Week 9: XXI century addictions

XXI century has brought us to a time when addiction has a much broader meaning than it had few years ago. Alcoholism or drug abuse aren't the only popular addictions anymore. Nowadays, people are prone to many more types of addiction, some of which could be considered absurd. It can be mental or psychosomatic, but it's always dangerous when one has a withdrawal symptoms.

Let's start with an innocent one - Chocolate. It is a confectionery product which everyone knows and usually likes. It is one of the basic contents of many cakes or other deserts but is sometimes considered an addictive product. Chocolate addiction happens when one loses control over the amount of substance he eats. It's very easy to succumb to it. Chocolate can affect the human brain in a way that a person feels euphoria, happiness or even sexual arousal. Theobromine, an alkaloid stimulant contained in chocolate is not addictive but it works similarly to caffeine. It acts on the central nervous system. Caffeine itself can also be found in chocolate and is one of the most addictive drugs. Although the quantity of it is too small it can also bring a person to addiction at some point. Tryptophan is another substance that boosts the mood, transmitting serotonin. It's not addictive by itself but people find it easy to get addicted to pleasure. Summing up, chocolate most likely cannot be addictive by itself, however the feeling after eating a chocolate bar can be hard to resist.

(Source:http://www.yummy.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mixed-Chocs-chocolate-33338405-1366-768.png)

Another popular addiction is a tanning addiction, often called tanorexia. It happens when a person overuses sunbathing or tanning beds. How can it be addictive? Some tan-lovers tend to release a substance called opioid which stimulates human mood, acting similarly to heroine, morphine or codeine. Tanorexia is very dangerous as it often requires UV radiation that may lead to skin cancer, sight loss, depression or some serious burns.

Workaholism is another problem which never was bigger than in XXI century. People nowadays have much more job opportunities, and desires. Commercials are part of peoples everyday lives making them crave new objects. Workaholic is a person who dedicated his or her life to work, often taking pleasure out of it.  It is not the same as working hard. Workaholics tend to be proud of the term they are described by. But the addiction has a negative effect on other aspects of life that are neglected (such as family or social relations). Addicted people often lose track of time while working. They ruin their health due to shortage of sleep. They feel the urge to be busy all the time, doing tasks that aren't really necessary.  Psychologists say that overworking can be a mask for anxiety, low self-esteem, and intimacy issues and is a serious problem that can lead to early death.

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a very elaborate subject. This is probably the most common XXI century addiction. People  use Internet in many ways. Having access to it almost all the time, they depend on it for many things. Since the Internet has a broad variety of subjects it created lots of cyber addictions:

• Cybersexual addicton - watching pornography, discussing on sex-related subjects.
• Cyber-relationship addiction - an addiction to cyber society.
• Net compulsions - a need to be connected to the net all the time.
• Information overload - getting more and more information
• Computer addiction - spending time working on computer, not necessarily connected to the Internet

Yet another addiction worth mentioning is oniomania, otherwise known as shopping addiction. There are oniomaniacs or compulsive shoppers in almost every neighborhood. Studies suggest that compulsive buying affects more than one in 20 adults. The mania has been linked to depression since shopping can rise up one's self-esteem, giving them false feeling of power and strength.

Sex Addiction, being one of better known addictions, was always present in history, but presently people turn the urge into a compulsive behavior, having sex regardless of their relations or beliefs. Easy access to porn through TV or the Internet makes the problem bigger now then it was ever before.

Exercise Addiction happens when finding a limit to physical exercising is hard. An addict dedicate his life to the gym, sacrificing other life aspects. It can cause several dysfunctions in life. People tend to deny themselves rest, while it's really important for muscles in order to regenerate. It can be also harmful for the body if it's not used to the imposed effort. The amount of exercises creates euphoria in the addict, driving him to work harder and longer. It brings him to the situation when he must exercise more every time to achieve the euphoric feeling. This addiction often comes along with many disorders, mostly regarding food.

(Source: http://www.exercisesoftware.com/mediaImg/exsoft.jpg)

Every pleasure in life can be dangerous if it's overused. People need to remember that there's a thin line between pleasure and  self-destruction.

Questions:

Have you heard about anyone with one of those addictions?

Which one of those addictions would you succumb to?