Essay on Addiction

Essay on Addiction

Introduction

This essay on addiction throws light on all such compulsive behaviors which give pleasure on a temporary basis but have long-term harmful effects on a person’s lives. In scientific terms, it is a neural disorder. The addictive behaviors may include but are not confined to substance abuse, like alcohol, marijuana, drugs like cocaine, excessive work, or even chocolate etc. Compulsive habits like gambling, excessive indulgence in sexual stimulation, shopping, also fall into the category of addiction. The addict hardly recognizes his/her behavior as an abnormal one and has almost no control over his/her impulses.

Causes

There are several factors leading to addiction. Some of the most common ones are, if one has a genetic predisposition, then there is a high possibility of falling for substance abuse. Another reason is trying to escape a tragic experience or stress. An easy access to cheap and commonly available drugs or cues like going to bar with friends also contribute to forming an addictive behavior. Nonetheless, if a person sees someone in the family history, like mother, father, or uncle taking drugs, alcohol, or going for compulsive behaviors like gambling, or betting sort of things, he/she is most likely to inherit that addiction.

Effects

Research has proved that addiction to any form, especially to physical substances, have effects on the wiring of certain neural patterns in the brain, specifically those related to reward, pleasure, motivation, impulse control, and decision-making. Due to this, the situation keeps getting worse and the addiction becomes more severe. The effects and consequences are a disturbed family life, social isolation, financial troubles, affected work life, serious health problems. All these things add to the embarrassment, shame, repentance, and even depression in that person. To counter and overcome these negative feelings, the addict may further take help of the drugs, that are causing the problem in the first place.

Prevention

Usually, in treating the addiction, preventive measures involve therapy and use of medications. But, taking these measures is only possible when there is acceptance of problem instead of denial. Family support plays a crucial role because the addict may need a lot of emotional and psychological support during the withdrawal stage. It is important to create a clean and drug-free surrounding and this may happen by hospitalizing the patient, confining him to a therapy center for some time. Various support groups help a lot in overcoming the addiction. The therapists also explain to the concerned person, the reasons and special situations which trigger his impulse for drugs. This helps the person in observing and curbing his behavior in future.

Conclusion

Addiction is an involuntary process. It may not be fair to associate a person’s addictive behavior with his moral standards or character. The brain response to an addict changes in such a way that he continues to live with the bad habits and addictions in spite of understanding its dangerous implications. Apart from therapy and medicines, the person requires a lot of love, affection, support, and motivation to get over with the addiction.

Essay on Drug Addiction in Youth

Introduction

The drug addiction in youth today is a world-wide problem and more common than one can imagine. Teens are trying alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, and heroin etc. even before they have turned 15. Just like any adult addict, the brain-working and neuron patterns of young drug addicts also show the same changes. Once the drugs and substance abuse take over their mind, their personality gradually begins to deform in a very strange way. Teens constitute an important part of our society. Imagining them to fall into the trap of substance abuse at such young age only points towards the seriousness of this issue.

Causes

The most common causes of drug addiction in youth are mainly an urge to experiment and experience something new. Then, there is peer pressure, lack of communication between parents and teens, low self-esteem, and a tendency towards seeking pleasure. Genetics and family history of substance abuse also contributed to drug addiction in teenagers. After trying the drugs once, the cycle goes on. It becomes an involuntary process and giving in to the harmful urges becomes a natural habit. The biggest reason behind the inability of our young ones to get out the drug addiction is denial and secrecy amongst both teens and their parents.

Effects

Talking about the effects of drug addiction in youth, the list goes on to a great length. A long exposure to habit-forming substance abuse gives birth to poor memory, low self-confidence, serious health troubles, and even violent behaviors. The addicted teenagers are also more prone to having accidents, mood swings, poor sleep, and developing psychological disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar syndrome. The drug abuse may happen at a crucial time of their career-making and ruin the future despite having brilliant talents. The regret, however, may not always be reversible, leading to mental breakdown and suicidal tendencies in the teenagers.

