Addiction: Causes, Risk Factors, Effects, and Treatment

Discussions about addiction often focus on the abuse and inability to quit the use of various substances and the negative consequences of such behavior.

Any form of addiction is, in the end, a condition whose consequences can be identified in the case of the affected people, but also of those around them: family, friends, and members of different social circles.

"For those who want to address an addiction that currently reduces their quality of life, they can try to be guided by a psychotherapist trained in motivational interviewing and techniques specific to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. The treatment plan will be tailored to your addiction and needs. Some addictions can be treated only with a therapeutic approach, others require psychiatric intervention.

What is addiction?

The diagnosis of addiction involves a psychological and physical inability to stop consuming certain substances or to engage in certain activities, even if they cause psychological and physical damage.

When a person suffers from a form of addiction, several psychological and social factors contribute to its development and maintenance. However, the underlying pathology is a biological process induced by repeated exposure to a particular stimulus.

Causes and risk factors

Each case of addiction is unique; however, the most common causes and the most common risk factors include:

1. The genetic background

In some cases, chemical reactions in the brain help to reinforce addictive behaviors. Genetics can explain why one person occasionally consumes alcohol for pleasure, while another person develops an alcohol addiction.

2. The environment

For children and adolescents, lack of parental involvement may lead to increased risk or dependence on alcohol or hallucinogens. In these cases, the management of emotions and negative states is done by creating an addiction.

3. Medical history

Underlying mental health issues can increase your risk of addiction. In turn, addiction can increase the severity of other mental health conditions. This creates a vicious cycle in which addiction tends to progress quickly and with serious consequences. People who have been diagnosed with ADHD in childhood have an increased risk of addiction due to amphetamine-containing treatments.

4. Age

Behavior that is addictive in adolescence or youth can have a significant impact on brain development, making a person more prone to mental health disorders as they get older and their addiction progresses.

Some forms of addiction evolve slowly, over several months or even years, the variables, in this case, being represented by the substance/behavior that underlies this pathology. For example, cocaine or heroin addiction can evolve faster than marijuana or alcohol addiction, because the substances get directly into the blood and brain tissue.

How addiction manifests itself in everyday life

Among the most common manifestations associated with a form of addiction are:

• Negative feelings and moods - addiction is often based on feelings such as loneliness, sadness, or anxiety;

• Consumption concerns - people suffering from addiction spend long periods procuring and satisfying consumption or activities that fuel their pathology;

• Temporary and short-term fulfillment - satisfaction associated with behaviors associated with a form of addiction is short-lived, and in severe cases may be followed by withdrawal;

• Self-control problems - those who suffer from addiction declare that they cannot refrain from their pathological behavior;

• Perpetuation of addictive behavior despite the consequences - various forms of addiction are associated with negative consequences of a legal, financial or social nature.

Types of addiction: substance addiction and behavioral addiction

There are currently two major forms of addiction:

Substance addiction

Such a situation involves the use of one or more substances, some of which are illegal because of the disastrous effects they can have on health and social relationships.

The most common forms of substance abuse include the use of:

• Alcohol

• Opioids

• Cannabis and derived products

• Nicotine

• Amphetamine

• Cocaine.

Behavioral addiction

This form involves a series of compulsive behaviors, which the affected people perform even if they do not offer any real benefit.

The most common forms of behavioral addiction involve:

• Gambling

• Shopping

• Food

• Sex

• Social Media.

Stages of addiction

Addiction cases have a gradual evolution and can be installed in a short period or within several years; regardless of the period, they follow these four steps:

First contact - whether we are talking about a substance or a behavior, the first contact takes place without giving addiction, but it opens the way to it.

Usual consumption - depending on the object of the addiction, an affected person uses it repeatedly, and over time, the satisfaction of this need takes up more and more time of the person.

Risky consumption - as the use intensifies, the risks that a person assumes are increasing. Consequences of such behaviors include problems with interaction with loved ones and school or work performance.

Addiction - At this point, the addict has developed a high tolerance for a particular substance or behavior, and to get the satisfaction with which he is accustomed, he needs a dangerous amount.

Addiction - affects the person and those around them

Unfortunately, addiction brings with it a wide range of effects and consequences for the person affected, as well as those around them. These consequences can be classified into three categories: physical, psychological, and personal.

The physical effects of an addiction case include:

• Injuries, depending on the object of the addiction;

• Overdose, in the case of a form of substance dependence;

• Cardiovascular problems;

• Poor hygiene, in dramatic cases of substance use;

Complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth.

If a person is addicted to substances or behaviors, the most common psychological effects include:

• Depression;

• Loneliness;

• Suicide.

When a person suffers from an addiction, his suffering extends to those around him, and among these effects of a personal and social nature are problems related to:

• Relationships with family, friends, or co-workers;

• Finance;

• Problems with authority.

Why is psychotherapy needed to overcome addiction?

In the case of substance addiction, even after detoxification, there is an increased risk of recurrence. Certain psychological and social factors can be the triggers that can lead to recurrence, namely:

• Stress, especially life stress or academic/professional stress;

• Spending time with friends who continue to use these substances.

Psychotherapy helps the affected person to get rid of the feeling of "craving" and to learn to manage the challenges of life without drugs or alcohol.

There are several therapeutic approaches to treating substance abuse, but research has not shown whether one therapy or method is more appropriate than another for treating addictions. Likewise, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to opiate addiction.

Both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches or motivational interviewing may be appropriate approaches in the case of addiction, just as both individual and group therapy are recommended.

Both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches or motivational interviewing may be appropriate approaches in the case of addiction, just as both individual and group therapy are recommended.

The correct treatment plan will be adapted to the individual's addiction and needs, and the approach will be interdisciplinary, psychotherapeutic and, as the case may be, psychiatric.