What is an addiction? Characteristics and symptoms of this pathology

There is no doubt that the concept of "addiction" has now gone far beyond the health field and is widespread in popular culture. It is common to hear this word when talking about someone who can barely spend a few hours without being in the company of her boyfriend or girlfriend, to describe a person who constantly consumes certain types of sugary drinks, to refer to someone who likes to cling to power at work or in the community politics etc

However, precisely this widespread use of the term "addiction" has meant that, while everyone has heard it and has a rough idea about what it is, there are few who really know what a real addiction consists of, beyond the metaphors and the inappropriate use of words. words. So, In this article we will talk about what an addiction really is. and what characteristics it presents as a health problem.

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What exactly is an addiction?

The first thing to know about addiction is that it is a pathology, that is, by definition, it is a health problem that negatively affects the quality of life of those who suffer from it; therefore, it is not a "normal" experience that arises from a certain lifestyle, nor is it a way in which any other way of feeling well-being in specific situations (by momentarily satiating the need that has made us addicts).

In fact, Addictive disorders are one of the pathologies with the greatest capacity to shorten people's lives, and although it presents different variants, the most severe ones physically harm people in a matter of months.

What is it that characterizes addictions? It is a pathology that affects both the behavior of people (and therefore has a facet of psychological alteration) and their body and, more specifically, their brain (so it has another aspect as a neurological and psychiatric disorder), and is triggered when the person enters a vicious circle of carrying out the addictive experience, on the one hand, Y suffer discomfort for taking a while without experiencing that satiating experience, for the other.

Thus, addicted people become slaves to a type of experience, which in many cases consists of taking certain types of drugs but which is not always based on consuming substances, and As the pathology progresses, the degree of dependency on these experiences increases more and more, so that the freedom and health of the individual are increasingly surrounded and worn.

If we add to this fact that addictions are a relatively widespread disorder among the population and that the habitual consumption of some drugs is so common that it has become normalized and it is seen as something “natural” (approximately 60% of the adult Spanish population consumes alcohol regularly), detecting the first symptoms of addiction is very important go to health professionals to undergo treatment for addictions.

This process lasts several months and, after its completion, it is recommended to continue medical follow-up, since even when the person overcomes the worst part of the addiction, a part of this pathology remains latent making it more likely to relapse than the average citizen (suffering immediate consequences as well greater).

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Key Characteristics of Addiction

The characteristics that define addictive disorders are the following.

1. The brain's reward system is altered

The main neurological alteration linked to addiction is the rapid modification of the brain reward system, a network of neurons distributed mainly in a part of the brain known as the tegmental area ventral and by the limbic system, which is a group of brain structures associated with our side emotional.

The function of the reward system is to predispose us to carry out certain actions that we have psychologically associated with the experience of pleasure, and addiction affects it by reconfiguring it for dedicate most of our attention, time and efforts to be able to repeat what we have become addicted to.

Sometimes, the one that intervenes on this part of our nervous system is a drug, which physically interacts with our neurons despite being an "external" agent not foreseen by our body; and sometimes, we develop actions without consuming any product that enters our brain, and it is through our actions that we alter our reward system. That is why there are addictions that do not involve taking drugs, such as gambling.

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2. They cause us to suffer withdrawal syndrome

In all addictions there is a withdrawal syndrome, which is a reaction of our nervous system when trying to adapt to a situation in which we have spent more hours than normal without quenching our impulse to repeat the addictive experience.

In the case of less severe addictions, this is limited to a feeling of discomfort and certain physiological symptoms relatively mild, such as tremors or dizziness, but in the most dangerous addictions, withdrawal symptoms can cause death. For example, people with a strong addiction to alcohol or benzodiazepines need to see a doctor to overcoming the addiction, since if they try to stop using on their own and without supervision, they can suffer a stoppage cardiac.

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3. They generate the phenomenon of tolerance

All addictions give rise to what is known as tolerance, which consists of a growing tendency to rely more and more on what we have become addicted to. In other words, as the addiction progresses, we increasingly need greater amounts of what we are addicted to in order to feel satiated for the moment. This means that as time goes by and the disease consolidates, we are increasingly trapped.

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Do you need to start treatment for addictions?

If you are looking for therapeutic support to overcome an addiction, contact us.

In appointment clinics we specialize in offering therapy for addictive disorders from both psychology and medicine. We intervene in addictions with or without substances, through outpatient care and/or through care outpatient in our residential module located in an environment surrounded by nature and tranquility, and fully equipped. You can find us in Barcelona and in Dosrius (Mataró).