Behavioral addictions are addictions not related to substances or drugs, people who suffer from them experience considerable degradation in all areas of their lives, especially in the family, finances and professional.
Although they have certain nuances, their characteristics and consequences are very similar to those of addiction.
- According to the study by José de Sola Gutiérrez (2014).
- The common criteria between both can be summarized as follows:.
Thus, the addict enters a cycle of “consumption/behavior”. Abstinence? I wish, where drugs or addictive behavior are at the center of your life. Virtually all of their behaviors are research and consumption oriented.
As mentioned earlier, the two types share many characteristics. Chemical and behavioral dependence leads to addiction, withdrawal syndrome and tolerance.
However, the main differences in treatment choice should be taken into account.
The first difference is in withdrawal syndrome. In drug addiction, the physiological nature of the substance causes abstinence, once consumed, to disappear. This is not the case with behavioral addictions, i. e. abstinence does not go away even if addictive behavior occurs.
The second difference is related to comorbidity between substances or sources of dependence.
In addiction, polytoxia (use of various types of drugs) is very common. In substance-free addictions, many addictions are not common (e. g. pathological play and work-related addiction).
Formerly known as ludopathy, it is defined as a deastroptive, persistent, and recurrent gambling behavior. The person begins to play gradually, gradually increasing the amount and frequency.
Within the economic losses caused by addiction, the person becomes indebted and accumulates economic, professional, family and even legal problems; Finally, it is often family members or those closest to her who force her to seek treatment.
With regard to this typology, it can be said that new technologies are increasingly facilitating the start and maintenance of gaming behaviour, Internet gaming rooms and online betting have increased the number of cases and made processing difficult.
Also known as oniomania, this addiction is characterized by the compulsive and impulsive purchase of products without reason or need.
These are generally not expensive products, but multiple small purchases that end up in a person’s economy, are characteristic of industrialized countries, and are aggravated by credit card payments because they do not physically raise the money spent.
This dependency is typically measured by the number of hours a person spends working without financial or other needs.
The number one priority is employment, which stands before other areas of life, which can even be put at risk by the addict.
The workahoosure does not take vacations or days off, and when he is not at work he has typical withdrawal symptoms. As in the previous case, labour dependence is also generally characteristic of industrialized countries.
It is a controversial addiction because it is necessary to establish a separation between addiction and behavior, the person who meets the conditions mentioned in the first part of the article will begin to be addicted to sex.
It should be noted that this dependence implies suffering for the person, because the implementation of the behavior does not relieve his desire, but leads him to act again.
Belonging to so-called “new addictions”, this typology has a high prevalence among young and minors.
Its inclusion in behavioral addictions has long been discussed, although its participation in this group has finally been demonstrated. Screen dependency includes overuse of:
Since its inception, behavioral addictions have taken a long time to be recognized as de facto addictions. Currently, deciding between what it is and what is not an addiction remains controversial.
Does this create one?Moral vacuum?in society, which seems unaware of the problem of addictions without substance, responsible for so much suffering.
In addition, there is great ease to perform these behaviors: shopping, betting on a slot machine in a bar, opening Instagram, turning on the TV?
It is also necessary to highlight the consumer goods industry, which through incessant advertising campaigns encourages the individual to carry out these actions, which are harmless at first, but which can make treatment very difficult.
There are, according to the law, advertisements warning of the negative effects of alcohol and tobacco use, in addition, medicines and even some processed foods are also accompanied by recommendations on their consumption.
It may initially be a solution to try to prevent the occurrence of certain types of behavioral addictions.