Types of Addiction
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a chronic disorder of the reward, motivation and memory system in the brain. In 1956, addiction was officially classified as a disease by the American Medical Association. Today, the terms addiction, chemical dependency, substance abuse and substance use disorder are often used interchangeably and reference the misuse of alcohol, drugs and other mood-altering substances. Addiction is a chronic condition that impacts various aspects of your life including your health, relationship with others and personal development and growth. Like other disease, it is a treatable disease.
There are two main categories of addiction. A chemical addiction or a substance use disorder involves the use of substances like alcohol and drugs. A behavioral addiction involves impulsive behaviors such as persistent and repeated actions that you carry out despite them offering no real benefit to your life.
Chemical addiction has had a huge impact on public health over the past decades; specifically with the opioid overdose epidemic in the United States. In 2022, studies found an estimated 48.7 million people ages 12 and older experienced a substance use disorder. Of those 48.7 million, about 29.5 million had an alcohol use disorder and 27.2 million had a drug use disorder. And, an estimated 8 million people suffer from both and alcohol and drug addiction.
What is Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic disease that is influenced by biological, psychological and environmental elements. This can be anything from genetics, mental health conditions and various social and cultural influences. The common denominator in addiction is compulsion. Both behavioral and substance addiction come from the same brain processes, in which the brain becomes less able to control itself when it comes to the brain’s reward center.
So how does an addiction work? Humans are biologically motivated to seek rewards. Rewards are often a result of healthy behaviors such as spending time with your loved ones and your body releases chemicals called dopamine, making you feel a sense of pleasure. When you begin using substances or engaging in behaviors that stimulate the feelings of reward such as spending money or sex, it sends massive surges of dopamine through your brain. All addictions directly impact the reward center of the brain and create intense bursts of pleasure known as a high. Addiction is basically a shortcut to the reward center, which is normally obtained through working hard toward a goal and achieving a goal.
Instead of motivating your brain to do things you need to survive such as eat and work, the huge surge in dopamine levels can alter your thoughts, feelings and behaviors to continue seeking out huge dopamine rushes through the use of substances or participating in impulsive behaviors. Over time, these substances and behaviors can change your brain chemistry, desensitize you to its effects and create a tolerance in which you need more in order to feel the same. This ultimately leads to the development of addiction.
Addiction can encompass cognitive, behavioral and psychological symptoms that are apparent when a person consistently engages in substance use behaviors despite resulting in significant negative consequences. Some key signs that may indicate you have an addiction include the inability to stop using your drug of choice, personal and health issues, an intense focus on the substance in use, a lack of control when it comes to the substance, an increased tolerance for the drug and experiencing withdrawal if you stop drug use.
Types of Addictions
We know that addiction falls into two main categories: chemical addiction and behavioral addiction. Chemical addiction also known as substance addiction, can be anywhere from mild, to moderate to severe. Mind or mood-altering substances have the potential for addiction whether or not they are prescription medications, over-the-counter medications or illegal street drugs. The most common form of chemical addiction in the United States is alcohol use disorder or alcoholism. Other types of chemical addictions include opioids, cannabis, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine and methamphetamines. They can also include hallucinogens, hypnotics, sedatives, benzos, inhalants, and stimulants.
Behavioral addiction or process addictions involve engaging in compulsive behaviors with no positive outcome. These non-substance addictions are capable of stimulating your brain’s reward system. A behavioral addiction is the inability to resist harmful impulses that are often driven by temptation. Types of behavioral addiction include gambling addiction, food addiction, body dysmorphia, exercise addiction, shopping addiction, shoplifting addiction, sex addiction, video gaming addiction and an addiction to social media.
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The impact of Addiction on your Brain
- The reward system. Addiction interferes with normal brain functions, specifically the reward system. When you find something enjoyable, the reward system in the brain releases neurotransmitters like dopamine into the body. Dopamine is a chemical that reinforces the brain’s association between certain feelings of pleasure and happiness, which then drives you to seek out these feelings again in the future. Using drugs often forces the brain to release large amounts of dopamine and can chemically alter the brain’s reward system.
- Cravings and tolerance. The desire to experience pleasure and euphoria again can trigger cravings for a substance or a behavior. Cravings are often the first sign of addiction. When you continue to use a substance or engage in a specific type of process behavior, your brain will continue to produce huge amounts of dopamine in the reward center. Your brain will soon recognize that there is plenty of dopamine already in the brain and start to produce less when it is responding to normal triggers that do not involve substance use or participating in process behaviors.
- Loss of interest in other activities. When an addiction develops, it is common to lose interest in other hobbies or activities you once enjoyed. This occurs because your brain can no longer produce enough dopamine in response to those natural triggers. Sometimes even when you stop using substances or engaging in addictive behaviors, your natural dopamine levels are not enough and you can feel the need to continue indulging in substances in order to feel good or feel normal.
- Loss of control. With addiction, you become less and less capable of controlling your actions, which include consuming substances or engaging in specific behaviors.
What causes Addiction?
There is no one single cause of addiction because it is a very complex condition. But there are many factors that can impact the causes of addiction.
- Biological factors. Biological factors can include genetics, gender, family history and ethnicity. Research has found that some gene variations can exacerbate the likelihood of developing addictive behaviors. A disruption in the neurotransmitter process for dopamine can cause an imbalance and change the brain’s reward system, which can cause a person to develop an addiction. The variations in each person’s brain structure can also impact its response to addictive substances.
- Social and environmental factors. The social and environmental factors are generally associated with relationships, family, school and community. Influence from friends or social circles can impact drug use. Cultural influences and media often normalize drug use. Substance use as well as engaging in specific types of behaviors can be used as a coping mechanism to numb emotional pain due to trauma, abuse or financial struggles.
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Treatment for Addiction
Some of the common characteristics that define all types of addiction are when a person believes their happiness is dependent on the drug of choice or engaging in harmful behavior, seeing relationships suffer due to drug use or compulsive behaviors and losing control over their drug use or addictive behavior despite resulting in negative consequences. Addiction is a disease. Whether it is a substance addiction or a behavioral addiction, it is a chronic condition that can be treated. Hotel California by the Sea provides treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions.
We provide treatment at all levels of care including detox, residential, PHP and IOP. We utilize evidence-proven treatment methods such as CBT, DBT, and EMDR therapy. Hotel California by the Sea is dedicated to helping clients overcome their addictions and achieve their goals of sobriety.
References:
https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/addiction/types-of-addiction
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6407-addiction
https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-addiction
https://addictionresource.com/addiction/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/addiction/addiction-types