The conventional belief when it comes to addiction is the intake of substances like alcohol and drugs. Based on recent studies, addiction is likely to set in when there are rewards.
This implies that if there are rewards attached to taking any substance or showcasing a particular behavior, then people would get addicted.
Now, it would interest you to know that there is a thin line between excessive behavior and addiction. There are some individuals who take part in excessive activities but they are not addicts.
The reason for this is because, they do not undergo any adverse effect when they take part in the behavior.
Excessive behavior is also the same as excessive enthusiasm, and life is added in this case. For addiction, life is taken away gradually.
An addictive behavior comes with some unpleasant consequences. First off, an addiction is likely to be the most prioritized activity in the life of an individual. It could be one of the ways they use to step-up their mood.
In addition to this, they would most likely feel the desire to carry out that activity regularly for the effects to be felt. If they are unable to do it, they experience psychological and physical symptoms.
The availability of this could induce conflict both at work and in their personal lives. For some of them who try to give up, they experience relapse all times.
The mode of development of addictions is a complex one, be it behavioral or chemical.
It is very easy for you to spot chemical addictions, but behavioral addictions are usually referred to as the hidden forms of addiction. It would take a very observant person to know someone who has a behavioral addiction.
The responsibility of a healthcare provider is to make sure that all their patients have a clean bill of health. This is the reason why there should be a widespread awareness of all the common forms of addiction.
Family and friends need to be on the lookout for suspicious behaviors in their loved ones. If addiction is suspected, it should be treated with love instead of prejudice.