Your friends and family have been complaining about your drinking. Your lover broke up with you because of your drug habit. Your boss is getting fed up with your excuses for arriving late after a party night. Your constant, compulsive need for sex left you bruised and bare. Your gambling has brought you close to financial ruin. You realize you might have a problem. When does one talk about addiction?

Addiction is a condition in which a person is physically and/ or mentally dependent on a substance or a behavior. You can get addicted to a product or a behavior. Alcohol is one of the most common substances. Yet, other products such as cannabis, hasj, cocaine, heroin, XTC, LSD, sedatives or other psychoactive medication, can be highly addictive. Or possibly you are struggling with a specific behavior, such as gaming, gambling, sex, buying, and overeating.

Dependency means your mind or body, or both, your whole being, is telling you you need that substance or behavior. Your addiction is holding you in her clutches. The rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the substance/behavior despite detrimental consequences, impairment or distress. Your whole focus is on obtaining and using the substance or engaging in the behavior, at cost of most other activities.

Addiction is characterized as follows:

  • Tolerance: You need more, faster. Your body needs increasingly higher amounts of the substance (or behavior) to achieve the desired effect. Your body has gotten used to the substance (or the effect of the behavior) and experiences less effect when administering the habitual amount.
  • Withdrawal: Not only did your body get used to the intensive use of the substance, it adapted to it. If you stop using the substance, you feel sick, might vomit, have fever, and are unable to sleep. Using your substance alleviates these withdrawal symptoms.
  • Loss of control: You are using the substance (or engaging in the behavior) in higher quantities, over a longer period than intended. You are no longer in control. You have started lying and deceiving yourself as well as your loved ones.
  • You have tried to reduce intake or stop taking your substance, but have not been successful. Even though you realize your substance or addictive behavior is bad for you (in that it causes or deteriorates physical or mental conditions), you are not able to stop yourself.
  • A lot of time is spent on trying to get hold of your substance, using your substance, or engaging in your addictive behavior. You have given up some or dropped out of important social activities, work, or leisure activities because of your usage.

If you recognize these signs, or if you are concerned about your behavior, contact us.

Maybe you feel relieved after reading this, as your behavior would not qualify as an addiction. Yet, one can argue that if something raises your concern, it is better to have a closer look at it before it gets out of control. There are different stages in addiction and problematic use. If you worry about a substance or behavior, contact us.