Addiction : Addiction And The Properties Of Consumerism

Every day, hundreds of people experience the overwhelming effects of addictions. Individuals can become addicted to virtually any action or item. If individuals use addictive substances, there will be serious medical repercussions. This paper will focus on the idea of addiction through the fields of anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and how these fields have benefitted this prominent issue. Addictions are currently being researched by various social scientists in an attempt to fully understand their causes and cures.

The authors explain that addiction is caused by people adopting excessive habit to compensate for the painful void from lack of psychosocial integration. The lack of psychosocial integration is rooted from the dislocation

Addiction is like all behaviours “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006).

As defined by (Henderson, 2000), addition can be explained as a situation in which a person becomes too dependent on a substance to the extent of not being able to live without it. The author further adds that addiction does not only involve substances as it can also be as a result of a persistent behavior. Referring to the behavioral addiction, the author termed activities such as shopping, driving, and gambling among others as capable of addicting. The author added that the easiest way of identifying addiction in a person is by observing whether or not they exhibit repeated, compulsive behavior in order to maximize rewards. Such behaviors are observed from an intense craving depicted by the victim. The most common form of addition according to the author is, however, substance based (drug

Addictions are strongholds and bondages that are more often than not difficult to overcome. The addiction holds a person’s well-being captive which result in unusual behavioral patterns. According to Gabor Maté and Arold Langeveld “addiction means be to a slave” relatively speaking when a person is addicted in reality they are a slave to the stimuli. Furthermore the outcome of addiction will result in behavioral patterns that will satisfy the addiction.

There is no one theory that sufficiently clarifies addiction. However, theorists define addiction as an entity that deals with one’s mind and emotions. They believe their psychological model of research points to a link between addiction and cognitive behavior which can in turn, lead to negative emotions and reactions (McNeece & DiNitto, 2011, p.26).

The causes of addiction are often misunderstood while the addictive personality is permanent once it develops. The addictive belief process is comparable to illusions and delusions. There are eight illusions pertaining to the addictive process, which is also referred to as values and beliefs. These value and belief systems stem from society; the first value is the need to be #1. Society today places a great deal of value on being #1, such as the need for luxurious expensive items thus creating unrealistic expectations, often originating as being a workaholic in an effort to attain such status. Commercials on television today exemplify this by showing beautiful people advertising for the adult beverage companies giving the user the feeling that if they utilize this product they can be #1 and receive all the perks that go along with it. Living for outcomes in an effort to be #1 and not living in the moment. All addictions are mood altering and the addict begins living for the outcome. Control is the 3rd model whereby, the addict senses he/she has control over their using, and are capable of quitting at anytime; the reverse is true in this case. There is a perception and belief that one must reach perfection, as a means of doing everything precise and without errors is

Traditionally, substance dependence was a primary definition for an addiction. Today, an addiction can be defined as a continuous and compulsive condition where individuals crave/seek a stimuli that is required for survival despite the consequences for their actions (Burkett, 2012). There are many forms of addiction. However, love is one of the strongest sensations and emotions known to human beings (Reynaud, 2010). Love addiction can be a very powerful sensation that seems to distract individuals from making rational decision about the personal risks and rewards of their own behavior (Burkett, 2012). This form of addiction happens in two significant stages: euphoria and relapse. However, it is important to analyze how love addiction affects

“ Addiction is an adaptation. It’s not you-- It’s the cage you live in”, said Johann Hari who is a journalist who has spent a few years researching and questioning the way we treat addiction. I never knew that addiction was a big problem in our society today. You can be addicted to anything it doesn’t necessarily mean alcohol or drugs. In this case it is about things like pornography and video games. We have to stop living these secret lives and live in reality.

Someone with addiction is led in their lives by compulsive behaviours in which they often have no control of (Nutt, 2012). For people suffering from addiction, the majority of their time in their lives becomes their need in seeking to satisfy their cravings as to whatever it is that they are addicted to (Nutt, 2012). This craving for people with addiction "becomes the most powerful source of motivation in their lives, overpowering every other need and often leading them to harm themselves and others" (Nutt, 2012, p. 132). Someone living with an addiction could also be known as someone with an "addiction personality" and were often seen as someone who was morally weak as they were unable to resist the temptation of their cravings to whatever it is they are addicted to (Nutt, 2012).

Further, addiction is a condition that results from an initial pleasure that later become compulsive, it could and will interfere with one’s everyday life responsibilities. In worst case, he/she is not aware that his/her behavior is out of control and causes serious consequences to him/herself and problems to others. Although some cultures experience

The term scientific of the shopping addiction is "oniomania" and this word derived from two words, the first word is "onio" which means sale and the other word is "mania" which means craze or obsession. In the culture of psychiatry referred to this type of drug addiction that buy a lot and not satisfying the rights, and suffers from this turmoil to both men and women by almost equal and not women only as some say, but we cannot deny that women have the capacity of enormous purchasing power. But is this an addiction in the true sense of such as drugs addiction? If human resort to buy motivated by alleviating the pressure may have suffered or as a result of suffering from serious concern or aborting, it is the truth to the kind of addiction.

In the reality TV show “My Strange Addiction,” participants are brought on to showcase how their “addictions” impact their everyday lives. These participants open themselves up to display to the viewers what it is like to live with their bizarre inclinations. Once, the participants display their “strange addiction,” they will go to a physician to see how they can change their habits. Some participants “addictions” may be weird, but nonetheless, harmless. Examples would be: having a romantic relationship with their car, having hair that is twenty-one feet long, or dressing up as a baby during their free time. Others, may not be so harmless. Some participants’ habits prove to be detrimental to their health and wellbeing. Like, being obsessed with eating mattresses, eating clay face masks, or being obsessed to drinking their own urine. Although the show tries to portray the participants’ habits as “addictions,” what they are showing are signs of psychological disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and many other disorders.

People toss around “addiction” and “addicted” to define several compulsive behaviors. Specialists-- such as psychologists and sociologists-- continue revealing new and different forms of addiction constantly. Addiction is the negative, compulsive need for a substance, or activity that gives the addict a positive feeling despite adverse consequences (Addiction). In addition, the word addict means, to devote oneself, or surrender to an obsessive or habitual habit (Addict). When someone says they are, “addicted” to an activity, or hobby; are they actually addicted?

The modern world offers many thing humans can be addicts of. Some smoke and others suck a pencil. The point is that both of them bring comfort or discomfort. There are offers of pleasures and displeasures the choice to choose anything in life is possible. Maybe in 21st century will or be many of us addicts, it’s the matter of degree.