Facts about teenage drug and alcohol abuse reveal that 86 percent of this age group know someone who smokes, drinks or does drugs during the school day. Everyone has heard these statistics and been told how addictions can ruin a person’s life. However addiction can occur in many forms and is constantly overlooked if it is not related to drugs or alcohol.

An addiction is a state where one is enslaved to a habit psychologically or physically and can take hold of people in many ways. People can be dependent on things either chemically, mentally, or emotionally and their own existence is based on that object and nothing else matters.

Food, video games, working, shopping, gambling, exercising, emotional or physical intimacy, shoplifting, and seeking pain are things we hear about but don’t associate with addiction, however it is real and it is just as much a problem. These behaviors distract someone from the hurt they are feeling and still disrupts their lives and the lives of family and friends.

Some of those actions are common for us like exercising or shopping, however there are people who develop a dependency on it to the point where they fail to meet personal, familial, financial, and other responsibilities. It interferes with daily life and the “high” that addictions can give to people help deal with underlying discomfort and trauma.

Addiction is disease of the brain and when a person is unable to stop, despite the desire to, treatment is necessary as those who are plagued by addiction commonly suffer from some form of mental illness. While substance abuse is the primary focus of addictions, it is not the only one that exists and every type deserves equal attention. It is important not to look down on someone that is going through that and getting upset can push that person closer to the problem and understanding and acceptance are the most important factors in helping someone that struggles with addiction.

Sincerely,

Sydney