...Drug and alcohol addictions are severe, yes, but other addictions including shopping, exercise, gambling, internet, abusive relationships, and many others often do not take the spotlight and are also unhealthy. With the increased awareness about addictions in our world today, its effects are a growing concern for future generations. The word ‘addiction’ does not only apply to substance and alcohol abuse. Recently the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D.S.M.), the standard reference work for psychiatric illnesses, announced [in the last decade] updated definitions of substance abuse and addiction, including a new category of behavioral addictions (Markel).'' Although substance addictions are accompanied by a variety of...
Words: 1787 - Pages: 8
...Addiction is one who becomes psychologically dependent on a habit-forming-activity. People with an addiction do not have the control over what they are actually doing, taking or using. Addictions not only include physical things we consume, such as alcohol or drugs; it may include virtually anything around us; it comes in many form and one of them is that of movies. Movies cause addiction. Why do we say so? In this modernization society, youths tend to watch movies for solace when they feel stressed and pressured; they can get temporary emotional relief while watching it. However, the addiction of movies can be expensive if we go to mall or theatres. Money is not only spent on movie tickets, yet they also need to pay for other expenses like petrol fees, parking fees, and of tit-bits. Youths should learn how to spend wisely as they are not earning these money by their own, and they should have spend these money on something that can benefits more to them such as buying reference books. Moreover, addiction to movies can also affect youth’s mental and physical health. When they are addicted to movies, they will start paying attention on every new movie they are interested to; their main concerns become the release date of the movie, the booking, the trailers, and so on. Watching movie without tit-bits is meaningless, and that they will eat those unhealthy foods that may harm their health. When they having addiction on movies, they are neglecting exercise; regular exercise...
Words: 417 - Pages: 2
...Exercise Addiction Exercise has become a trend! People are now exercising more than ever before, whether it’s on a sports team or activities such as running, badminton, and biking. Not only is exercise fun, but it has many benefits including, weight control, increase endurance and improved moods. Furthermore, exercise also reduces the risk of serious diseases. Although exercise itself isn’t difficult, the commitment to do it continuously can be, and this consistency is the only way to see the true benefits of exercise. Exercise programs are often started with good intentions, but quickly fail because of overtraining. People often misunderstand what moderate exercise is, and they think that by exercising at extreme limits, they will reach their fitness goals faster. Overtraining actually has the reverse effect, either creating a serious addiction to exercise, and potentially leading people to the point of injury. There are many reasons why people become addicted to exercise. The primary reasons are physical appearance; and to reach optimum health. The addiction to reach these goals motivates the need to over train, and ignore the longer term benefits of moderation. Another reason for exercise addiction is because the addiction itself is a fad, or a social trend. For example, people might want to be like a famous celebrity who keeps a beautiful shape for films. Similar to extreme diets, extreme exercise can also be seen as excessive behavior and can potentially cause...
Words: 610 - Pages: 3
...Are you always thinking to yourself how you need to lose weight? Did healthy eating and exercise come to your mind or was trying a diet pill what you thought about? Everyone wants to lose weight, but no one ever wants to lose weight the healthy way. People just want to find a quick and easy way to lose weight fast. Regardless of any harmful side effects that can result later down the road to their body. Metabolism disruption, dehydration, and addiction are just a few of some serious health problems that can occur. When people choose diet pills over healthy eating, they never consider those harmful effects on their body that can result from their quick fix. One harmful effect is Metabolism Disruption. Metabolism disruption is one of the possible dangers of taking weight-loss pills. Metabolism is the body's process of converting food and water to energy. Diet pills are made to suppress a person’s appetite, meaning you will not want to eat a lot. In doing that you will be limiting your calorie intake; as an end result, slowing your metabolism down. With fewer calories consumed, your metabolism slows down and becomes sluggish. This causes you to lose lesser and lesser weight over a period of time. It can also cause your body to go into starvation mode. When your body is in starvation mode, meaning you do not consume enough food to provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs daily, your body will slow your metabolism down to conserve energy. Slower metabolisms need less...