Prevention

The first and foremost step towards dealing with drug addiction in youth is recognizing the denial mode and getting it out of the way. A healthy and supportive atmosphere of trust and love is a must between the parents and their young ones. For parents, blaming themselves or their kids is of no help. Instead, opting to meet a therapist, taking their teens and visiting a self-help center along with effective medicines may really do wonders. Parents also need to be vigilant of any such friends or relatives who themselves are suffering from addiction, as they may act as triggers and damage all the efforts being made. Maintaining a distance with such persons and unhealthy surroundings is equally essential during the whole process.

Conclusion

Our young ones are the future of our society. Watching them fall into this dark pit of drug addiction is the last thing that we need. With the help of open communication, observation, and positive mindset, we as adults can prevent such cases. Nonetheless, in case of drug abuse, there should not be any need to feel ashamed and helpless. Delaying the treatment worsens the case. That is why, once the drug abuse in the youth is confirmed, it is better to take prompt steps and receive help from self-help groups and therapists.

Essay on Solutions to Drug Addiction

Introduction

In such times, when drug addiction is emerging as one of the most common and harmful problems in our youth, searching for proper and effective solutions to drug addiction is the need of the hour. Drug addiction cannot be get ridden of overnight. It is a long process and requires the support of the addict’s family and friends at various levels like emotionally, physically, mentally, and psychologically. Through step by step treatments and therapies, one can successfully get out of the dark traps of drug abuse and eventually start a fresh and healthy life.

Causes

The solutions to drug addiction can only be found when the reasons have been discovered. Especially among teens, the basic and usual reasons behind substance abuse are seen to be a mere curiosity, experiments, peer pressure. However, the most substantial cause is having a genetic predisposition to drug abuse. That means, if the person has a family history of drug addiction then the teenager can easily fall for the same addiction. The other reasons include stress, lack of communication, inability to cope up with other kinds of pressures, etc. Only after understanding the cause, we could begin the effective treatment of the concerned person.

Effects

Needless to say, the effects of drug addiction are disastrous. A long-term exposure to substance abuse initiates a chain of other severe problems. The first thing that happens is feeling guilt and shame all the time. The drug addiction plays with the wiring of the nervous system. It can cause more stress and lead to serious depression. Apart from social isolation, it never stops to just one addiction. In fact, there are high chances of one substance abuse leading to newer ones. Both mental and physical health of the person is severely affected and more delay in getting the treatment may mean lesser effectiveness of the treatment.

Prevention

It has been observed that creating a healthy and safe environment for the young people is important. This may mean staying away from even those family members, friends, or relatives who themselves are stuck into the addiction. Open communication between parents and young ones plays a crucial role. It is important to not judge the teenagers who are into drug addiction. An intelligent way to curb this issue is to create a movement in the society by conducting awareness sessions at schools, colleges, and social institutions, which would explain the harmful effects of drugs and other narcotics.

Conclusion

Medicines are necessary to make the treatment effective. Psychological therapies work well in the minds of the drug addict and gradually helps in creating more self-confidence in the youth. Parents of those youth who are into drug addiction should be well-aware of the withdrawal symptoms so that they are prepared from before itself and know how to handle such situations. For a young and healthy society, strict steps should be taken in order to control and eliminate the supply and transactions of such harmful elements. Special measures need to be taken to prevent the young ones to have any kind of access to these drugs.

Essay on Internet Addiction

Introduction

Unfortunately, we as a world, are living in an era of internet addiction. And the compulsion to stay stuck to the mobile screens, laptops, and desktops has become so much a part of our lives, that now it doesn’t even count as an addiction for most of us. The truth is if one is unable to voluntarily stop himself from checking the phone or going online all the time, then he is suffering from internet addiction. Internet addiction has many other names such as Internet Addiction Disorder, Problematic Internet Disorder, or Compulsive Internet Use.

Causes

The causes of internet addiction are both obvious and subtle. First of all, the pleasures one receives from browsing the internet, logging on social media etc are quite similar to any other kind of addiction like substance abuse, gambling, alcohol etc. This pleasure/reward-seeking creates a loop and the addict cannot help but look at the screen time and again. Another major reason is that every single thing or service is available on the internet, regardless of what time of the day it is, which includes shopping online, playing games, watching movies, making friends, learning something, booking tickets and many other important and unimportant things.

