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.

Helping someone with an addiction

Depending on the type of addiction your Doctor may need to refer you to a clinic specialising in the treatment of your addiction and the problems associated with it. If for example your addiction is drugs then a combination of help may be offered which is called shared-care, your Doctor may take care of you while also seeking help from specialists in drugs and social workers or psychiatrists.

Questions your Doctor may ask

• How long have you been addicted?
• Why do you want to quit the addiction?
• Why do you think you become addicted in the first place?
• If you are using drugs then which drugs have you used in the past and what drugs are you taking now?
• How you have used drugs, for example inhalation of cocaine or injection?
• How often you have used drugs in the past?
• Have you ever managed to quit your addiction in the past and if so for how long?
• What help and treatment you had in the past for helping with your addiction?
• How did you feel when you tried to quit your addiction in the past?
• What made you turn back to your addiction?
• Are you willing to help yourself over come the addiction this time?

Choice of the treatment provided?

Several Doctors have undergone special training in addiction and have clinics within the surgery; more and more Doctors are offering treatment for addictions this way and will have several programmes for different types of addiction.

If your addiction needs more specialised care then your Doctor may refer you to a clinic which can offer you the help and support that you need.

Whenever possible the addict is given the choice of where they want to be treated and some prefer to be in an environment they know and with a person they know such as their Doctor, while others prefer to be treated in a specialised addiction centre where they are surrounded by people with the same problem.

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.

When phones become a threat

Used correctly a mobile phone in the hands of a child or young person is undoubtedly a great thing but it seems that more and more teenagers and young children are becoming addicted to a part of the phone called text messaging.

Recent studies showed that parents give their children money for things such as school meals but that money isn’t being used for that purpose but instead is credited to a phone and used to send text messages to friends and that child hadn’t bought a single meal in school for over three months.

A recent study in Germany showed that over 380,000 people may be addicted to their phones and text messaging with one boy spending over £5,000 in am month compulsively text messaging friends. It is a problem which can lead to not only spiraling bills but one which also leads to depression and personality disorders.

While the mobile phone is considered by many to be an accessory, experts are becoming increasingly concerned that many children are using them as a comfort blanket. When receiving a text message the child feels important and gives them a sense of need, it boosts their self worth.

Studies recently showed that many children cannot be without their phone, are constantly checking for messages and get extremely agitated when away from it, which can lead to problems within the family. In cases of the extreme children are even taking to stealing from their families to fund the habit of continual text messaging and even stealing credit cards running up huge bills in the process.

What you as a parent can do

When buying your child a phone set out some clear rules beforehand

• State how frequently you are willing to “top up” the phone
• State how the “top-ups” will be funded
• Give guidelines on who they should give their number to
• State the privilege of having a phone and why not to abuse it
• State what will happen if they abuse those privileges
• Explain any worried you have about usage of the phone

How do you know if something you enjoy doing is a habit or is becoming an addiction? Perhaps the easiest way to determine this is by asking yourself a few questions and answering them honestly.

The obvious questions you could ask yourself are, can you function in your day to day life without the use of whatever it is that you crave, does whatever you do take up more and more of your time everyday? There is however other signs that can indicate your habit has turned into an addiction:

Psychological signs of addiction

• You use drugs or alcohol or something else to forget about everyday problems.
• You become increasingly withdrawn and start lying to family and friends.
• You lose interest in activities that used to interest you.
• You begin to have problems in work or school, such as time off or poor quality work.
• You only hang out with people who enjoy the same habit.
• You spend a lot of time finding ways to get more drink or drugs or whatever you enjoy.
• You begin to start selling property or stealing from others to fund your particular habit.
• You have repeatedly tried to put a stop to your habit but have failed.
• You begin to suffer from depression, anxiety and have anger outbursts.
• Your mood swings back and forth rapidly.

Physical signs of addiction

• You don’t sleep as soundly as you did or have night sweats or nightmares.
• You feel ill, shaky or sick when you try to stop.
• You need to take more or perform your habit on an increasingly regular basis to get the same effect as you did in the beginning.
• Your eating habits change and you either begin to lose weight or to put on weight.

Admitting you have a problem

The first step to recovering from addiction is made by admitting you actually have a problem with addiction, the majority of people will need help and support when giving up their habit. Recovery will very rarely be successful when trying to go it alone, the most important thing you can do is to find someone that you can trust to talk to.

If you are young and you can’t talk with your parent’s then try approaching a school councillor, favourite teacher or your Doctor. Over coming the battle of addiction whatever the addiction may be is never easy so remember it isn’t a sign of weakness if you ask for help.

Quitting your addiction will probably be the hardest thing you will ever have to face and will take a great amount of will power and determination on your part and that of those helping you. Once you have decided to quit your addiction there are several tips which can make life a little easier:

• Tell people you have a problem and that you are quitting it – The more people who know of your problem and the fact that you are fighting it, the easier it will be for you, your true friends will be there to support you through the hard times.
• Ask friends and family if they are willing to available to you – while you are going through the toughest times during quitting your addiction, you may need help and support at any time day or night, ask friends and family if you can call them whenever you need them.
• Keep away from places where you know you might be tempted – if your addiction is alcohol for example avoid accepting invitations to pubs or clubs, stay away from any places where you know you could be most tempted.
• Prepare a plan beforehand – if you know you will be put in a position that is unavoidable where you are most likely to be tempted than have a plan ready for how you will cope with the situation, for example you could have a code worked out with friends attending which means get me out of here I’ve had enough.
• Keep a journal – keep written documentation of your thoughts and feelings, writing down anything and everything even if it is in an unorganised manner, just get your thoughts and feelings out.
• Keep reminding yourself that your addiction doesn’t make you weak – what you are doing requires great strength on your part and in no way does it make you weak or a bad person.

Many of us have heard the term workaholic and perhaps have only said it in jest but becoming addicted to work can actually become a problem and it is one that can have just as devastating effect on our social life and those we love than becoming addicted to any drug. Being a workaholic can also have serious effects on the person’s health just as with any addiction to drugs or alcohol does.

Some of the problems caused by this addiction are

• Strains in relationships to the point of breakdown.
• Headaches, sleep disorders, gastric problems and chronic fatigue.
• Obsession with being in control.
• Overall productivity begins to suffer.

Recent studies have shown that there are basically three stages to work addiction or being a workaholic.

The beginning

In the beginning the worker gets busier and busier often taking on more work than it is realistically possible for them to do comfortably, the will begin to put in more and more hours and find that taking time off work is almost impossible. Workers at this stage often find that if they do take more than a couple of weeks away from work they start to pine for work and want to get back to it, they start feeling stressed from lack of work.

The middle

During this stage family life will begin to suffer as the workaholic throws themselves deeper into work and begins spending more time at work and less time with the ones they love. When they are at home then their mind isn’t, it is still with work and what could have been done or should have done there. During this stage the physical effects of over work begin to show themselves and the workaholic may have trouble sleeping and relaxing so they begin to feel tired all the time.

The last stage

During the last stage the person will by now be spending more and more time at work and will be feeling the physical signs of over work more, feelings such as constant pressure, headaches or migraines, a rise in blood pressure, chronic fatigue, ulcers and they will have greatly increased their risk of having a stroke.

What you can do to break the addiction

• Make time away from work to be with family and friends rebuild your relationship.
• Make time to look after your body, see your Doctor and have a through examination.
• Learn to relax more at home.
• Remember that if it doesn’t have to be done today then leave it until tomorrow.
• Get up from your desk every hour for at least 5 minutes to stretch, walk and take time to say hello when passing co workers.
• Review realistic goals for working which allows for holidays and time spent with family and friends.