THE 8 TYPES OF ADDICTIONS, CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

An addiction is the act of repeating conduct or behavior in an uncontrolled way, despite the damage that this causes in the life of the individual. Addictions develop because at first the behavior produced a benefit, which either has disappeared or is insignificant compared to the negative consequences of it.

There are many different types of addictions; Virtually any substance, situation or action that has a pleasant effect can end up creating an addiction. In general, it is very difficult to solve this problem; so much so, that within the field of psychology it is considered a mental illness.

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Typically, addictions are classified into two groups. On the one hand, we have those that are caused by substances, such as alcohol or tobacco. On the other hand, we can find purely behavioral dependencies, such as those that have to do with gambling, sex or the Internet.

In this article we tell you what are the most common types of addictions. In addition, we will also see why they are caused, and the most common consequences of each of them.

Substance addictions

Among the most dangerous addictions are those that have to do with chemicals that directly affect the brain. Many of these substances generate addiction by themselves, although in many cases they also cause a certain degree of psychological dependence that makes the problem even worse.

Among the most common substance addictions, we can find those related to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or psychotropic drugs. We will study each of them below.

Alcohol addiction

Alcoholism is one of the most common addictions in the world, and also one of the most destructive for both the individual and society. Alcohol abuse is linked to all kinds of very serious illnesses, as well as dangerous, violent or criminal behaviors.

The causes of alcohol addiction can be very varied. On the one hand, it is the most socially accepted drug in practically all cultures.

A person who does not drink alcohol is normally considered a stranger, there is great social pressure that makes most people start drinking at a very young age.

On the other hand, alcohol is used in general to avoid facing problems, especially those of an emotional nature. Thus, when some people feel sad, worried or nervous, they turn to this substance to alleviate their feelings. If you add a genetic predisposition to this, it is easy to understand the prevalence of alcoholism.

Regarding the consequences of alcohol addiction, we can find serious physical and mental health problems for the individual, in addition to difficulties at the level of society in general. It is related to cirrhosis, different types of cancer, and mental illnesses; but also with murders and traffic accidents.

As if this were not enough, alcohol is one of the few substances whose withdrawal syndrome can be fatal. Because of this, their addiction is one of the most dangerous, as well as being one of the most difficult to solve.

Addiction to tobacco

Despite not being as socially accepted as a few decades ago, tobacco continues to be the substance that causes the most damage in the world at the health level. It is estimated that approximately 1.3 billion deaths annually are related to the use of this substance.

Tobacco addiction occurs because one of its components, nicotine, significantly alters the functioning of the brain. When consumed regularly, the person begins to notice anxiety and discomfort after spending a few hours without being exposed to a dose. Due to this, its use is becoming more and more frequent.

On the other hand, smoking tobacco in the past was very popular on a social level, something similar to what happens with alcohol today.

Thus, films, advertisements, television programs and all kinds of cultural elements promoted the use of this drug, which caused the addiction of millions of people around the world.

Among the most common consequences of tobacco addiction we can find lung cancer, chronic diseases of the respiratory system, and circulatory system problems such as heart attacks. To date, tobacco causes 8.8% of deaths worldwide, and 4.1% of years lost due to various disabilities.

Cannabis addiction

The most widely used illegal recreational drug in most of the world is cannabis or marijuana. Despite being considered "safe" by most of the population, the truth is that its habitual consumption can be extremely harmful to the person.

On the other hand, due to the legalization of this substance in more and more parts of the developed world, many people believe that it is a safe drug. Although it is true that it is more difficult to develop addiction towards it than towards other similar substances, the consequences of this problem can be devastating.

Most cases of cannabis addiction are psychological in nature; that is, they are not directly related to changes in the brain caused by the drug.

However, in cases of extreme use, the psychological addiction adds to the physical, making it extremely difficult to give up this substance.

Regarding its consequences, marijuana can cause the deterioration of different mental capacities such as intelligence, memory or speech. It can also cause more serious psychological problems such as dementia or schizophrenia, in addition to negatively affecting different aspects of the individual's life.

Addiction to psychotropic drugs

Despite not being as common in Spanish-speaking countries as in other places, addiction to psychotropic drugs is a very serious health problem worldwide.

These substances, which in principle are intended to improve the quality of life of their users, can cause consequences as serious as illegal drugs.

Psychotropic drugs are medicines used to alleviate the symptoms of some mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety disorders. Generally, they can only be obtained by prescription, although in some countries their use is completely free.

The problem with some psychotropic drugs is that they are extremely addictive, and tolerance to them develops very quickly. This means that, after a certain time, it is necessary to take higher and higher doses of the substance to achieve the same effects.

