Welcome To The 21st Century: World's Most Common Addictions | Addiction & Recovery slideshows | Emotional & Mental Health center

Drug Addiction

Drug addiction happens when a person can no longer function normally without a certain substance. It doesn’t matter if this substance is toxic and causes damage to the body, an addict doesn’t have control over the use of a drug. Drug abuse is caused by several factors, including financial problems, being brought in a violent environment, low-self esteem issues, daily stress, depression and other psychiatric disorders. The drugs that are most commonly consumed nowadays are heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, antidepressants and marijuana. Drug addiction can have very serious consequences that can go from personal, family and financial problems, to health problems, including death.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Kaushik Narasimhan by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/kaushiknarasimhan/5161019853/
www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-addiction/DS00183
http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/drugs.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001522.htm

Internet/Social Networks Addiction

It is true that the Internet and social networks are part of our daily life now. They can even help us get a better job, promote our business, keep in touch with old friends and learn many interesting things. However, Internet and social networks can also interfere with other activities and responsibilities we have. When we prefer to be connected on Facebook or Twitter rather than going to school, or even eating, then we are in serious trouble and might be considered as having an addiction. The main sign of Internet addiction is isolation, but you can prevent this from happening if you limit your Internet and social networks use.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Jarek Pelczynski by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/xjara69/3801115423/
www.helpguide.org/mental/internet_cybersex_addiction.htm
http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/?AID=43

Smoking Addiction

Just as alcohol, smoking cigarettes is seen as something cool and is promoted by media as something you need to do to be accepted in certain social circles. But, is tobacco addictive? One of the components present in tobacco, nicotine, is the one that causes addiction. Nicotine alters the chemistry of your brain, making you feel happy and chilled whenever you smoke. This is the reason why it is very hard to quit smoking: your brain gets addicted to nicotine, and makes you feel you can’t function properly without it. If you are a smoker, I am sure you have read and seen the advertisements in cigarette packages regarding health hazards, but just as a reminder, it can cause from mild to severe respiratory problems, such as cancer.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Tomasz Sienicki by Wikimedia Commons : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Papierosa_1_ubt_0069.jpeg
www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2278.aspx?CategoryID=53
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/tobaccocancer/questionsaboutsmokingtobaccoandhealth/questions-about-smoking-tobacco-and-health-is-tobacco-addictive

Gambling Addiction

There is nothing wrong with gambling once in a while, but when this behavior affects one or more areas of your life, it is then consider a health problem. Gambling addicts develop a need of gambling big amounts of money very frequently. With the Internet, it has become easier for people with this problem to find places and even webpages that promote gambling. In the U.S., around 1% of adults are classified as pathological gamblers. This doesn’t mean that if you gamble you will become addicted to it. There are certain behaviors that can lead to problems with gambling, including other addictions, like alcoholism and drug addiction.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Matthew Powell by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/jetglo/7218398806/
www.ncpgambling.org/i4a/pages/Index.cfm?pageID=3315#widespread
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/addiction/Pages/gamblingaddiction.aspx
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/compulsive-gambling/DS00443/DSECTION=complications

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol is considered a socially accepted drug and is widely consumed all around the world. According to the American National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, almost 30% of women and 43% of men who drink are classified as “bridged drinkers”, meaning that they consume more than 4 drinks in less than 2 hours. Bridge drinking can lead to heavy drinking and alcoholism. Alcohol addiction, as drug addiction, is a disease that involves having problems to control your drinking. A person is classified as an alcoholic when alcohol consumption goes over 7 drinks per week for women and 14 drinks per week, for men.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Tamorlan by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alcoholism_-_Street.JPG
www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption
http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-dependence
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcoholism/DS00340

Video Game Addictions

How can a video game be addictive? This question still keeps doctors and scientists very busy; video game addiction is not even considered a mental disorder yet, but people studying it are trying to describe what happens when someone decides to play a video game for more than 12 hours, without any concern for what is going on around them. There are many cases of video game addiction in children and adults. Statistics say that men are more likely to experience video game addiction, but women are also at risk. As Internet addiction, a factor causing video game addiction might be avoidance of reality or contact with real people, leading to isolation.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of R Pollard by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/34396501@N00/58694182/
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201308/are-video-games-addictive
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/

Work Addiction

I am sure you have heard the term “workaholic”, which is used to describe someone that is addicted to his or her work. You may have said it before as a joke, but this is actually a real addiction. An old study defined people working more than 50 hours a week as workaholics but this measure doesn’t apply to our lives nowadays. Let’s say then that when work interferes with your marriage, the time you spend with your children and friends, and other vital activities such as eating and sleeping, then it is likely that you have a serious obsession with your work. Being hard working is not the same as being workaholic. A hard worker knows when to take a break; a workaholic basically lives for his or her job.

Sources & Links

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Photo courtesy of Judit Klein by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/juditk/8710192152/
www.forbes.com/sites/peggydrexler/2013/07/19/the-dangerous-side-of-workaholism/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mind-over-money/201307/are-you-workaholic

Shopping Addiction

Buying a new pair of shoes or a cute dress always makes me feel happy. It’s like a drug, some people might say. Well, this is not completely wrong; there are people that find it rewarding and chilling to buy anything, at any price, even if they don’t need it or can’t afford it. Compulsive shopping can be considered and obsessive compulsive disorder and has increased in later years, thanks to credit cards, which make it easy for you to have money anywhere at anytime. As with any other addiction, shopaholics become dependent on this activity and tend to accumulate what they buy. They usually experience other addictions, such as drug abuse and alcoholism.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Marc Samsom by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/marcsamsom/3855520544/
www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/index.aspx?AID=34
http://www.addictions.com/shopping/

Sex Addiction

Sex addiction is a term used for a wide range of behaviors that involve compulsive sexual thoughts and acts. A sex addict can be obsessed with masturbation or pornography, but in some cases, this addiction can progress to exhibitionism, child molestation and rape. Sex addiction is promoted nowadays by an easy access to pornography and other sex services. It is important to say that not all sex offenders are sex addicts and that it is very complicated to determine the causes of sex addiction. As with other addictions, a sex addict doesn’t care about the consequences of his or her acts, even when they can hurt others.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Klinger by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/jonklinger/189358245/
psychcentral.com/lib/what-causes-sexual-addiction/000744
http://www.sexualrecovery.com/articles/amiasexaddict.php

Food Addiction

Who doesn’t love food? A nice meal and a tasty dessert always gets you in a good mood, doesn’t it? When people need food to feel happy they are certainly going through a food abuse problem. Low-self esteem and other emotional issues, such as depression, can promote food addiction. People with emotional problems feel that they can relieve their pain with food, even when they know that later they will feel guilty about it. Nowadays, it is very easy to have access to junk food, which is usually what addicts crave. This addiction can cause severe health problems, from obesity and diabetes to heart and kidney disease.