browse, they fail to fulfill their responsibilities by spending time on their social networks, present anxious symptoms when they cannot access the platforms and begin to need more time than they initially used to navigate.
4. Pathological gambling
Another type of addiction is pathological gambling, which is characterized by the need to bet amounts of money increasingly larger to achieve the desired pleasure. Pathological behavior is exacerbated in times of anxiety (depression or anxiety). It is no less common than the others listed in this article. But, although it is one of the most common, due to its very symptoms, the person with this addiction usually hides and denies the problem.
5. Internet gaming addiction
Internet gaming addiction is the third most common addiction after pathological gaming and substance use disorders that are manifested in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM 5 (2013) as a pathology, although gaming disorder Internet still remains a condition that requires further study and presents symptoms equivalent to an addiction.
This addiction is characterized by a Persistent and recurring use of the Internet to participate in games, which are often with other online players and cause clinically significant impairment or discomfort. In this addiction, withdrawal symptoms appear when you stop playing online games (for example, irritability, anxiety or sadness, but there are no physical signs of withdrawal). Tolerance also occurs (such as a need to spend more and more time participating in these games).
The addicted person expresses unsuccessful attempts to control participation in Internet games and a loss of interest in hobbies they previously had. Excessive use of games continues despite knowing the associated psychosocial problems that may arise or be exacerbated by participation in them.
Internet games are generally used to avoid or alleviate negative affect (for example feelings of guilt, anxiety, sadness, helplessness).
Consequences of addictions
One of the most important consequences of addictions and dependencies are substance/medication induced mental disorders which are serious and generally temporary syndromes, although they can become persistent and develop as consequence of substance or medication abuse. Some of the mental disorders that may appear as a consequence of abuse may be the following and must be evaluated very carefully in the differential diagnosis by the clinical professional:
- Substance/medication-induced psychotic disorders.
- Substance/medication-induced bipolar disorder.
- Depressive disorder induced by a substance/medication.
- Substance/medication-induced anxiety disorder.
- Substance/medication-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Substance/medication-induced sleep disorder.
- Substance/medication induced sexual dysfunction.
- Any neurocognitive disorder due to substance/medication use.
How do addictions affect us? Deterioration due to addictions of any type mentioned above can have serious consequences, such as:
- Deterioration in work or academic performance
- Social indiscretions
- Interpersonal problems
- Failure to fulfill responsibilities
- Traffic accidents
- Fights over uninhibited behavior
- Violations
- High-risk behaviors (for example, having unprotected sex)
- Reckless driving
- Medication or substance overdose
- Putting at risk or losing important relationships with family or friends
- They may engage in robbery or prostitution with the aim of acquiring the substances
- Neurocognitive impairments
- Physical illnesses
- Increased risk of HIV infection or other sexually transmitted conditions with intravenous injections and unprotected sex
These are broadly the most common consequences, however, the pattern of consequences will vary with the particular addiction.
Types of psychological therapies for addictions
Two types of psychological therapies for addictions are explained below:
Psychoanalysis: addiction intervention therapy
In psychoanalysis the psychic conflict, history, internal difficulties and symbolization of the subject are observed. Awareness of the disease does not imply recognizing oneself as an addicted person, but rather exploring and articulating in language the internal difficulties that have led the person to consume or expose themselves to certain activities in a compulsive way. The interest of psychoanalysis is that the person recognizes himself as a subject or as a person who is more than an addict; The aim is that the person is not defined by the inert object that he consumes, but by the meaning it has in his story and his words.
In this psychoanalytic approach, the objective is not for the person to abandon consumption, but rather to achieve recognize your internal conflicts.
Joseph J. Sandler (1986) mentions that when a person claims to be an addict, he would have to question his speech. Consumption abuse is a symptom for psychoanalysis, which will be sent through analytical understanding. The symptom here is the desire to consume and this is where knowledge of the person who suffers must be formed by offering questions that help them understand:
- What drives you to want to consume?
- What moods, emotions, situations stimulate your desire to consume?
The difficulties of these people are manifested by not having the ability to articulate in language the internal difficulties that led to obsessive consumption. They have difficulties being aware or realizing what they are feeling, as well as reflecting on their internal world.
The development of the structure and functions of the brain are conditioned by the interaction that takes place between genes and experience; each upbringing experience directly affects the way in which genes are activated. It must be taken into account that what the child’s brain needs are reciprocal interactions with its primary support network and not massive sensory stimulation.
Behavioral therapy for addictions
In behavioral therapy, three types of intervention techniques derived from different learning models are proposed:
- The exposure techniques to cues derived from classical conditioning
- The programs of skills training or relapse prevention based on the principles of social learning
- The programs of contingency management derived from the principles of
These three approaches should not be understood as exclusive or independent strategies but rather as complementary techniques that should be integrated into available treatment programs.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5). Panamericana Editorial.
- Joseph J. Sandler. (1986). He…