Addiction is a tough thing to recover from. It depends on both the psychological factors of the human mind and the physical needs of your body. Especially the alcohol and smoking drug addictions can become fatal and disastrous for the human body if not treated in time. The very first stage of these kinds of addiction is the casual use of the substance. The second stage is when the body improves tolerance against the material with regular consumption of the substance. This tolerance then leads to dependence, and this is how someone gets addicted to alcohol and other drug substances. Addiction then tends to disturb the person’s personal, professional life and cause fatal health issues.

The good news is, drug addiction is something you can get rid of. Although people talk about medications and taking psychological help, it is not limited to these to processes only. Homoeopathic medicines are also another way to fasten your fight against the addiction towards alcohol and other drugs. Here is how.

How does homoeopathy help us to fight against addiction?

As homoeopathy deals with persons as a whole, it deals with every part of our body from the mind, body and spiritual levels. Although you understand the mind and the body level, you might get confused about the spiritual level treatment. Well, homoeopathic doctors are often trained with counselling skills too. Counsellors have proved that addiction starts on a sub-conscious level. Where a child sees his father coming back home, drunk and express his frustration by beating up their family sends a message on the subconscious level of the child that this is what grown-up men do. And that is where the seed has been planted.

Homoeopathy helps a lot with drug de-addiction. With homoeopathic medications and some therapies, anyone can improve their condition of drug dependency. This program to cure drug addictions with the homoeopathic approach does not only focus on the physical alignments but also focus on the psychological nature as well. Homoeopathy believes in miasms that talks about the inheritance weakness manifest in the future generation. Medications to reduce or cure drug abuse uses the hereditary of the disease.

However, homoeopathy takes that go one step further. This step includes those conditions which are not genetically mediated. The homoeopathic treatment for drug de-addiction uses different supplements and different vitamins to evaluate the human body into the new drug-free state. Maintaining balance is an essential part of all the alternative medicines, and it is also true for homoeopathic treatment. The shape of the addict has already destroyed with constant drug abuse, and they lack essential minerals and vitamins in their body. Homoeopathic treatments help to heal the body with those essential vitamins and minerals naturally. In general, almost all the studies have revealed such results that say that homoeopathic treatment is one of the best treatments for drug de-addiction.

Here are a few of the homoeopathic medications that help with drug de-addiction.

• Acontile

Acontile is one of those primary or acute stage medicines that are prescribed by the doctors. When someone is trying to be free from the addiction chains at the primary stages, the widespread problem they face is heart palpitations. Aconite is an excellent remedy to use for palpitations.

• Antimonium tartaricum

Experts have an excellent success rate with this remedy with the heroin addicts. Describing the cause behind this, they say that as heroin addicts keep eating a lot of junk food, their digestive system is messed up. Thus, at the withdrawal stage, they cough a lot, and with that comes mucous. With this remedy, experts said that it could stop any vomiting with mucous that is related to withdrawal.

• Avena Sativa

This is one of the most well-known homoeopathic medicines for drug addictions. In homoeopathy, heroin, marijuana, opium, cocaine, morphine and a lot of other drug addictions can be treated with this particular method. Avena sativa is such a tremendous homoeopathic medicine that also helps to reduce the aftereffects of the detoxifying process too. Our nervous system can be affected by different kind of drug abuses. This medicine also helps to make the rigorously affected nervous system calm after the chronic uses of drugs.

• Natrum Mur

Natrum Mur is such a miraculous homoeopathic medicine. The main substances to produce this medicine are simple ingredients and some other substances that help to increase usability. These ingredients also help to improve conditions related to diseases and illness. Natrum Mur is such a homoeopathic medicine that contains properties to increase the production of blood cells in the human body, albumin and other essential regulation of cells. It is one of the best drugs actually to cure people with depression. It also helps people who have become victims of alcohol addiction for a long time. Doctors often prescribe this medicine to detoxify the patient’s body in both of the cases.

• Arsenicum

Arsenicum is a medicine derived from arsenic. Yes, you heard it right. Although arsenic itself is a chemical compound, normally found in the minerals like Sulphur and also in some metals. Arsenicum is a fantastic medicine to cure anyone who has been victimized of alcohol addiction and massive alcohol abuse for a long time. This medicine is a great one, especially for those who are diagnosed with anxiety as well as a victim of enormous alcohol addiction. These medicines help detoxifying such patients.

• Belladonna

This is an excellent choice for the more violent and feverish withdrawal. Experts said that belladonna has excellent effects with the heroin addicts and also with the hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD.

