What is an Addiction?

We are addicted to a substance or an activity when we repeatedly crave for it and would go to great lengths (often even detrimental to our well being) to obtain or experience it. Addictions can be to substances such as alcohol and drugs or even to activities such as gambling and sex. When the consequences for indulging in an activity are significant and the substantial price paid for continuing it is not worth the reward, that activity is termed as an addiction.

The range of negative addictions is wide – for some, the consequences are very minor, while for others the consequences can even be life threatening.

It may astonish you to know that addictions can also be positive in nature. In this case, the benefits overshadow the price by far. For example, the financial investment in books seems little to an avid reader compared to the knowledge and perspective gained by him through reading them.

The common thread that runs through both types of addictions – positive and negative - is that in both cases, there is an urge or craving to indulge in the addictive behavior. A strong desire to experience the benefits of the activity is what drives all addicts. If the urge is long lasting, it can even become uncomfortable. Having acted upon the urge, a great sense of relief dawns, thereby making it almost certain that the urge will be felt again.

In most cases, an addiction is habitual. Addictive behavior is learned, acquired through experience (most first time gamblers indulge in the activity without prior knowledge about it, and find it thrilling and stimulating), or exposure by observing others. If we enjoy at least some aspect of an activity which we experience often, it is likely that there will arise an urge to indulge in it again. If the experience does not provide pleasure or satisfaction, then we will not get addicted to it. What is considered pleasurable, however, varies from person to person.

An addiction is, almost always, a coping mechanism for feelings of a negative nature (if I don’t exercise enough, I will be more vulnerable to disease; if I don’t take cocaine, I will feel stressed and angry). The pleasure derived from succumbing to the urge is used by addicts to obstruct negative emotions, especially in the case of substance abuse. By and by, the individual feels inadequate to deal with such moods and emotions by any other means.

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