Is Everyone Addicted To Something?

I guess, we all are   addicted to something.Addiction may be a part of and parcel of our human nature.  We all are restless, irritable. and discontent- Most of us find it impossible to just sit and do nothing.So we distract ourselves with activity and entertainment: cell phones, texting , video games, iPods, TVs, movies, magazines, non-stop busyness to keep us looking everywhere but not  inside ourselves. We mood-alter with substances (sugar, alcohol, drugs, nicotine, caffeine, etc.) and activities (shopping, gambling, sex, work, viewing porn, etc.) We are unable to simply be awake and present to life - so we medicate our existential anxiety.

....

Addiction is quite common in modern societies. It is roughly estimated that between 8-13% of people living in developed countries experience addiction: whether to food, video games, alcohol, drugs, or even sports. But why do some people get addicted to chemicals and behaviors and others don’t? In other words, what causes addiction?

Scientists say that addiction is a brain disease. Most of us think that we become addicted to anything first by trying it out. But scientists and researchers think that the brain of an addict is different. They have noticed that the initial decision to take drugs, gamble, binge drink, or overeat is voluntary. But what happens then?

To be honest, researchers, scientists and doctors DON’T KNOW. And they put out theories of addiction to try to explain why addicts continue behaviors that are often very self-destructive. In some models, addiction is strictly a medical condition and is an involuntary result of use. In other models, addiction is the result of emotional and psychological problems. And still other models look to the need to self-medicate for psychiatric conditions.

But what is common among the experience of all addicts is changes in the brain as a result of chemicals or behaviors. Whether or not the brain is predisposed to addiction is still being argued. But most scientists agree that when some people experience a sense of euphoria, pleasure or ease as a result of drugs or behaviors …. and that persons continues the behavior…they can start to change the brain over time.

Simply put, the brain of an addict changes over time and makes self control and the ability to resist intense impulses (cravings) very, very difficult.

This type of alteration of the brain is most obvious in drug use, when neurotransmitters (the chemical messengers between brain cells) triggered by drugs either:

1. activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages
2. prevent recycling of brain chemicals or
3. over produce brain chemicals

Why do people become addicted?

Again, we don’t really know what causes addiction. Addiction is a complex disease that affects the physical brain, the psychological mind, and the spiritual self. But scientists look to two major standout reasons for addiction:

1. Biology (nature) – Addiction is in the genes. Genetics make some people more vulnerable to addiction than others.

2. Environment (nurture) – A person’s environment greatly affects whether or not s/he uses or abuses substances or behaviors. A number of different factors influence substance use, including:

• attitudes and beliefs
• family (quality of parenting)
• friends (peer pressure)
• personality traits or characteristics
• physical abuse
• quality of life
• school factors
• sexual abuse
• socioeconomic status
• stress 

Why can’t addicts say NO?

It may seem pretty simple to you. If you want to stop being addicted to something, you stop using it. But the good intention to quit a behavior or a chemical substance like drugs or alcohol take more than just good intentions and willpower. The brain needs a break from the self-rewarding and reinforcing pathway that chemical or behavioral addictions create.