Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that about 11 million people die every year due to addiction and its consequences, and these cases mostly occur as a result of the physical addiction symptoms, while the rest of the deaths occur due to the suicide of addicts as a result of their guilt, depression, and inability to get rid of their addiction.
The addiction symptoms vary depending on the type of substance or behavior addicted to, and this addiction affects the person’s daily and work life, which pushes him to find a solution, but to no avail, which makes him lose his self-confidence and enter a state of severe depression, the results of which may be fatal in the end.
What is addiction?
Addiction symptoms are a psychological and behavioral condition that arises as a result of compulsive dependence on a particular substance or behavior, as performing this behavior stimulates the release of a number of hormones in the brain such as serotonin and dopamine, which creates a temporary feeling of happiness, and with time this process leads to changes in brain chemistry that make the individual unable to control his desires, although he is fully aware of their dangers and negative consequences.
Addiction symptoms develop, making the addicted person need to increase the dose or repeat the behavior excessively to achieve the same level of happiness that they previously achieved when they took smaller doses or practiced the same behavior less frequently than the current time.
The addicted person is aware of the dangers of addiction symptoms and often tries to quit this behavior but to no avail, which creates a sense of weakness and helplessness in addition to a sense of guilt as a result of this act, and as this vicious cycle continues, the health and psychological effects on the person worsen, which may lead to fatal consequences in the end.
The addiction symptoms are either physical or psychological, and each has different effects on the person, as some individuals suffer from psychological dependence only, others suffer from physical dependence only, and the individual may suffer from both types at the same time (such as shabu addiction), which makes the recovery process more complicated.
The difference between psychological and physical dependence
Psychological dependence is completely different from physical dependence, and a person may suffer from one or both types. Statistics indicate that the vast majority of people who suffer from addiction suffer from both types.
What is physical dependence?
Addiction symptoms are a condition in which the body becomes in need of a certain substance to function normally, and when a person stops using these substances, withdrawal symptoms appear, which may be severe and very serious, this type of addiction depends on the biological changes in the body, as the body has become accustomed to taking these substances and adapting to them, and common examples of physical dependence:
- Alcohol: When an alcoholic suddenly stops drinking, he or she may experience tremors, high blood pressure, and in some cases, hallucinations.
- Nicotine: Smokers trying to quit may experience a number of physical issues such as severe headaches, dizziness, and excessive sweating.
- Narcotics: Upon abrupt cessation, the addict may experience severe muscle pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
What is psychological dependence?
It is a condition in which a person becomes emotionally attached to a substance or behavior, feeling the urge to use it even if there is no physical dependence. This type depends more on emotional and behavioral effects than on the functions and biology of the body, and is a common example of psychological dependence:
- Gambling: The addict feels a compulsive urge to gamble even though there is no physical need to do so.
- Social media: Some feel a compulsive and compulsive need to follow social media to feel socially accepted rather than for physical reasons.
- Electronic games: The player feels the need to win in electronic games, especially competitive ones, to show their skills in this game and there is no physical need for this.
In most cases, the two types of addiction symptoms are intertwined, such as drug addiction where the person feels comfortable only when using drugs (this is psychological dependence), and when trying to stop using drugs, the person experiences severe physical addiction symptoms (this is physical dependence), which is more difficult and complex than separate physical or psychological dependence.
Physical addiction symptoms
The physical addiction symptoms appear on the addicted person and are felt by those around him, which raises the concern of people around him about his physical health, as addiction leads to changes in the functions of the nervous system, and affects the general health of the body, and later the effect of this substance begins to diminish, forcing the patient to compulsively increase the dose of this substance to obtain the same effect he was getting at the beginning.
Health deterioration due to addiction
The addicted person suffers from physical deterioration as a result of the substances he or she takes, which causes a change in many of the body’s vital functions and has a permanent negative impact on the individual, and among the addiction symptoms that appear in the person:
- Changes in weight: Either more or less, due to the substance’s effect on the patient’s appetite.
- Problems with sleep: The person suffers from either insomnia or excessive sleep as a result of the neurological disturbances caused by the substance, which is a characteristic symptom of addiction.
- Constant fatigue and tiredness: The person feels low on energy and is always tired even without engaging in strenuous physical activities.
- Gastrointestinal disorders: The person suffers from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea because the substance affects the digestive system.
- Tremor and sweating: Due to the effect of addictive substances on nerve receptors, this is one of the most common symptoms of addiction.
- High or low blood pressure.
Increased tolerance and the need to increase the dose
Increased tolerance is a biological process that occurs as a result of the body adapting to a substance due to repeated use over a long period of time, and the substance loses its effect on the body, so the person needs to use larger doses or repeat use to get the same feeling they had at the beginning.
Substances (such as alcohol and nicotine) affect receptors located in certain areas of the brain, and with repeated use, these receptors become less sensitive to these substances, making the substance less effective.
Increasing the dosage is very dangerous to human health because it triggers severe addiction symptoms, because increasing these substances significantly may lead to poisoning with these substances, or may cause damage to organs such as the liver and kidneys due to the pressure they bear as a result of processing these substances, and increasing the intake of these substances leads to severe addiction symptoms, which increases withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop taking these substances.
Psychological addiction symptoms
The psychological symptoms of addiction are more serious than the physical symptoms, because the psychological symptoms of addiction affect behavior and daily life more than the physical symptoms, making the person suffer from mood swings, in addition to having a significant impact on their social and emotional relationships.
Mood and personality changes as a sign of addiction
A person who is addicted to a particular substance or behavior suffers from sudden mood changes, which is an important symptom of addiction, and these fluctuations are sharp and highly frequent, as the person’s feelings suddenly change from euphoria and comfort to anger, depression, and anxiety, and these fluctuations are rapid and occur suddenly.
