Of all the problems faced by human beings in modern society, addiction is one of the most serious and destructive. Whether a person becomes hooked on alcohol or drugs, gambling, sex, or, as is increasingly common, online gaming or the Internet, the net result is often terrible disruption and turmoil.
What is addiction?
This question is not as simple as it seems. It is particularly difficult to draw the line between enthusiastic enjoyment of a pleasurable activity on the one hand and addiction on the other.
Increasingly, research is focusing not only on how much a person drinks or how often they play video games but more specifically, whether the person’s participation results in harm to their own lives and/or the lives of others.
Many university students these days spend time “partying” which often involves copious amounts of alcohol, marijuana and sometimes other drugs. Participating in these activities on occasion, while maintaining good grades and a responsible lifestyle, may simply be a rite of passage. On the other hand, showing up late for work, failing to study, or having an accident under the influence of drugs or alcohol are all worrisome signs of addiction.
Is addiction only psychological?
Believe it or not, the problem we refer to as addiction can have both psychological and physical components.
From a psychological perspective, overindulgence in particular activities such as gambling, gaming, promiscuity or substance abuse can be a welcome, if unhealthy, distraction from the problems of everyday living. In this way, addictions can serve as an avoidance strategy, substituting instant gratification for the trials and tribulations involved in being responsible and doing what needs to be done to make our lives better and helping those that depend on us.
You may or may not be aware that there is also a physical component to the process of addiction. It all has to do with something called the brain’s “Reward System.” This is located in a brain region called the Ventral tegmental area, and the chemical that fuels this system is known as “Dopamine.”
Without getting too technical, evolution has provided us with a little shot of the feel-good chemical “dopamine” every time we do something that is good for us as individuals and as a species. Have a nice meal-dopamine. Have intercourse with our spouse-dopamine.
This built-in reward system encourages human beings to do things that support our survival and prosperity.
So what does that have to do with addictions?
Well, the problem is that certain activities, including drinking, drugs, smoking, sex and gambling, can begin to artificially condition our reward system. We become addicted to the dopamine surge we get every time we, say, play a couple of hours of Fortnight, or spend an evening at the horse races gambling.
Understanding both the psychological and physiological aspects of the addictions process is crucial.
It goes without saying that addictions are a leading cause of individual and social hardship. Young people with addictions may experience academic underachievement, depression and anxiety, social isolation, sleep disturbance, anger and alienation. Older adults commonly encounter employment difficulties, financial woes, and will sometimes run into legal problems. Family and social relationships suffer, and people struggling with addictions may fail to fulfill their responsibilities to those that depend on them.
Over time, people may begin to experience serious health problems resulting from overindulgence in alcohol, drugs or other addictive activities.
If you or someone you know has had to struggle with the hardship of addiction, you will understand how disruptive this condition can be. Over time, lives can literally be destroyed. Relationships fall by the wayside. Potential is squandered and opportunities lost.
Getting help
Some people struggle with addiction for many years before seeking help. According to Alcoholics Anonymous’s famous maxim, the addict must “hit rock bottom” before they recognize the urgent need to seek treatment. Whether or not this is universally true, it is difficult or impossible to treat someone effectively who is caught up in the addictions process until that individual decides they want to get help.
The path to recovery is a rocky road. There are many obstacles and pitfalls that can undermine sobriety or responsible use. Persons with serious addictions are best advised to seek professional support.
Given our growing understanding that addictions can have both psychological and physiological foundations, researchers have been experimenting with new methods, in some cases combining psychological therapies with interventions that attempt to decouple the addictive activity from the dopamine reward system. Some exciting progress has been made. Hopefully, there will be more news to come in the near future.
Addictions destroy lives. Judgment does nothing for such people. Only with the proper care and understanding is there hope of recovery.