Effects

Internet addiction has serious effects on our body, mind, and personal lives. Surprisingly, the internet addiction disorder does the same to the wiring of our neurons as is caused by any other addiction to drug or alcohol. Our thought process becomes blurred, decision-making and priorities are hampered. Nothing seems important when compared to staying online. The social damages caused include confinement of virtual relationships with friends and family. Faceless conversations are taking over our lives. Going out for a walk to the nearby local grocery stores has become a thing of past. This means sticking to the chair for a longer time, with no physical activity and no fresh air, leading to weight gain and depression. Other physical and mental troubles consist of a headache, insomnia, spinal problems, boredom, dry eyes, and mood swings.

Prevention

Denial is the biggest hurdle in treating any disorder. So, being honest about internet addiction may be a nice start. Planning physical workouts in groups, spending more time in the real world, meeting friends, or planning a small trip or outing with family are some of the small yet effective steps that one can take. In severe cases, therapy groups and cognitive behavior therapy may help a lot. Keeping a track of limited online time and being accountable for it to a loved one works great in order to curb the internet addiction. If one is self-aware and willing to get out of this disorder, then sometimes the problem dissolves on its own.

Conclusion

Dealing with internet addiction is challenging because it is available to us all the time. However, limiting the online hours, being self-aware, including a daily work out in the routine, using apps that warn you when you have exceeded the daily limit of internet usage would really help in creating an internet-free atmosphere around you and bring the life on a healthy and positive track.

Essay on TV Addiction

Introduction

Gone are the days, when television was treated as a special event. It used to be played for particular shows and specific hours. With time, the number of channels has been growing tremendously and with them, countless programmes have been flourishing like mushrooms. The result is in front of us in the form of TV addiction. To our dismay, not only adults are affected by it. In fact, TV addiction starts at a very early age, especially the kids. It is painful to imagine the horror and imagine our kids going through the same craving as any other drug addict.

Causes

TV has become a 24*7 form of entertainment and this is actually a tragedy. In case of adults, the ideal time and lack of creative activities are the main reasons for TV addiction. The spicy nature of serials, reality shows, or even game shows makes it quite difficult to switch off the TV and continue with other departments of life. The innocent and tender minds of kids are continuously being served with ample cartoon channels. To make it worse, they are topped up with advertisements of chocolates, snacks, and many unhealthy products, which are specially tailored for kids.

Effects

The harmless-looking TV addiction comes at a very high cost. It is stealing away from kids, their rights to play outside, to experience physical activities, and spend time with nature. Both kids and adults are glued to their chairs all the time. The consequences are poor eyesight, lack of concentration, headache, irritation, mood swings. Due to lack of activity and binge-eating as a result of TV addiction, weight gain is being observed in both kids and adults. The creative side of the minds are left unused and people behave like zombies, doing and eating whatever is being presented on the TV as the latest trend.

Prevention

Hours should be fixed for watching TV, whether it is for adults or for children. Another alternative is to select one or two favorite programmes that one wants to watch and then simply turn the TV off. Use of timer or alarm is also very effective in limiting the screen time. Strict rules should be made and followed in the family. Apart from these, positive reinforcements like indulging in more creative activities like exercising, joining a dance class, or a gym, prioritizing the daily chores can really help in getting rid of the TV addiction. Kids should be encouraged to play and interact with their friends in natural surroundings like parks or go for family picnics. Books and colors are great ways to keep them occupied for long happy hours.

Conclusion

The first thing in order to get out of TV addiction loop is to take a step back and observe in what ways TV is harming the old and new generation. Substituting the addiction time for something creative and fun makes the whole process easy and doable. It is important to understand and remember that we should use the TV as just a form of entertainment and must not allow it to govern our everyday life.

Essay on Computer Addiction

Introduction

Computer addiction is basically found to be of two types. The compulsive disorder can make one stick to the computer either offline or online. The offline addiction may happen due to keeping busy with the downloaded versions of games or watching movies continuously. Online computer addiction is more common than offline and there are multiple kinds of options that keep people glued to the screen. The examples of online computer addiction are playing games, uncontrollable email checking, watching videos and movies on the loop, checking notifications of every other social media accounts, unnecessary shopping, or simple random browsing on the internet.

