What are the most common substance addictions?

When we talk about addictions, alcohol or hard drugs immediately come to mind, but in In reality, there is a wide range in relation to this type of disorder and also to behaviors addictive.

As we say, addiction manifests itself in many different forms, not only as substances that are consumed.

• Related article: "Antonio Molina: addictions during adolescence"

What kinds of addictions can we find?

We believe it appropriate before entering this section to point out that addiction is recognized as a disease by the World Health Organization. In fact, this institution recognizes it as a mental illness, like other disorders such as Alzheimer's or schizophrenia. In addition, it also places it at the level of chronic diseases such as cancer.

The characteristics of addiction They are mainly the following:

• Loss of ability not to consume.
• Not being able to control impulses.
• Uncontrolled desire to consume.
• Dysfunctionality in emotional responses that derive from interpersonal relationships.

So, there's basically

three groups of addictions that we can recognize: to substances, to behaviors (non-substances) and emotional. In this article we are going to talk about the first group.

The most common substance addictions

As we say, the most common and best-known addictions are those that have the consumption of different substances as their object. They are the following.

1. alcohol consumption

One of the main problems that alcoholism presents is that alcohol consumption is legal., making it easy to access. However, it is very important to know that ingesting these drinks can cause very serious health effects.

One of the consequences of this addiction is dangerous and risky behavior on the part of the addict. On the other hand, one of the difficulties that the addict has to face is that he is very socially accepted, and frequently, many believe that it is only a social behavior, when in reality it is a very dangerous substance.

The effects of alcohol are notable on a physical and psycho-cognitive level, since they generate effects such as hangovers and malaise as well as emotional instability, a significant decrease in the ability to react and a greater aggressiveness of the person.

2. Addiction to tobacco

Did you know that what causes addiction is nicotine? As in the previous case, it is a legal substance, although there is more knowledge about the damage it causes.

Nicotine changes how the brain works considerably, and that's why addiction occurs. It is important to know that smoke causes many respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

• You may be interested in: "The effects of tobacco on the brain"

3. pill addiction

Although getting them is not as easy as getting a bottle of alcohol, there are many people who are addicted to pills.

It is very important to consider that each pill is different and has very different effects depending on its type and the amount consumed.

The greatest danger that exists in the consumption of pills is that the tolerance to them is very fast, with what each time the addict needs to take more and more to achieve the effect that he intends to achieve with his consumption.

4. cannabis addiction

How many times have you been told that nothing happens by smoking a joint? Have you been told that the only thing that happens is that you get happier? Well the truth is that there is much more behind cannabis.

Although it is an illegal substance, cannabis is one of the most popular among consumers because it is relatively easy to access, and you can even buy plants and grow them as an individual.

There are many false beliefs surrounding cannabis, the most popular being that since it comes from a plant it is natural, and therefore has no negative consequences. The truth is it does have important consequences on the health of the consumer. In fact, it affects the cognitive level, since it causes a deterioration of intelligence, memory and fluency of speech. In addition, it is also related to mental disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Addiction must be treated properly

A substance addiction is something that requires specialized treatment and personalized to each specific case. It is important to know the addict and his situation well, and based on this act.

The treatment of addiction encompasses the use by different stages in which different aspects are worked on, such as the complete elimination of consumption or the patient's self-awareness.