Words: 971 - Pages: 4
...wet for me. At home I could not where a long sleeve shirt that would be so out of the ordinary for me so I decided to make up a story about the strings on my wrists. Now as for the obsession log I found an interesting way to hide that. At work we have a handheld device that we process all our work orders on. I used that to take my notes on for the obsession log. It just looked like I was taking care of the work order information for the customers. At home it was just another day it would be more unusual if someone didn’t have some sort of electronic device in their hand at my house so it was much easier to hide at home. Overall there were no significant obstacles with this exercise I thought everything went rather smooth. Own Reactions This experience was rather enlightening for me. I have dealt with addiction of my own and I have watched friends go through the same thing. I found it rather easy for me to slip back into the mindset for this...
Words: 1130 - Pages: 5
...awareness of ourselves and our environment. Conscious information processing enables us to exercise control and to communicate our mental states to others. Beneath the surface, unconscious processing occurs simultaneously on many parallel tracks. Our daily schedule of waking and sleeping is governed by a biological clock known as circadian rhythm. Our sleep also follows a repeating cycle. Awakening people during REM sleep yields predictable “dreamlike” reports that are mostly of ordinary events. Freud’s view that dreams can be traced back to erotic wishes is giving way to newer theories, for example, that dreams help us process information and fix it in memory or that dreams erupt from neural activity. Studies of hypnosis indicate that, although hypnotic procedures may facilitate recall, the hypnotist’s beliefs frequently work their way into subjects’ recollections. Hypnosis can be at least temporarily therapeutic and has the potential of bringing significant pain relief. Hypnosis may be an extension both of normal principles of social influence and of everyday splits in consciousness. Psychoactive drugs also alter consciousness. Depressants act by depressing neural functioning. Although their effects are pleasurable, they impair memory and self-awareness and may have other physical consequences. Stimulants act at the synapses by influencing the brain’s neurotransmitters. Their effects depend on dosage and the user’s personality and expectations. Hallucinogens can distort...
Words: 3169 - Pages: 13
...Computer addiction A disorder in which the individual turns to the Internet or plays computer games in an attempt to change moods, overcome anxiety, deal with depression, reduce isolation or loneliness, or distract themselves from overwhelming problems. The elderly, as well as children and adolescents, are particularly vulnerable because they may not realize the extent of their dependency. In many instances, individuals with computer addiction may seek help for another condition, such as depression, phobias or other addictions. Computer addiction is defined as the immoderate/compulsive use of computers so much so that it interferes with daily activities. It is a disorder whereby the individual devotes oneself to activities on the internet such as checking of e-mails, going on social networking sites or plays computer games for 12 hour or more at a time. Computer addicts turn to the internet/computers to attempt to change their moods, overcome anxiety, deal with depression, reduce the feeling of isolation or loneliness, or to distract themselves from overwhelming problems that they are facing. The groups of people that are especially susceptible are the elderly, children and teenagers. This is because they might not realise the extent of their dependency on the computer. Effects of Computer Addiction Computer addiction can have a number of negative effects on individuals physically or psychologically. Psychologically, the most critical...