Causes

Computer addiction has mainly been observed in males. Depression and anxiety are the prime reasons for any person to suffer from computer addiction, regardless of age and gender. The games, TV series, and videos are crafted in such a way that all of these things prime the person’s mind to watch more and more. Switching the computer may ultimately give a feeling of missing out something important. The adrenalin rush running through one’s body and mind after watching a game or a super-exciting episode turns the situation into a highly addictive one. The taste of instant gratification and freeness of interacting in the virtual world are other reasons working behind the computer addiction.

Effects

Those who are suffering from anxiety and depression in an unknown way are more prone to become addicted to the computer. Nonetheless, looking for a relieving solace in the wrong place like online or offline computer world actually worsens the case, leading to even more severe forms of depression. Longer hours of screen time have harmful effects on the health of eyes, poor brain activities, sleep disorders, feeling lonely, lost, and irritated. Once the computer is shut down, life would seem dull to an addict as there is no drama or rush of such levels in the real life. Urgent and important issues of personal life such as health, spending time with family, work-life etc look mundane and one might lose interest in all these aspects of life.

Prevention

The best measure to reduce and eliminate computer addiction from the life is using outside helps like behavioral therapy, joining self-help groups. One can also take stronger actions like restricting the computer use to purely important purposes, like work, bill-payments etc. Noting down the logged hours may also help in tracking and limiting the computer use. Participating more in real-life activities, accepting help and support from friends and family are some of the other wonderful ideas that actually work. Instead of keeping the computer in the sleep mode, it is safer to shut it down after the necessary work has been done. Starting the computer would require much effort and act as a good reminder to not use it for trivial purposes.

Conclusion

For a better mental, physical, and social health, it is very crucial to recognize the computer addiction which is spreading like a sweet poison in the society. There is no shame in seeking help from others. Addiction to the computer should be taken seriously as it does the same damages as alcohol, drug or any other form of addiction.

Essay on Addiction to Social Networking Sites

Introduction

The craze for going hit on various social media is enough to point towards the addiction to social networking sites in every age group. Whether an adult or a kid, social media has blessed everyone with a (false) celebrity-like status. The mindset has become such that people can’t keep away from their social media updates for more than a few minutes. An addiction that has reached from our dining room to the bedroom and instead of its potential dangers, it is being welcomed in every house. It couldn’t get worse as for the solution to occur, the problem needs to exist according to the people, which is obviously not the case with today’s world.

Causes

There are many strong reasons and rewards working behind such blind addiction to social networking sites. One that tops the list is gaining fame. Hundreds of likes and followers give a false impression of feeling like a celebrity. Instant notification facility has made the situation even more pathetic. There are light app versions of almost every social networking site, which allows for a quick access anytime anywhere. It has become a huge market for showing off along with hollow and made-up compliments, where the phrase, ‘you scratch my back and I would scratch yours’ has become quite true.

Effects

The addiction to social networking sites breathes in the houses and bedrooms of the people. As a result, it is one of the leading causes of relationship break-ups and privacy disruption. The trend for gaining attention is making people more self-obsessed. Their mental and physical health is suffering. People have less time for members living in the same house than they have for somebody they have never even met for once in real life. Faceless communication also paves the path for infidelity, stalking, online abuse, and many privacy-related cyber crimes, let alone the physical health problems like a headache, mood swings, depression, guilt etc.

Prevention

Strong will-power and proper planning are needed if one truly wishes to get rid of the addiction to social networking sites. For those who really mean to do this, there are options like deactivating the account completely. Certain apps record your log in time and send a warning signal as a reminder when one has exceeded the set weekly or daily limits. Searching the same satisfaction in more productive things like taking care of yourself, working on the diet, taking kids out for a picnic, indulging in various recreational activities are effective means to detoxify the mind and body and bring the addiction to an end.

Conclusion

We will have to understand that social media is there for a particular reason. It is good for networking and interacting with long-distance friends and business relations. Beyond that, a compulsive need to be online all the time, inability to find meaning in real life without staying active online are certainly issues that are red flags. In the end, addiction to social networking sites only ruins the time and opportunities that come along in real life and hence it is important to keep a check on our online presence, so that, we could really focus on things that really matter for us.

