Addiction or just a habit?

Online shopping, social media, wine o’clock... how to break free

We can get hooked on loads of things, from substances to the rush from behaviours like shopping and online gaming – even things that start off healthy, like exercise. Here, we comb through what happens in our bodies to reel us in and what it takes to break free.

So what is addiction, anyway? We’ve all said it: “I’m so addicted to salted caramel/ Game of Thrones/ my new dry shampoo.” Yeah, no. While you may love and even overdo things like that, it’s when you become so preoccupied with a substance or behaviour that you’ve lost control over it – and you keep pursuing it despite negative consequences to your health, relationships and finances – that you’ve crossed over into the addiction zone.

This happens due to the brain’s plasticity. Repeated exposure to environments and behaviours change the way the neurons talk to each other, locking in certain reactions and routines. Here’s how: The first time you try a shot of vodka or pop a pill, a rush of the neurotransmitter dopamine floods the pleasure centre of your brain, making you feel more confident, more aroused, less anxious.

“But addictive substances hijack the system by spiking dopamine levels even higher than natural rewards do,” explains psychiatrist

Kelly Dunn, PhD. She says that, over time, the brain is rewired so you need more of the drug, drink or behaviour to get a buzz, and the stuff that used to make you happy starts to feel comparatively dull and joyless.

The worst part is, as those neurons get rewired, you start needing more and more not just to get high, but to keep from dropping into the physical and emotional abyss of withdrawal, so you may become physically as well as psychologically dependent. Eventually, a person who is hooked on a substance uses it merely to keep from feeling bad, and intense cravings are triggered by the anticipation of taking it – the smell of the liquor, the sight of white powder. This makes quitting incredibly hard.

Keep reading to find out what’s going on in the brain of an addicted person, why some of us are more likely to succumb, and how to tell if you or someone you know needs help.