Among the side effects of psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines are anxiety, depression, irritable moods, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts. On the other hand, their withdrawal syndrome can be very dangerous, in addition to being extremely for people who suffer from it.

Behavioral addictions

In addition to substance addictions, there are many others that are related to behaviors or everyday elements that in principle do not have to be harmful. The problem with these behavioral addictions is that they occur more progressively, and we are generally not as alert to them.

This is because, initially, elements such as gambling, pornography, food, or the Internet do not have to be dangerous or have negative consequences. However, your abuse can be almost as negative as the substance-related abuse we've seen before.

Gambling addiction

Gambling addiction is growing. This is due, in part, to how easy it is to access these types of games today, mainly thanks to the popularization of online casinos. On the other hand, at a cultural level there has been a change in people's perception of this issue, which is now more acceptable.

This type of addiction can take many different forms. From the typical slot machines of the casinos, to poker games, bingo and roulette, going through other activities such as buying lottery tickets or betting on the races; All of these activities have the potential to turn into a serious addiction.

Gambling is highly addictive because it exploits a principle in our psychology known as "intermittent reinforcement." When we play, we only receive a reward a small number of times; and we feel compelled to keep playing to get to the next prize. This can lead to changes in the brain.

As for the consequences of gambling addiction, we can find anhedonia (inability to enjoy any activity), anxiety, depression, loss of money, deterioration of social relationships, the appearance of risky behaviors and criminal activities.

Pornography addiction

Despite being viewed as totally harmless by most of the population, pornography is material that can become extremely addictive. However, its consumption is socially accepted, being its extremely common use by people of all kinds.

Why is pornography addictive? The problem is that the images shown in pornographic videos focus on elements such as variety and hypersexuality, at levels that are impossible to achieve in the real world. In this way, when consuming pornography, our brain is stimulated in an exaggerated way.

Several studies on this subject show that when we watch pornography, our reward circuit generates extremely high levels of dopamine, the hormone responsible for producing pleasure. When consumption is habitual, we generate tolerance towards this neurotransmitter, which causes all kinds of negative consequences.

Among other things, someone addicted to pornography will have a very difficult time enjoying real sex, which will seem boring and unstimulating in comparison. Thus, it is common to find problems such as erectile dysfunction, anorgasmia or difficulties to achieve arousal among those who suffer from this addiction.

On the other hand, resistance to dopamine also causes negative consequences not related to sex. Some of the most common are anhedonia, depression, anxiety and irritability.

Food addiction

In the same way that pornography exploits our natural reward circuitry and overstimulates it, modern food is capable of addicting us in the same way.

The foods we eat today are very different from what we found in our natural environment, so they have great potential to cause dependence.

On the one hand, the excessive use of harmful fats, sugar and additives of all kinds make food taste much more flavor than it would be natural. By consuming foods of this kind, our brain generates high doses of dopamine, the same hormone involved in addiction to pornography.

In addition, modern foods often have little nutrients, but are made up of what are known as "empty calories." Thus, despite eating, our body continues to detect that it has a nutrient deficit, and sends us the hunger signal again even if we have just eaten.

The most worrisome consequence of food addiction is obesity, a disease that the WHO already considers a global epidemic. Among its consequences are the increased risk of suffering from different types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even Alzheimer's.

On the other hand, food addiction can also cause all kinds of psychological problems, the most important being anxiety and depression. People with this dependence are also at risk of developing other serious mental illnesses such as anorexia or bulimia.

Internet addiction

We end the article with one of the addictions that are spreading the most in recent years but about which we are less aware; Internet addiction. Internet abuse can be, according to experts, as harmful as dependence on some drugs or on gambling, food or pornography.

The problem is that practically all the inhabitants of developed countries are constantly connected to the network. The Internet (and smartphones in particular) cause us dopamine spikes when using them, since for example receiving a message or a like on a social network are very rewarding situations.

Continued use of the Internet and mobile phones also generates resistance to dopamine, leading to serious consequences similar to those already mentioned above. Among other things, this addiction can cause depression, inability to enjoy, anxiety, and impaired social relationships.

On the other hand, in addition to these problems common to all behavioral addictions, those related to the Internet and smartphones can also cause the deterioration of some cognitive abilities, such as attention or memory, as well as serious insomnia problems.

References

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4. "10 Most Common Addictions" in: Addiction Helper. Retrieved on: February 10, 2019 from Addiction Helper: addictionhelper.com.
5. "9 of the World's Most Common Addictions" in: The Dawn. Retrieved on: February 10, 2019 from The Dawn: thedawnrehab.com.