Essay on Addiction to Video Games

Introduction

There is an official term for the addiction to video games, it is IGD (Internet Gaming Disorder). The world of video games is not a child’s play anymore. As we can see, it is not just the kids but even adults are so badly into the spell of online games that ruining their lives and important aspects of it doesn’t concern them anymore. Almost three percent of the world’s population has lost the track of time and life due to addiction to online games. They are installed and available everywhere, including the home computers, to cyber cafes, malls, and other gaming spaces, which makes it further difficult to get out of the trap.

Causes

The programmers design everything in such a way that people cannot help but fall into the bottomless pit of addiction to video games. There are stages, rules, rewards, a particular degree of challenges so that the game is neither too easy to lose interest nor too difficult that one would want to quit. People who are facing a tough time in their lives are more likely to develop anxiety, depression, and an escaping tendency from the real world problems, which pushes them into the virtual world of gaming. Internet gaming has become a trend and many youngsters feel the peer pressure to follow what their friends are doing. The chain goes on and there seems no limit to it.

Effects

Addiction to video games is not hard to track. If it is affecting your life, preventing you from thinking about the serious departments of life, and leaving you with no time and energy to tend to your own needs and that of your family, then, it is the case of IGD. Sadly, the minds of kids and teenagers are easier to manipulate and drag them into the instant reward loop, which endangers their health and future as well. Longer hours spent playing and watching the computer screen almost withers the mind and body. Kids lose interest in the study, their career is affected, and they hardly want to go out. Adults are becoming more immune to emotional needs of their loved ones, and getting more used to the virtual sphere.

Prevention

In case of addiction to video games, prevention is possible only by acknowledging the harmful effects of it. Understanding how the consistent hours of sitting ideal and playing an unproductive game are eating up all the precious time and digging a large hole into their real lives is key to curb the addiction. Kids too need to be talked about the toxic nature of this mania. They need to be explained how it is ruining their career. Spending more time away from computers and in nature’s embrace is healing and detoxifies the mind and body. Severe cases of IGD may seek the help of therapies, where CBT has been seen to work very effectively.

Conclusion

For the sake of our health, it is important that we don’t give the remote control of our lives into the hands of the virtual world of machines. The prices are high and too much is at stake. The young ones learn from our actions. If they see us becoming enslaved to such addiction to video games, chances are high that they would follow the same path. One should seek help as early as possible so that not much damage is done.

Essay on Addiction to Facebook

Introduction

And here comes the talk we have always wanted to avoid, our addiction to Facebook. Facebook addiction has crossed its tipping point long time back. After all, this particular social networking platform has made updating pictures, thoughts, and flaunting the happy moments of our lives a piece of cake. A large number of likes and notifications give us an adrenaline rush like nothing else. The features of tagging, poking, finding an old friend, chatting make Facebook a highly tempting place that has succeeded in luring users from all kinds of age groups. And the number is growing every day.

Causes

Research has shown that addiction to Facebook is not that plain and simple. There are various reasons which intensify our constant need to check the updates on Facebook. Trying hard to get many likes by posting pictures, sharing updates, or tagging multiple people just shows a person’s attention-seeking nature. Sharing every little sad thing that is going on in the life, ranting in the status updates, or scrolling down aimlessly is indicative of lower self-esteem and a negative mindset. One also gets an opportunity to silently peek into others’ lives which instantly satiates their appetite for drama but also gives rise to comparisons.

Effects

Effects of addiction to Facebook are disastrous. First of all, it has promoted stalking to a very great level. Getting involved in useless conflicts and arguments over social media updates related to religious or political views has done no less harm. It not only consumes the time and energy but does nothing to solve the issues in reality. People really have begun to behave like drug addicts, unable to spend a day without logging in to their account. Facebook addiction disturbs the sleep cycle, and also causes backaches, dry eyes, sabotages the concentration power, along with mood swings, desire for more isolation leading to the distance from the loved ones.

