Gene Tierney famously said “I admire anyone who rids himself of an addiction”. This is especially true when it comes to certain types of addiction. Addiction to drugs, alcohol, sex, caffeine, and gambling could be hard habits to kick back once they have taken affect. In this paper I will be discussing the different causes of addiction, the different types of addiction, the different symptoms: both positive and negative, and the treatments and present research being done to help save you r life.

Obviously the causes of addiction vary depending on the drug and the person. For instance someone addicted to caffeine could more easily quit than someone addicted to the drug heroin. Any type of addictions all start with a person’s ability to wait in order to obtain something that he or she wants which is known as impulse control. Accordingly, a person who is unable to delay gratification might possess an imbalanced psychic apparatus wherein the id cannot be controlled by the ego and the super-ego. Another is Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance (drug) that is not considered dependent. Some of the drugs that are mostly associated with this type of abuse is alcohol and cocaine. When someone's reaction to a specific drug and concentration of the drug is progressively reduced, requiring an increase in concentration to achieve the desired effect this is called Tolerance.

Additional to the veriest types of ways to become addicted to a product, there are also the different types of substances that one can get addicted too. For instance, Caffeine, which includes products like: soft drinks, tea, coffee, and soda; can be toxic at sufficiently high doses, but ordinary consumption poses few known health risks, even when carried on for years — there may be a modest protective effect against some diseases, including certain types of cancer. Another addiction would be the one most vital and highly publicized over the years, which are drugs. Drug addiction was first sprung up in the United States in the 1960s, when illegal drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine, and hallucinogens were first introduced. Addiction to drugs is the most enslaving inclination above all other addictions and harder to get rid of.

Addiction to alcohol is another problem in the U.S. About 12% of American adults have had an alcohol dependence problem at some time in their life. When an individual uses alcohol, despite significant areas of dysfunction, evidence of physical dependence, and/or related hardship, and also may cause stress and bipolar disorder. Another is behavioral addiction which is sometimes referred to Impulse control disorders are increasingly recognized as treatable forms of addictions. The type of behaviors which some people have identified as being addictive include gambling, food, sex, viewing of pornography, use of computers, playing video games, use of the internet, work, exercise, spiritual obsession (as opposed to religious devotion), pain, cutting, and shopping.

The symptoms of addiction vary from tolerance to withdrawals. Tolerance results from over exposure to a drug and/or and activity over a long period of time. While addicts also experience withdrawal when they stop taking the drug to which they are addicted. They experience painful physical and mental symptoms, this is called withdrawal. Withdrawal makes it almost impossible for addicts to quit their addictions.

If someone you know is has an addiction problem then there are different treatments he or she can receive. For instance, Substance abuse, in children and adolescents use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and family therapy currently have the most research evidence for the treatment of substance abuse problems. These treatments can be administered in a variety of different formats, each of which has varying levels of research support. While other causes like impulse control can be tested in a person’s ability to delay gratification, the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment (1972), conducted by Prof. Walter Mischel, at Stanford University, California, studied a group of four-year-old children, each of whom was given one marshmallow, but promised two on condition that he or she wait twenty minutes, before eating the first marshmallow. Some children were able to wait the twenty minutes, and some were unable to wait.

In conclusion, controlling our impulses is something everyone struggles with, whether it’s ignoring a craving for pizza, extinguishing the urge to yell at our boss, or something more serious, like trying to quit smoking. Some habits become addicting, which results in substance abuse or addiction. We have to remember, that addiction is a mental illness in which one relies on a substance in order to function normally. Like abusers, an addict will engage in the activity no matter what the consequences may be to his or her physical or mental health. They take it one step further than abusers, though; addicts actually have to engage in the activity in order to function. Most addicts have typically engaged in the activity for so long that it no longer has the same effect as it did when they first started. The excitement has worn off; their bodies have become used to the drug; they have become tolerant. therefore; it takes more of the drug or activity to give them the high they are looking for. All the while Stress is another factor in your environment that might serve as a cause for addiction. Engaging in certain behaviors can help relieve stress. If you have a high- stress life, you might find yourself in engaging in this behavior repeatedly, which can lead to addiction.