The Five Stages Of Addictive Behavior

Addiction is a chronic disease that affect many people every year. It can be seen in many forms and can be classified as either physical, behavioral addictions. Physical addictions are also called substance addictions and include alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Behavioral or process addictions can be characterized as gambling, food, sex, internet, video games, and social media. “Addiction is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairments in behavior control, cravings, diminishing recognition of significant problems, and a dysfunctional emotional response.” It is divided into five stages; stage one is experimentation, stage two is regular use, stage three is problem or dangerous use, stage four is dependence, and stage five
Genetic factors suggest that there is an “addictive gene” that can be genetically passed down through generations. Not all children acquire the gene, but the ones that do have a fifty percent chance they will end up with addictive behaviors. A study compared 861 identical twin pairs and 653 fraternal twins to determine if the genetic predisposition was a leading factor in addiction. When one identical twin was addicted to alcohol the other twin had a high probability of developing an addiction. Although when one fraternal twin was addicted to alcohol the other twin did not show any signs that he would later develop an addiction. This study showed how addiction is only fifty percent related to genetic disposition and fifty percent poor coping skills. Even though someone may not have a high genetic disposition it is still possibly for them to get addicted through repeated abuse which will completely rewire your brain. A person’s environment plays a huge role in determining whether or not they will have an addictive behavior. For instance a child with little or no attention from their parents will have a more likely chance of falling into an addictive behavior than a child that gets attention from their parents regularly. Social gatherings are surrounded with peer pressure and some fall to give in easier than others. The
In the brain, addictive behavior affects the neurotransmissions and interactions within the reward structures. Which leads to the brains pyramid of motivations to be distorted and replaced with addictive behaviors. This causes displacement of the safe, healthy, and self-care behaviors. Leaving the memory of previous rewards triggering cravings causing the consumer to keep wanting the substance or to engage in such activity. The more the consumer takes part in the addictive behaviors the higher the tolerance and the more likely they will