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Substance addiction – Symptoms, causes, and risk factors

Substance addiction – Symptoms, causes, and risk factors

Addictions can be described as uncontrollable and strong compulsions to use or consume something. These urges are usually associated with alcohol and substances, which can lead to severe consequences such as death, disability, and emotional suffering of family members. These compulsions are very strong in nature and mostly have destructive results. Some of the life-altering results of addictions can include

  • financial loss,
  • development of a negative personality, and
  • lack of any other interests.

Symptoms of addictions
Substance addictions can have social, psychological, and physical effects. Although the symptoms can be broadly put into these three categories, there are high chances that the symptoms will overlap with each other. One of the main examples of overlapping of symptoms can be seen when substance abuse has psychological effects on a person; they want to put all their resources into buying the substance instead of food and other essentials. This leads to a lack of nutrition in the body.

  • Psychological symptoms
    Addictions can lead one to feel and behave in certain ways, such as
    • Irresistible urges to use despite health problems
    • Taking substances to cope with stress
    • Obsession with substances
    • Endangering one’s life to procure
    • Intake in large quantities
  • Social symptoms
    When a person is addicted, it has a large impact on their social lives. Some social symptoms include
    • Choosing substances or alcohol over meeting family or friends
    • Giving up on fond hobbies with the progression of addiction
    • Having substances stocked up all the time so that there is never a shortage
    • Trying to maintain distance from everyone to maintain secrecy
    • Constant denial that they have a substance problem
  • Physical symptoms
    With regular substance use, a lot of functions of the body can get impacted. And this can result in
    • A dependence that can even lead to withdrawal symptoms
    • Major changes in the appetite
    • Severe diseases such as respiratory illness and lung cancer
    • Insomnia
    • Changes in appearance
    • Increase in the body’s tolerance for the substance

Causes
For most people, the first time use of substances is voluntary. However, there are a lot of circumstances that contribute to making it a full-blown addiction. The changes that occur in the brain after the consumption of substance can take a long time to be reversed. This means that bringing the brain back to its healthy state can take a lot of time.

Consumption of the substance produces a feeling of euphoria in the brain. This happens due to a spike in dopamine levels in certain parts of the brain, which gives a rewarding feeling. Addiction reaches its maximum when the reward circuits of the brain are taken over by substance intake. When this level is reached, the brain starts to crave the same feeling. Hence, the compulsion to consume more of the substance becomes stronger, leading to an addiction.

Risk factors
Just like other conditions, there are certain risk factors associated with addictions. They usually include

  • stress,
  • depression,
  • eating disorders,
  • physical or emotional abuse,
  • genetic predisposition, and
  • peer pressure.

There are many ways through which one can treat substance addictions, and the support of loved ones plays a pivotal role at such times.

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