Prevention

The best and most effective method to deal with an addiction to Facebook is to immediately and abruptly deactivate the account. The milder steps that can be taken are self-observation, restricting and tracking the number of hours logged in to Facebook account. One should look for the reasons why he/she feels the need to check the account every other minute. Is it for popularity, for attention, for stalking, or wandering there with no apparent reason, just to kill the time. Without understanding the basic factors behind the addiction, it would be quite hard to stop oneself from going back there time and again.

Conclusion

Once the reasons responsible for the addiction to Facebook come into the limelight, one should try to work and resolve those issues in a healthy way. Facebook addiction is only a reflection of other deeper and hidden issues of our minds that need to be taken care of. Taking care of one’s mental and physical health should be the top priority for all of us. And getting out of the addiction to Facebook would be a big milestone in that journey.

Essay on Addiction to Pornography

Introduction

Sex is one of the most primitive and basic natural instincts of human beings, thus making the addiction to pornography an obvious one in comparison to other ones. In a way, people have always been keen to learn more about sex, but indulgence in pornography is a not a healthy way to do that. The luring nature of pornography makes it quite seamless to get a hold on the person’s mind. The compulsive appetite for watching porn destroys the family, relationships, and health of the addict.

Causes

Youngsters are more vulnerable and feel excited to gain uninhibited access to porns. The rush is new to them, expectancy and curiosity make it quite irresistible to them. Adults are equally prone to have this disorder. A significant reason responsible for the addiction to porn is boredom and eagerness to experience something that is less likely to happen in the real life. Loneliness, lack of interesting activities in the life, isolation from other family members, depression and anxiety are some of the most common factors which result in spending a heavy amount of time on watching porn.

Effects

The leading problems associated with addiction to porn are erectile dysfunction, loss of intimacy between the partners, irritability in case of not getting access to pornography. The addicts also develop a tendency to compulsively lie in order to hide their addiction. Porn addicts are more likely to cheat and behave dishonestly with their partners. For them, everything else takes a back seat. Even those parts of their life which need attention become secondary to them. This creates an atmosphere of distrust and frustration in the family. An attitude of carelessness creeps into the person towards his work. Moreover, porn gives rise to many sexual fantasies which have elements of violence, aggression leading to more and more sexual assault cases.

Prevention

Out of many steps that can be taken to deal with the addiction to porns, one of the most effective has been seen to be CBT. The cognitive behavior therapy helps the person get comfortable with his own addictions and fantasies. One can express the guilt and weakness in front of the therapist without the fear of being judged. Apart from getting outside help, realizing that the addiction exists and will-power to get out of it, is an essential step towards solving the issue. For the family members, it is necessary to understand that the problem would not dissolve in few days. A healthy support of love and affection from the family members means a lot to the person struggling with the porn addiction.

Conclusion

A society where most of the adults and teenagers are getting into the trap of addiction to porns, a concern for their health becomes obvious. Watching pornography not only kills time in a very destructive manner, it also desensitizes the mass and pulls them into sexually aggressive and violent actions, which may threaten the other genders or even kids. Addiction to pornography is a prevalent problem and needs our attention. Dealing with it in a non-judgmental way and with patience is the only way out.

Essay on Addiction to Gambling

Introduction

Addiction to gambling is not new. Even in historical times, it used to be a passion of many royal families. We have also read about the disasters it caused to their rulings and damages that came along with it. Centuries later, the situation is still the same, even worse than before. Due to the appearance of internet, virtual gambling has become a part of many lives and the detriments are not limited to just financial aspects now. Addiction to gambling has been considered of the same nature as any other addiction to drugs, alcohol, etc.

Causes

The basic cause that drives one to fall for addiction to gambling is the need for perpetual excitement. The zest for making quick and easy money is the main pull for investing in gambling. People fall for the cycle of winning, losing, and then the possibility of winning some more, which keeps the cycle on. Even after they have lost a large sum of money, they would still want to give it multiple tries just in the hope of making up the losses. Research has proved that addiction to gambling is also a common way to deal with anxiety, depression, sadness, and the need to work for survival.

