These days, the word addiction turns up a lot in casual conversation. People tell you they’re addicted to their cozy PJs or their daily run on the treadmill.
Since I grew up in the Stone Age before smartphones and social media, my mind immediately goes to alcohol or drugs whenever I hear the word addiction. Yes, both are rightfully considered addictions. However, addiction has gone high-tech, as many people now struggle with gaming and social media addictions.
On some level, many of us struggle with addictive behaviors – even if we don’t entirely fit the clinical definition of addiction. Let’s take a closer look at the causes of addiction so we can start the path to change. First, it’s helpful to define and understand addiction.
What is an addiction?
According to Healthline.com, “An addiction is a chronic dysfunction of the brain system that involves reward, motivation, and memory. It’s about the way your body craves a substance or behavior, especially if it causes a compulsive or obsessive pursuit of ‘reward’ and lack of concern over consequences.”
Being unable to quit a harmful substance or behavior can make you feel stuck, lonely, and hopeless. Once you start to understand why you’re stuck craving unhealthy substances or behaviors, you can take steps toward freeing yourself.
Why am I addicted: root causes
Although more causes could be added to this list, these are the most common underlying reasons for addiction.
1. Childhood exposure:
A recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) study addressed links between childhood exposure to harmful substances or behaviors as a path to addiction. These links include:
- Actual and repeated exposure to a harmful substance at a young age
- Parents who struggle with addiction
- Environmental factors such as neglect and loneliness
Being introduced to a harmful substance or behavior as a child affects the developing brain. Whether it’s alcohol, drugs, or pornography, the supranormal pleasure and excitement of these pursuits fire up the brain’s reward centers.
Repeated use of a substance or behavior trains the brain to turn to this specific reward pathway, hijacking a child’s natural curiosity. Studies show that the prefrontal cortex – the logic and decision-making center of the brain – isn’t fully developed until the mid-twenties. These findings underscore why certain addictive behaviors can be so challenging for children and teens to overcome.
2. Trauma:
While no one escapes life unscathed by hardship, different types of trauma, such as abuse, divorce, or the death of a loved one, cause people to look for ways to escape and soothe their pain. Dr. Gabor Maté, who worked with drug addicts for 12 years, notes that trauma is a psychological wound with clear connections to addiction.
3. Shame:
“Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging,” says Dr. Brené Brown in her book Daring Greatly. An expert researcher on shame and vulnerability, she notes: ”Statistics dictate that very few people haven’t been affected by addiction. I believe we all numb our feelings.”
Her research directly connects “acts of numbing shame” as one of three key, often combined reasons for addictions: shame, disconnection, and anxiety.
4. Disconnection, loneliness, and anxiety:
Feelings of loneliness and disconnection, leading to anxiety, become reasons for numbing pain with addictive behaviors. Unfortunately, addictions often lead to further shame and isolation.
5. Family history of addiction:
Researchers have recently identified genetic markers that may predispose people to addiction. Having a family history of addiction is a strong reason to practice caution and examine the different ways addiction could appear in your life.
Different types of addiction
Again, Dr. Brené Brown notes that we all generally struggle with numbing behaviors – different types of addiction – whether it’s our work, online activities, or particular substances. Here’s a broad overview of different kinds of addictions:
Substance Addictions
Substance addictions are the most prominent and familiar addictions, ranging from drugs and alcohol to dependence on cannabis, caffeine, and tobacco.
Behavioral Addictions
Process or behavioral addictions include impulse control disorders ranging from pyromania to gambling disorders. More subtle forms of behavioral addiction include online gaming or compulsive sexual behaviors such as porn addiction, as recently noted by researchers.
Process addictions, such as some eating disorders, are growing. They include repetitive behaviors that light up the brain’s reward system. Other process or behavioral addictions include being a workaholic or even an exercise addict!
It’s not uncommon for people to have co-occurring addictions or to substitute a new addiction for an old one they overcame.
Common signs of addiction
The inability to quit any behavior despite trying and experiencing negative consequences is a big red flag of potential addiction.
Many feel stuck and hopeless. So even if shame was a cause of addiction, the vicious shame, guilt, and depression cycle is hard to escape. If you’re concerned that you have a problem area, you probably do. Self-evaluation and seeking help are signs of strength!
Links between addiction and mental health challenges
According to SAMHSA, at least one in four adults living with serious mental health problems also struggles with addiction. Sometimes, it may feel like the chicken or the egg question – which comes first? However, successfully addressing certain behavioral addictions has been shown to improve mental health.
How understanding the causes of addiction is the path to a better life
Wouldn’t you love to leave this world a better place for future generations? Trying to escape by numbing just keeps you stuck in the downward spiral of addiction. You were made for more!
“The effects of drugs are pleasurable and rewarding only in relation to how a person feels emotionally and physically in the context of his or her relationships and social life and other opportunities for development and reward.” – Psychology Today
Knowing and admitting you need help is the first step towards healing and hope.
Positive step #1
Ask for help. It’s really that simple. Shame is not the boss of you! You can privately seek mental health help or addiction help. Ask a friend or trusted relative to hold you accountable for this vital goal.
Positive step #2: Focus on who you wish to become
Identifying your reasons for overcoming any addiction is essential. Clearly stating your life goals helps you set a different course focused on the positive!
Positive step #3: Focus on the benefits of getting help
- Regain hope for the future
- Enjoy relationships with real people
- Invest in yourself: new hobbies, skills, education
- Improve your self-image
- Escape negative long-term mental and physical consequences of addiction
- Sleep better
- Increase your focus and productivity
- Empower others with your positive example
Identifying what is driving an addiction for yourself or someone you love might be the most empowering step you can take to make a difference. While you can only change yourself, your life ripples out to touch others.
We need to help ourselves and Gen Z (dubbed the “loneliest generation”) change course to avoid a life that feels like an AI-generated, synthetic existence. If we stop numbing ourselves, we’ll start learning how to create a life that truly matters.
If you or someone you know experiences mental health issues, it is important to seek help from a qualified professional. Our Resource Specialists can help you find expert mental health resources and support in your community. Contact us now for more information on this free service.
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About the Author: Julia Daniels is a staff writer and researcher for Ever Accountable, an accountability-empowered company that seeks to help any who wishes to overcome porn. She is incredibly inspired by her daughter and her research to make a difference for Gen Z, the loneliest generation.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pensive-ethnic-man-in-earbuds-with-big-bag-on-shoulder-in-downtown-3799672/
The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios.
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