Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Are you heading for addiction?
We’re all guilty of using caffeine, social media, sugary snacks, cigarettes, alcohol (the list goes on...) to help us through the working day.
But bad habits can become addictions and start to have a detrimental impact on our relationships, productivity and health. So are you heading for addiction and what can you do? Is it impacting on your physical and mental health?
Is it impacting your happiness?
There’s no definitive list of addictive traits but if you answered yes to any of the questions, the signs are there that you could be addicted. “There’s physical addiction – where the body adapts to a presence of an ingested drug, gets used to it and needs more and more of it, which is called tolerance,” explains Winwood.
And then there’s another form of addiction, which is associated with an overreaction of the brain.
“The brain starts to get excited and rewards us at the thought of certain drugs or behaviour, so it becomes a kind of neurological pleasure circuit.” we can’t stop it or be treated for it. “If you’re addicted to certain drugs and substances, such as alcohol, it would be very unwise to recommend anyone stop them without medical supervision,” says Winwood.
Otherwise, here he suggests the steps you can take:
When anyone’s trying to change their behaviour, or feels it has become more than a bad habit, make a plan and prepare a contingency. New Year’s resolutions rarely work because we haven’t planned for it so it’s a nebulous idea.
Make short-, medium- and long-term goals to help you plan. Taking small steps along the way can be really helpful.
Addictive behaviour is usually associated with a reaction to stress – we try to make ourselves feel more comfortable and ‘manage’ it.
However, we’re not managing our stress, we’re rewarding ourselves for it and ultimately inviting more stress. It becomes an addictive cycle so try to understand what the stress sources are and then try to reduce them.
Be present and aware of what you’re reacting to rather than just responding on autopilot mode. Put a little sticker on your phone or cigarette pack. It’ll remind you to question what you’re trying to achieve, why you’re doing it and help you re-evaluate your behaviour.
Tell your friends and go to your doctor who can provide information on support groups in your local area. There is a whole variety of therapies to assist people with any sort of addiction.
Relapse or not, managing to stop or control is not a failure. It’s a way of learning for the next time.