Addictions

All women like to shop it’s a well known fact and some men too, but how do you know if your spending and shopping habits have gone past something you just enjoy to becoming an addiction. If you are addicted to spending shopping malls and internet shopping sites will draw you to them like a magnet, no longer will you just shop because you need a new dress, shoes, etc. but now you begin to make purchases just for the sake of it.

Other signs that you may be addicted are buying all the latest brands, designer labels, lavish gifts and picking up the bill when you go out to eat regardless of if you can afford it or not. The person addicted to spending will undoubtedly lie about how much they spend both to themselves and their closest relatives, often hiding price tags and indeed purchases they have made, in spite of feelings such as shame, guilt and of course the inevitable debt that they quickly get themselves into.

More often than not a spending addiction is an attempt to buy happiness but just like addiction to drugs the more a person does it, the more shame and guilt they feel and the more they turn to the addiction and gets wrapped up in a vicious circle.

Addicted to alcohol

Alcohol is one substance that can be bought anywhere in the world at almost anytime, night or day yet alcohol is responsible for more deaths than all the other drugs put together. Alcohol is a hypnotic drug that depresses the body’s central nervous system, most adults will admit to drinking on a social basis and enjoying doing so but statistics have shown that about 1 in 5 men and 1 in seven women drink more than is safe and recommended to maintain good health.

What are the effects of alcohol?

The effects alcohol has on a person will depend greatly on the person constitution, how much they drink and how fast they drink but the overall effects that alcohol produces are:

• Slurred speech
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Unsteady on the feet when trying to walk or even when standing
• Impaired judgment and lack of attention
• Drowsiness or sleep

Drinking alcohol is relatively small doses every now and again is generally fine and can relax a person and help them have an enjoyable evening with friends, while drinking in large amounts leads to un-coordination bad decision making and drowsiness.

Addictions

People can become addicted to just about anything which gives them pleasure. Addiction is described as a chronic disorder which is characterised by the repeated use of substances or behaviour which becomes detrimental to ourselves and those around us. Here are some of the most common types of addiction:

Heroin – This is a narcotic drug which is highly addictive and symptoms of addiction are, having no control over the amount taken or needed, a strong compulsion to use the drug through any means necessary and a deterioration of lifestyle.

Alcohol – This is a hypnotic sedative which is available anywhere legally to those over 18, symptoms of addiction to alcohol are, drinking anytime day or night, drinking uncontrollably in large amounts and organising your lifestyle around drinking.

Addicted to food

Addictions to food are more common among women than men and the term used for addiction to food or over eating is bulimia, which is known for its cycles of binge eating then purging by vomiting. Very often someone suffering from this addiction will revert to strict dieting in an attempt to curb their addiction but often fail and turn back to bingeing again going round in a constant circle.

A person with bulimia will have on average 14 episodes of binge eating every week and this has serious consequences on a person’s health both physically and mentally. Anorexia is another form of eating disorder in which a person believes they are over weight and sees themselves this way, starving themselves even though they may be hungry.

The person suffering from anorexia will also binge and purge trying to rid themselves of the weight they think they put on, this will continue however much weight they lose until they are painfully thin and ill.

Addiction help

It doesn’t matter what type of addiction you have the most important step to making a recovery and being free from addiction is admitting the problem in the first place. The next step is to get some help in recovering; the first person you can turn to for help is your Doctor.

Admitting your problem

Admitting that you have an addiction can be a frightening thing and takes a lot of courage but your Doctor is there to help you and give you advice on further steps which can be taken for your addiction. The more open you are and the more you can tell your Doctor about your addiction the more help they can give you, you must also be prepared to answer your Doctor honestly when he/she asks you questions relating to your problem.

Addicted to heroin

Heroin is a powerful short acting analgesic which is used on a regular basis in hospitals to relieve pain; however it is also used in powder format to be inhaled through the nose or by injection for the feelings of euphoria it brings, it is an extremely addictive drug and is one of the most widely used drugs that people abuse.

What are the effects of heroin?

Heroin gives the abuser several effects or feelings depending on the amount used, which method is used to take the drug and the bodies tolerance to the drug, these feelings may include:

• An initial sense of euphoria when first taken
• A feeling of increased well being and loss of anxiety
• Drowsiness and relaxation
• Constriction of the pupils
• Slurred speech and lack of concentration

Addictions

With the internet being more and more readily available to people of all ages problems are beginning to occur from over use of it, it seems people can become addicted to using the internet. While addiction to the net poses no real serious damage to the health it can cause problems such as:

• Becoming increasingly withdrawn
• Cause break up or problems in relationships
• Lead to problems with depression
• Lead to problems with anxiety
• Cause problems at work/school if you are online at work or school
• Lead to problems of losing sense of reality
• Can lead to problems at work/school through late nights online
• Increased agitation
• Problems with eye sight or the back

What makes the internet so addictive?

The internet is a great way to escape for an hour or so the problems of daily life, probably one of the biggest addictions to the internet are chat rooms or the instant messengers which are widely available.

Chat rooms are available throughout the world and people can choose a nickname and join in conversations anywhere in the world free of charge, when joining a chat room talking is usually done via the keyboard but some also have the ability to talk one on one using the computers microphone.

Addictions

We all understand and appreciate the benefits that mobile phones have given us, the ease of being in constant communication with friends and family. However there are increasingly numbers of people especially young people and children who are becoming addicted to mobile phones and in particular the short messaging texts which can be sent, or more commonly SMS.

Phones are available anywhere and everywhere, in the specialist shops, the supermarkets and can range from the simple cheap phones to phones costing hundreds which have video capabilities, have cameras, e mail and include the popular instant messaging programmes which are accessed over the internet from the phone. It is though that now 9 out of 10 children own a mobile phone with billions being spent every year on purchasing the latest have to have models.

Addicted to smoking

Nicotine is one of the substances found in cigarettes and is a form of stimulant drug, it is one that can cause a multitude of serious health problems and is extremely addictive yet cigarettes are sold legally throughout the world and used by millions of people. Smoking involves inhaling not only nicotine but a large number of gases and tars and nicotine is thought to relax a person and help them concentrate better.

What’s in a cigarette?

There are over 4,000 chemicals which can be found in cigarette smoke, amongst them some of which may surprise you.

Addiction treatment

Overcoming addiction is hard and relapse unfortunately is very common among addicts, addiction can be a lifelong problem and people who are addicted to a certain drug are at higher risk of becoming dependent on a different type of drug also.

The whole aim of treating an addict successfully is to protect their mental and physical health and hopefully minimize the effects the addiction is having on the family as a whole. There are several different methods used in the treatment of addiction and these include:

Controlling the amount used

It is thought that by slowly reducing the amount of substance the addict uses can lead to them eventually kicking the habit altogether, however unfortunately this isn’t always so. Very few addicts will have the will power needed to break the pattern of their habit this way and more often than not the addict will lose the ability to control the amount they take.