Addiction
It is possible to become addicted to anything that gives you pleasure. Addictions occur when someone's innate emotional needs are not being met by their environment or by the life they are leading. An addiction is a way of coping with the world.
Contrary to what many people believe most addicts do recover and leave their addictions behind - but beating addiction can be difficult.
The explanation for why addictions are difficult to beat lies in the chemical reward mechanisms that the human brain uses to motivate itself to act and learn.
The excitement we get when we are keen to do something is produced by dopamine, a natural brain chemical, which raises our emotional level and motivates us to take action.
The warm feelings of satisfaction we get after doing something — eating, laughing, having sex, or achieving some new understanding or skill — are produced by endorphin, another brain chemical.
Working together these chemicals keep us interested in doing the biological functions that preserve the species and stretch each one of us to learn and achieve.
Addiction hijacks this process by tricking your brain to produce dopamine, which makes you crave your addiction and then releasing endorphin to reward you for engaging in your addiction. Over time, these rewards decrease, forcing you to engage more and more in the addiction to get the same reward.
To beat addiction you must overcome these cravings and find ways to live a more rewarding life in which your emotional needs are met. This is possible and many people have done it before.
If you are worried that you may have an addiction it may help you to speak to one of our counsellors. You can find more details about our counselling service here.
