Addiction doesn’t only involve the use of a narcotic substance, it also includes behaviour. But just because drugs and alcohol aren’t involved, it doesn’t make it less dangerous. If you or a loved one is suffering from a behavioural addiction, it’s important to get professional help for them immediately. Let’s find out what it is.
What is Behavioural Addiction?
Behavioural addiction occurs when an individual participates in an activity to an extent that it starts to negatively affect their life, without being able to stop.
The desire to engage in this activity will cause the individual to neglect everything that was once important to them – personal hygiene, relationships and even their careers.
Common Types of Behavioural Addictions
There are various types of behavioural addictions; in fact new ones are constantly arising. However here are some of the most common ones:
- Gambling Addiction – This occurs when a gambler cannot control whether they want to continue gambling or not.
- Eating Disorders – This takes place when an individual starts to have abnormal eating habits, which involves the lack or excessive intake of food that negatively affects their health and wellbeing.
- Sex & Love Addiction – This behavioural addiction can be defined in two parts, the first being sexually and emotionally involved with people one hardly knows or constantly thinking about sex, while the second one being showing signs of excessive reliance and obsession to one or more individuals.
- Porn Addiction – This can be defined as the overuse of pornography that negatively influences an individual’s everyday life.
- Work Addiction – When someone suffers from work addiction, it means that it has become the focal point of their entire life up to the point where the individual may not be able to control the amount of tasks they do.
- Exercise Addiction – Commonly named as anorexia athletic or obligatory exercise, this behavioural addiction forces individuals to train continuously and excessively.
- Shopping Addiction – Also known as omniomania, this happens when an individual spends excessive and unnecessary amounts of money that they don’t have, in order to experience the feeling of shopping.
How is Behavioural Addiction Treated?
Every single behavioural addiction will be treated differently and accordingly to the symptoms that the addict suffers. However, whatever the behavioural addiction treatment method, the main aim of it is to find out how and why the individual became addicted in the first place so a strategy can be devised to help them move away from this behaviour.
Most behavioural addiction treatment programs will include individual counselling, group therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, animal therapy, exercise and meditation. However, once treatment has finished, it does not mean that the patient is now cured. Recovery from a behavioural addiction is a lifelong commitment that requires lots of hard work and dedication.
For access to the best private behavioural addiction treatment centres in South Africa, give us a call now and let one of our qualified counsellors find the best help to suit you or your loved ones needs.
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