These addiction symptoms are due to the fact that these substances affect brain chemistry and significantly interfere with the neurotransmitters in the brain, where addictive substances (such as drugs) increase the secretion of neurotransmitters and hormones that stimulate the feeling of happiness significantly, but when the use stops for a few hours, the level of these hormones and metastases decreases suddenly and very significantly, so the person feels depressed and unhappy because he is used to a high level of these hormones, which reached a high level due to these substances.
Social withdrawal and isolation
The addicted person feels constantly depressed and guilty as a result of his addiction, which makes him look at non-addicted people around him that they are better than him, so his self-confidence decreases, his ability to socialize decreases, and he isolates in his room without trying to communicate with the outside world, this increases the feeling of depression and guilt that the patient feels, and this vicious cycle continues, and the person suffers from it on a daily basis, and addicts often try to try to get out of this cycle but without success, which eventually forces them to try to end their lives to get out of it.
Impact on daily life and work
Addiction symptoms (such as isolation and depression) negatively affect a person’s daily and practical life, so he loses his passion for life and his sense of responsibility decreases, so he neglects his studies or work, and his interest in his external appearance decreases, and the person’s behavior changes dramatically, as the person who uses addictive substances often tries to use them secretly. He also suffers from financial issues that occur as a result of spending his money to buy or promote these substances, and he may ask for money from his family or relatives without justifying why he needs it, all of which ends with the addiction symptoms affecting his daily and work life.
How do symptoms affect personal and family relationships?
In addition to the impact of addiction symptoms on a person’s daily and work life, it affects his emotional and family relationships, as the addicted person tends to try to hide his addiction in front of his family members, so he tends to isolate in his room, and communication between him and his family weakens, which raises anxiety and tension among family members due to the apparent symptoms of addiction suffered by the addicted person, and the person may suffer from severe financial issues, which causes financial pressure on the family, and an addicted father may be dangerous even for his children, because children often suffer from emotional and behavioral issues due to the unstable environment created by the addict
Signs of addictive behavior
A person with an addiction exhibits many signs of addiction that may cause concern and affect their daily life and psyche. These signs are distinctive and indicate a loss of control over the use of a substance or activity, and include:
- Constant preoccupation with the substance or activity: Constantly thinking about how to obtain the substance or engage in the addictive activity, such as playing video games.
- Loss of control: The inability to control behavior, often burdened by feelings of guilt and depression.
- Continuing despite the negative consequences: The person feels many issues as a result of the addiction, such as health, social, and financial issues resulting from the addiction.
- Neglect of responsibilities: Losing interest in studying, working, or neglecting relationships due to preoccupation with addiction.
- Withdrawal symptoms: These are symptoms that occur when the patient tries to stop, such as anxiety and depression.
All of these things make the individual and those around him feel worried about the addicted person as a result of the obvious addiction symptoms that the addict suffers from, as in some cases the addicted person may reach suicide to get rid of the depression that has afflicted him.
How to recognize addiction in its early stages
The addicted person goes through a number of stages that range from the desire to try a certain substance at first (such as cigarettes), then it moves to use it once every few days, then it becomes a daily necessity in small quantities, and finally turns into a compulsive desire to use this substance more than once a day with an attempt to increase the dose, and the symptoms of addiction appear, which are obvious.
Prevention and early detection of addiction
Addiction symptoms can be avoided when parents and local organizations educate young people about the dangers of addiction symptoms, and the family has the biggest role in this process. Family ties between family members must be strengthened, as this creates a supportive and loving environment that protects the individual from resorting to addiction symptoms as a way to escape from troubles, and friends must be chosen carefully because they play a big part in spreading addiction symptoms among each other, and stress management must be tried in a healthy way such as resorting to sports, painting or practicing religious rites to feel comfortable instead of resorting to addictive substances, and seek help when feeling some psychological disorders.
Fortunately, the person and those around him can detect addiction symptoms early on, through parents noticing that the individual’s behavior changes suddenly, and his mood swings increase, as he becomes angry at simple behaviors that did not make him angry before, and his academic or professional level deteriorates as a result of decreased concentration. Parents may notice that their child’s grades at school suddenly drop, as well as obvious physical addiction symptoms such as red eyes, constant fatigue, sudden weight loss or gain, the person may isolate from his family, try to avoid them, lie when asked about substance abuse, and may ask for more money than before in an unjustified manner.
When should I seek help?
When parents notice some of the addiction symptoms (such as isolation, mood swings and low academic level) in their child, they should seek help from a specialist in such cases, and not resort to scolding or punishing the person, as this will increase the severity of his depression and deepen his desire to use addictive substances to escape the fact that he thinks his family hates him as a result of his addiction.
A person can be completely free of addiction symptoms if there is a well thought out plan put in place by a medical professional, but this requires a long-term commitment and proper treatment.
How can full recovery from addiction be achieved?
This is done through a number of steps that include stopping the use of the substance or addictive behavior to alleviate addiction symptoms, in addition to rehabilitating the mind and body to ensure the prevention of relapse, and treatment includes the following:
- Medical treatment: This is the removal of toxins left by addictive substances within the body, and its benefit is to alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal.
- Psychological and behavioral therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps change the thought patterns and behaviors associated with addiction.
- Lifestyle changes: Getting active, building healthy habits, and avoiding triggers that may lead to relapse.
- Social support.
- Continuous follow-up.
In conclusion, the addicted person must be aware of the dangers of his addiction, seek to solve this issue, not hide the addiction symptoms from his family, and communicate with the specialized doctor to ensure that his condition is treated in the best way to ensure that he does not relapse.
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