Words: 1301 - Pages: 6
...Addiction is the compulsion to do something. There are two major types of addiction mental/psychological and physical/chemical. I) Physical dependency ~ Is when a person has a chemical addiction to something normally to induce pleasure. Often the substance has withdrawal effects. After some time the substance is used to relieve the anxiety caused by the absence of the chemical. People explain that coming off the “high” makes them feel so low that they want more just to feel normal. A) Alcohol ~Approximately 14 million Americans (7.4%) suffer from alcohol abuse or addiction. Alcoholism can: 1) Reduce life expectancy by 10 to 15 years. 2) Destroy brain cells, possibly leading to brain damage. 3) Hinders the ability to retrieve, consolidate, and process information. 4) Can affect cognitive abilities. 5) Interfere with the oxygen supply of the brain causing a blackout when totally drunk. 6) Inflame or cause cancer in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. 7) Produce irregular heartbeats, high-blood pressure, and heart attacks. 8) Harm vision. 9) Damage sexual function. 10) Can cause skin and pancreatic disorders, weaken the bones and muscles. Most alcoholics struggle with it their entire life. Even one drink can cause an alcoholic to become addicted even if they have been sober for twenty years. B) Nicotine ~ This addictive drug found in tobacco gives a person pleasure and euphoria by increasing the levels of dopamine within the reward circuits...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...EFFECTS OF DRUG ADDICTION REGARDING THE HEALTH OF THIRD YEAR STUDENTS Chapter I INTRODUCTION The coverage of this chapter is composed of the Background of the study, Statement of the Problem, Theoretical Framework, Significance of the Study, Scope and Delimitation and Definition of Terms. Background of the Study Drug addiction has long been and still is a topical issue around the world. There are different reasons why people get addicted and various levels to which people become dependent on drugs. Some people start taking them because of pure curiosity, others so as to improve their athletic performance or reduce stress and get rid of depression. It doesn’t matter why people start, the main thing here is to get help at the right time and not to ruin their life and health. When people start taking drugs, with time the way their brain functions and looks is altered. First of all, drug taking causes elevation of dopamine level in brain, which results in the feeling of pleasure. Brain remembers this event and wants it repeated. So, the drug a person takes eventually reaches the significance that other physiological needs have. As a result, the person’s abilities to think clearly, control behavior, exercise good judgment and feel well without drugs intake becomes affected. This, in its turn, causes problems in relations with family, friends, at work or in university. It is extremely important to recognize drug addiction at the right moment, preferably in the beginning...
Words: 445 - Pages: 2
...Unit 9 Assignment Introduction to Cognitive Psychology Linda is an ex substance abuser and has experienced a few relapses. Linda is 33 and is in good health besides damage to her lungs due to smoking crack cocaine. She is concerned about her memory, since she misplaces her car keys at home and losing her car in the parking lot. Linda is also telling stories regarding her children and is later corrected for telling the story about the wrong child. Linda has no brain damage, besides the decay of her memory due to her substance abuse. When one has brain damage, or anyone uses any illicit drug, it affects the function of the brain. She believes she might be suffering from a neurological disorder. I believe the effect she is experiencing is due to her past substance use. Cocaine is known to cause several neurological disorders due to the fact that the crystalline free-base form is water insoluble which when smoking or free basing results in an instantaneous high contributing to the rapid absorption through the large pulmonary surface area and swift penetration to the brain. Cocaine can be absorbed from the mucous membrane, therefore causing neurological complications (Agarwal, 2013). Since she is healthy I would rule out that it is a neurological disorder and that it is just poor memory. Substance abuse affects the brain stem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex since drugs are chemicals. Cocaine causes nerve cells to release excessive amounts of natural neurotransmitters...
