Psychological Symptoms of Addiction

Written by: Seada

What is to give light must endure burning.

—Anton Wildgans

“Buzz, buzz” off goes the alarm at 6:00 am. The week has been dreadfully exhausting and filled with demands, expectations, and meetings. Your body feels heavy resisting another Monday morning. But your resilience stubbornly tasks you to tango with the demands of life one more time.

Due to a lack of energy, a requirement for negative reinforcement is needed to boost self-power to survive another hectic Monday.  Let’s assume – here – your survival substance is caffeine (we’re playing it safe!). Coffee rapidly awakens your nervous system for a few hours. But as rapid as caffeine enhances energy, simultaneously it slowly withdraws from your system.  Feelings of irritability, fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty retaining information, and difficulty remaining asleep or falling asleep.

Take a moment to think about what you may be addicted to as you read through the psychological symptoms of addictions:

1. Incapable of stopping the use of a substance: a person may have at least one serious but unsuccessful attempt to give up the use entirely.
2. Abuse of substance use despite health concerns: at the expense of substance use physical health often pays a fine price.  For example, an individual addicted to alcohol may have a chronic liver infection.  Regardless of the medical concern and the plea from the physician, the individual may continue to use the substance to cope with the negative results.
3. Managing problems with substance: addictions are known to suppress emotional pain. Consider a break-up from a relationship or loss of a job. A person may resort to substance use to deal with emotions like anger, disappointment, and frustrations.
4. Obsession: A persistent need to think about the euphoria of substance use. Obsessions chronically interrupt personal life, such as social gatherings, work, family, and healthy relationships.
5. Taking risks: An individual with an addiction may bring risks to obtain the substance or engage in the behavior, such as trading sex or stealing for illicit drugs, drug money, or the drugs themselves. While under the influence of some substances, a person with substance use disorder may engage in risky activities, such as fast and dangerous driving or violence.
6. Taking larger doses: an individual may rapidly consume large quantities of alcohol to feel the short-term effects to feel good.  Just as an elevation of feelings increases, they rapidly decrease as the body becomes immune to the impact of the substance.
7. Cravings and urges: reinforce addiction. After a break-up, alcohol consumptions may suppress the pain; however, it will not heal a broken heart.  Heartbreak can condition an individual to depend on substance use when they feel as if they are unable to deal with loss or challenges successfully.

Addictions are a powerful force of energy that can feel beyond one’s control.  Like a toxic relationship, addictions deprive the soul of nourishment like drought deprives the earth of life.

With love,

Seada

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