Effects

To the addict, there is an endless chain of realizing the problem, then deciding to quit, and again start gambling after a while. In case of addiction to gambling, it becomes very hard for one to quit it even after suffering great personal and financial losses. The normal life looks dull to the person and the entire family is affected. This may give birth to guilt, shame, and even anger in the addict. The work life of the person gets troubled. There is a possibility of going into the debts that may continue forever. Even after understanding the serious nature of such consequences, it might not be possible for one to get over the addiction.

Prevention

Facing the truth is important for both the addict and the family members of him/her. And the reality is, addiction to gambling cannot be dealt with overnight. The temptations and impulses of gambling may reappear time and again. Thus, it requires a great deal of patience, affection, and care to handle the long-term problem. Ignoring, taunting, or making loose comments about the addict tends to worsen the situation and push him away. Therapy should be considered keeping in mind that things won’t change the next day.

Conclusion

A healthy way of living needs to be pursued. If one is in some kind of financial crisis, then, keeping the expenditures in control may reduce the pressure. Talking to friends and family members and sharing about the addiction to gambling is helpful in curbing the spell. Gambling has wide nature of negative consequences. It not only ruins the bank balance, but also makes the kids, partners, and parents go through a lot. With a combined support and help, addiction to gambling can be minimized gradually and one might be able to live a normal and healthy life.

Essay on Addiction to Smartphones

Introduction

We cannot imagine our daily routine without our phones, we have such kind of addiction to smartphones. It has completely taken the control over our lives. The irony is we don’t see it as a problem. Most of the people would justify their phone usage by using excuses like work, networking, business needs, or for fun. But there is a difference between using a device and depending so much on it that one begins to feel anxious without it. In most of the cases, latter is the story. We feel desperate and anxious if we are made to stay away from the smartphone for more than a while. This compulsive habit is simply indicative of an addiction to smartphones.

Causes

Many psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, self-obsession, low self-esteem work behind the addiction to smartphones. The constant need to stay surrounded by updates, triggers, notifications, and approvals are also some of the major factors responsible for the condition. People trying to avoid some long-term stressful situations in their lives or those with attention-seeking tendencies are also very likely to suffer the same problem. Those living a life of loneliness, or having difficulty in a face-to-face interaction also feel the need to use phones more in comparison to others. The fear of missing out and feeling left-out is another reason for the phone addiction.

Effects

The biggest damage that addiction to smartphones has caused is dissolving the culture of personal meetings and interactions. Kids, youngsters, or adults prefer to talk over text or chat instead of going out and sitting together at some place. Adults are more locked with their smartphones due to consistent nagging by work emails and messages. Basically, the phones have hypnotized people into doing one thing or the other on a continuous basis, whether it is essential or not. The physical and mental symptoms include the ringing of ears, numb mind, further anxiety and depression, insomnia, and lower emotional states.

Prevention

Prevention is better than cure. In order to prevent the development of addiction to smartphones in kids, phones should strictly be prohibited for them at least up to a certain age. Even for teenagers, there should be an accountability for how much phone usage is allowed to them on a daily basis. For adults as well, a time should be fixed after which they would put the phone on silent mode and look at it only the next day. A good idea is to follow some fun rules, like not using the phone while eating, not letting the phone disturb you while you are asleep or having quality time with your family.

Conclusion

Apart from ruining one’s social, mental, and physical health, the addiction to smartphones has been responsible for many fatal accidents too. A habit which looks so harmless conceals within many serious troubles. Smartphones are even hampering the relationships and bonding between two people. More usage also results in lack of warmth, indifference, and anxiety. For regaining the healthier version of society, it is important to limit the use of phones.

Essay in Addiction to Video Games

Introduction:

Addiction to video games is considered a behavioral addiction that can be characterized by an excessive use of video games (in the computer, tablet or smartphone), interfering with everyday activities. People who suffer from this addiction are compulsive gamers, then to isolate themselves from social activities, have frequent mood swings, less imagination, they are obsessed with the game achievements and then to underestimate events in their own life’s.

