The word addiction is used in daily life in many different areas such as internet, shopping, social media, relationship, substance, caffeine, sports, gambling, smartphone, food addiction. “I have a food addiction. “I can't stop eating.” or "You never put your phone down, you are addicted to your phone." You must have come across people who make sentences like this. Before making such judgments, I think we need to consider these two concepts separately in order to distinguish whether the phenomenon is a habit or an addiction.
Our habits define the behaviors we routinely perform in our daily lives. Habits can be positive and negative. Going to bed at the same time every day, brushing your teeth, and walking every day are positive habits. Sleeping late at night, eating heavy meals at night, and smoking are negative habits. Repetition of negative habits with a certain routine is not always considered addiction.
Addiction is the next stage of habit. The full development of addiction is evaluated by routine and excessive addictive behavior. Feelings and thoughts such as not being able to stop doing it, not being able to give up the habit even if the person is harmed, not being able to quit even if he wants to, and thinking that he cannot do without it are dominant. Addiction is when a person becomes excessively dependent on an object, person or phenomenon. The most important factor that fuels addiction is the presence of a pleasurable external factor. Pleasure and joy depend on something outside. Its most attractive aspect is that it can relieve people from anxiety and tension.
While addictions such as alcohol, drugs and cigarettes cause medical problems, other types of addictions cause more emotional and social problems. All types of addiction reduce the person's quality of life in terms of its consequences. Because nothing else can make a person happy except what they are addicted to.
If we take game addiction, which is a more dominant psychological addiction, as an example; If a person who spends the evening between 19.00 and 21.00 playing PC games and does this routinely every day can give up playing PC for that day if he has an exam the next day or has a program related to a friend, this is a good idea. It is fluidity. However, if he cannot stop playing games even when he has another responsibility or social activity, if the hours he spends in front of the computer increase day by day, if he is unable to go to school or even do personal care, then we can say that this has turned into a gaming addiction.
Is It Possible to Change Habits?
In order to establish new ones instead of changing habits, the first step should be to prepare oneself mentally, in other words, to make a decision. Then, new behavioral patterns should be adopted and differences that can replace the behavior/habit should be implemented. Although the familiarity and reliability of the old habit may create a feeling of deprivation at first, determined implementation of the replaced behavior will allow the new habit to become established. Every successful effort will positively support the person by increasing his self-belief. In this respect, being able to delay gratification and ignore the momentary feeling of happiness that the habit will give is very important. You should also remember that you decided to change the habit because you knew the long-term harm it caused.
Addiction is a disorder that is more difficult to cope with and requires different approaches and treatment options depending on its type. It is possible for a person to get rid of addiction individually, but it is very difficult. Treatment of the habit that harms the person who has reached the level of addiction is more effective with pharmacological, psychological treatments and social support. If you feel that there is addiction in those around you, in yourself, or that a habit of yours is heading towards addiction, you should seek expert help without delay or force your loved ones to get help. Like all other illnesses, the sooner treatment is sought for addictions, the more easily a solution can be obtained.
“NOT EVERY HABIT IS ADDICTION. “
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