Technological progress, abundance of goods and services have played a cruel joke on people. In the 21st century, the problem of addiction is more acute than ever before. If earlier it was associated exclusively with drug addiction and alcoholism, now there are different types of it. In the 80s of the 20th century, shopaholism, gambling addiction and other types of addictions began to be considered from a psychological point of view and diagnosed as a disease.
What is addiction?
Addiction is a scientific term that characterizes dependence. It is a pathological internal state of a person that constantly motivates him to perform certain actions. A person does not control his behavior. He is not free.
Addiction destroys personality, interferes with social adaptation, and prevents success in professional activities. A person gets used to a certain behavior program. His thoughts, feelings, and actions are aimed at satisfying an internal need for something. Over time, such a behavioral reaction is fixed at the level of the central nervous system and turns into an addiction.
Main types of dependencies
In medicine, there is a classification of addictions . The object that provokes the pathological condition is the main criterion for dividing into groups and subgroups. The following types of addictions are distinguished:
- Chemical – associated with the use of certain chemicals. Alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, toxicomania are the most common types.
- Food (or biochemical) – caused by an eating disorder. Frequent diets, excessive consumption of sweets – the initial stages of the disease. Refusal to eat (anorexia), gluttony (bulimia) – severe manifestations of addiction.
- Non-chemical – is formed on the basis of actions with living or non-living objects. We are talking about fanaticism, workaholism, shopaholism, blind adherence to the principles of a healthy lifestyle. This type of addiction includes excessive passion for the Internet, television, mobile phones, computer games, selfies. These are the so-called addictions of modern times.
Substance addiction
Chemical dependence is the most studied. Any thinking person understands that alcoholism, drug addiction, toxicomania are serious diseases. Such a pathological condition cannot be interpreted as lack of will, immorality, or lack of love for loved ones. Dependence on substances is an illness provoked by individual personality traits, external factors, that is, the pathological condition is primary in itself. Other diseases, the destruction of ties with society, immoral behavior are consequences of alcoholism, drug addiction, and other types of chemical dependence.
Treatment of chemical addiction gives results only with a comprehensive impact on the body. Ethanol, psychotropic substances gradually integrate into metabolic processes and rebuild the body’s work. In their absence, the patient experiences discomfort, and subsequently excruciating pain, so the craving for the substance is fixed at the subconscious level.
Even the complete elimination of the addictive chemical compound from the patient’s life does not solve the problem. Positive dynamics are achieved gradually and over a long period of time. The main activities are carried out in a hospital setting:
- detoxification of the body and stabilization of physiological systems;
- psychotherapy aimed at developing a new model of behavior;
- rehabilitation.
Chemical dependence is difficult to treat and has a tendency to relapse, but alcoholics, drug addicts, and toxicomaniacs should not be left without specialized medical care. There are many positive examples of such patients returning to normal life. The Danko Medical Center specializes in the treatment of chemical dependence and other types of addictive behavior.
Causes of addiction
The state of dependence has a physiological mechanism of formation and develops gradually under the influence of external and internal factors. In most cases, destructive personality changes begin as a result of an internal conflict between a person’s desires and his social realization.
The intense rhythm of life, chronic fatigue, stress, unfulfilled goals – all this destroys the nervous system. To relieve stress, a person switches to simple, pleasant activities. And their choice is very rich: computer games, delicious food, drinking alcohol, buying new things and others.
All people are under pressure from difficult life tasks, but not every person becomes addicted. Individuals with special personal qualities fall into the risk group:
- low self-esteem;
- low stress resistance;
- egocentrism;
- maximalism;
- disorganization;
- suggestibility;
- unfounded anxiety;
- inability to analyze one’s own behavior and draw conclusions after experiencing failures.
When identifying the causes of addiction, genetic predisposition cannot be discounted. That is why it is so important to know your pedigree.
How to get rid of addiction?
Determining the cause is an important condition when deciding how to get rid of addiction . The specialists of our medical center focus on studying the individual characteristics of the patient, carefully analyzing his positive and negative personal characteristics. These are the starting points for organizing effective treatment.
The patient’s voluntary consent to hospitalization is the basis for successful addiction treatment . The patient’s awareness of the problem significantly facilitates the task of restoring the body.
At Danko, doctors deal with different types of addictions and provide qualified assistance to patients regardless of the severity of the condition. It is never too late to start treatment!