Causes:

Video game addiction has different causes, the main reason might be the fact that the games are designed to be like that, making people want to play more. The video game industry is worried about their profits and are constantly trying to improve the games to make more people to play them and keep playing constantly. The idea is to make challenging games that take time and effort to get to the achievements, but there is also a worry to not make the game so difficult that the gamer would easily give up on playing. Addicted gamers never feel accomplished and are always searching for playing more and reaching new objectives, similar behavior in other addictions (like gambling addiction).

Effects:

Being addicted to video games affect people’s life in many ways and depend on people’s age. There are 5 main problems associated with video games addiction like emotional problems (usually addicted gamers struggle with depression, social anxiety, loneliness, anger and sometimes shame for spending so much time playing games), financial problems (more common in adults and adolescents, that spend enormous amounts of money in video games and specific equipment’s to play), health problems (people addicted to video games develop poor sleeping habits, can neglect personal hygiene, don’t get physical activity and make poor choices eating) and social problems (as the addiction develops, most addicts spend less time with family, friends and significant others, prejudicing the relationships).

Prevention:

The first step to prevent an addiction is to avoid being exposed to the agent that leads to it. When the addiction is already installed treatment is the best way to get rid of those unhealthy habits, there are 4 main options to treat video games addiction, they are one-to-one counselling with a professional (specialist can have a better approach to treat each case differently), family therapy (by modifying the family systems, interactions and dynamics can help to treat video games addiction but it is necessary commitment from the family member in the entire process), attend video games addiction centers (in these centers there are various programs defined by mental health professionals, although they are extremely expensive), wilderness therapy (by removing the individual from environments were they can play video games, it is commonly used to treat various types of child and adolescent behavioral problems and has been showing to have good results against this addiction),

Conclusion:

Video games addiction is not considered (yet) a diagnosable disorder, although it is a real disorder with increasing expansion. Specialists consider that early interventions are necessary to control this disorder and it should be treated has many other.

Addiction to Social Networking Sites

Introduction:

Addiction to social networking site is a growing problem in nowadays society. Social networking sites started on 1997, but their popularity has been increasing every year, with millions of people active on websites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Every addiction is a compulsive behavior with negative consequences, for example, most people feel so compelled to anything that it starts taking over the productivity at work or school and let them affect their everyday life.

Causes:

Being addicted to social media is these terms corresponds with a compulsion to use excessively social networks; the need to check for any news frequently, the need to always be online to be the first one to know about the gossiping, posting everything about their days and life’s or even stalking people’s profiles for hours.

There are many types of social networking addiction. It can be manifested using instant messaging with apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or even Skype. Microblogging can also be other type of social network addiction, people tend to tell about their day and thoughts in apps/sites like Twitter (the most successful platform of this kind. Gaming is another type of social networking addiction since it involves connecting with other people in game-inherent channels, popular games like World of Warcraft or League of Legends provide gamers various channels for gamers to interact. Also, online dating is a form of social network addiction since most users of apps like Tinder are looking for quick gratification (short relationships) and the ease to meet other people online.

Effects:

The excessive using of social networking resulting in addiction is a huge problem between teenagers, studies performed on six countries in Europe has shown that when kids use social network more than 2 hours a day they start internalizing problems and decrease their academical performance and activity.

Prevention:

Addiction to social networking sites have been studied for psychologists and sociologists all over the world and they have found that the excessive use of social networks can lead to the same symptoms observed in people with substance addictions. The most common symptoms are salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, relapse and conflict to behavioral addictions. For some people (mostly shy, isolated or even too self-focused) using social networking, sharing their life’s or even stalking others is the most important activity they do during the day, making the addiction more severe.  To prevent social networking addiction people should try to not engage excessively in any form of social network, remembering there is a offline world.  Social networking addiction is a problem that affects people’s everyday life, if you know someone you think that suffers from this problem you should try to convince them to get help.

Conclusion:

The manifestation of social networking is usually associated with people with maladaptive cognitions and exacerbation with external issues, that lead to an excessive use. Most of these people (who are addicted) claim that they have a tough time when comes to talk to people face to face, and feel the need of self-rewarding and satisfaction by getting the online attention they think they need. This can result in a vicious cycle where people neglect their relationships and their work to be online and feel better about themselves, then when they face the outside world they don’t feel happy or rewarded the same way they are online.