Words: 1298 - Pages: 6
...bottle of beer in their hands or some marijuana. That is addiction. Millions of people are addicts to different things like alcohol, drugs and other things. They get drunk or high and lose control, and poof, next thing they know they are laying in the middle of the road or in an ambulance. Addiction can majorly affect your health. Addiction is the uncontrollable use of a mind- altering substance or behavior that harms your physical, mental and spiritual health. Health is balancing our physical, mental and spiritual health using the four daily requirements: food, rest, exercise and elimination. Physical health is any biological function related to the 12 body systems. That means eating healthy, exercising, resting and eliminating. Addiction can affect your physical health by affecting the 12 body systems. Addiction to drugs (mainly alcohol) can lead to Cirrhosis of the Liver-which is when the liver dries up and can’t function properly. I learned this when we talked about Mickey Mantle who was an addict and he had Cirrhosis and he died from it. Addiction can affect your physical health by possibly giving you alcohol poisoning (only if you are addicted to alcohol and if you drink a lot of it). You might get really drunk and get alcohol poisoning and almost die. Oh believe me it’s possible, it has happened before. It has happened quite a few times actually to be precise. I learned this from the Binge drinking video. Addiction can also affect your mental health. Mental...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...Science Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/soscij Addiction to mobile text messaging applications is nothing to “lol” aboutଝ Abdullah J. Sultan ∗ Department of Management and Marketing, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5486, Safat 13055, Kuwait a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 3 December 2012 Received in revised form 5 September 2013 Accepted 5 September 2013 Available online 2 October 2013 Keywords: Text messaging Social communication Social phobia and anxiety Addiction Extraversion a b s t r a c t The recent use of mobile text messaging applications, such as Blackberry Messenger (BBM) and WhatsApp, has increased greatly throughout the world. Unfortunately, this advanced technology is not without problems. In this study, the researcher argues that BBM and WhatsApp may generate noticeable improvements in consumer’s lives but may simultaneously cause serious social and personal problems, including addiction to these applications. Amazingly, this topic has received little if any attention from consumer behaviorists, who need to understand the psychological factors that affect BBM and WhatsApp consumers. Hence, the current research examines two personality traits—extraversion and social anxiety—that influence consumer attitudes toward these applications. The results of a survey from 552 BBM and WhatsApp consumers in Kuwait indicate that the interaction effect of extraversion and social anxiety is significantly related to consumer...
Words: 8963 - Pages: 36
...The reasons I chose understanding the addiction, treatment knowledge and boundary violation issues model of competencies as the most important competencies because regardless of the professional identity, each treatment provider must have a basic understanding of the addiction that includes knowledge of current models and theories, of the contexts within which substance use occurs, and awareness of the effects of psychoactive drug use. Each professional must be knowledgeable about the continuum of care and the social contexts affecting the treatment and recovery process (SAMHSA 1998). Three Competencies Understanding the addiction, addiction professionals/counselor work in a broad variety of disciple but share an understanding of the addictive...
Words: 348 - Pages: 2
...Psychology is wide broad discipline, with many possible career tracks to pick. The most usual specialization in the broad view of psychology comprises psychologist, counselor, social worker and therapist. Choosing a specialization can be formidable task on how long you will study is depending on the specialty that you choose. Below are the different specializations in the field of Psychology Addiction Psychology As the specialty name implies, this area of psychology uses psychological research and theories to counsel, diagnose and treat individuals with addictions. Addiction psychologists take various psychological approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, behaviorism and psychodynamics to treat and better understand addictions. Addiction Psychology uses a method which are psychological research and theories to treat, counsel, diagnose a...
Words: 934 - Pages: 4
...addicted and have to read this essay. Historically, addiction used to solely refer to psychoactive substances that change the chemical balance of the brain. These substances include drugs, alcohol and tobacco. People usually are familiar with these obvious addictions. However, more and more psychologists and health care professionals point out that addiction do not just include physical things we consume, like heroin, barbiturates and alcohol, but may also include virtually anything, such as shopping, sex, internet, work, even exercise which is generally considered as healthy and chocolate which is generally considered as harmless snack. In other words, addictions are not limited to substance dependence (e.g. drug abuse) but also includes behavioral addiction which people usually play down the seriousness of it. Actuall, addictive disorders can present considerable threats to human health and people can be capable of being addicted to virtually anything from plastic surgery to texting if they still primarily focus on cigarette ,drugs and alcohol, ignore behavioral additions practically. Therefore, Americans have to face up to behavioral addiction (as opposed to chemical addiction) which may be caused from general habit. Most of people engage in different hobbies and activities or using substance without any serious problems. Yet, some people may experience suffering from physical and mental pain when their general habits become addictions. So what is the difference between a general...
Words: 423 - Pages: 2