• Ipecac

It is also an excellent homoeopathic remedy when there are vomiting and stomach aches in the process of leaving drugs.

So, these were a few of the drugs that have amazing effects with the drug addiction and heavy drug abuse..

Introduction of Deaddiction

What is addiction

Common addictions

Characteristics of addiction

How to identify addiction

Causes of addiction

Conquering addiction

Acupuncture management of addictions

What is addiction

Addiction is a disease like any other disease. It is a neurobiological disorder characterized by irresistible, obsessive and compulsive dependence on some substance or activity. It can have detrimental effect on

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Social relationships
• Professional or academic performance

Common addictions

Addictions are many but commonly seen are :

1. Drug abuse or drug addiction like heroin, cocaine, barbiturates, LSD
2. Alcohol addiction
3. Tobacco, nicotine or smoking addiction
4. Coffee addiction
5. Sweets addiction
6. Food addiction
7. Sex & pornography addiction
8. Gambling addiction
9. TV, computer or internet addiction
10. Shopping addictions

Characteristics of addiction

The substance abused or activity takes the major role in person’s life. There are three main characteristics of addictions

• Continuation of use or preoccupation with substance or activity despite detrimental effect.
• Impaired control over being in use with substance or activity
• Deviant behavior due to substance or activity or due to association with substance or activity.

Risk Factors

There are said to be three risk factors leading to addiction. These are :

• Dose – How much is the quantity of substance or amount of activity consumed
• Frequency – How often is the interaction with the substance or activity
• Duration – For what duration of time this interaction is going on

The larger the dose, more frequent the interaction and longer the duration of interaction, there is more probability of getting addicted.

How to identify addiction

There are certain warning indicators about addictions in addition to obvious engagements. These are more pronounced in substance abuse addictions. Some of them are:

• Excess or lack of energy.
• Abnormally fast or slow movements
• Sudden mood changes, restlessness.
• Excess or lack of speech
• Excess or lack of sleep
• Abnormal eating habits
• Sudden change in weight
• Peculiar behavior like abnormal clothing
• Preference for loneliness
• Deviant or Antisocial behavior
• Unusual calmness or irritability

Causes of addiction

There are two major causes of why someone gets into a state of addiction and why he or she finds it difficult to come out. These are:

1. Physical dependence – Physical dependence is the state which is characterized by certain physical discomforts and symptoms when the person does not take the substance. It can be restlessness, pain, soreness, difficulty in breathing, lethargy, disturbed body functions etc.
2. Psychological dependence  – Psychological dependence is the state which is characterized by certain mental discomforts like craving for substance or activity, irritability, disturbance in sleep, anguish etc.

Many theories have been proposed to explain the basis of addictions. Some are :

1. Pleasure theory – According to this theory addictions are due to learned behavior to seek pleasure and avoid discomfort.
2. Disease theory – According to this theory addiction is a disease due to neurochemical changes in brain.
3. Genetic theory – According to this theory addictions are due to genetic factors and run in families.
4. Circumstantial theory – According to this theory addictions are due to circumstances faced by the person and this includes easy availability of substance, having plenty of free time, presence of role model etc.
5. Other theories like experimental theory (experience by experiment), opponent effect theory (opposing effect of substance), allostatic theory (stability through change), cultural theory (effect of culture), moral theory (lack of morals),  habit theory (habit formation), rational theory (rational response).

Conquering addiction

Most important thing to remember about addictions is that it can be treated. There is no need to feel devastated or hopeless. It is a disease and needs proper treatment and management. There are certain necessary elements which are important in making the treatment a successful one. These are:

• Do not feel threatened, accept it as treatable disease.
• Get aware about it, read literature but only authentic one.
• Get support of family, friends or special organizations
• Get correct treatment
• Follow healthy lifestyle
• Eat healthy diet and exercise regularly
• Work on holistic personality development
• Get help on stresses of life
• Maintain positive social life
• Get engaged in constructive activities like art, music etc.
• Do not give up due to slips

Holistic management of addictions

Holistic deaddiction has come up as one of the most effective and promising treatment method of addictions. It has some unique advantages which are difficult to achieve otherwise. Acupuncture, homeopathy, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, yoga and lifestyle medicine are very helpful in lasting cure of addictions. Ear acupuncture is a specialized branch of acupuncture which is getting very popular in treatment of addictions. Some of established benefits of holistic deaddiction are:

• It removes craving and reduces withdrawal symptoms. This is said to be done by release of certain internal endorphins in brain which have positive effect.
• It improves body’s physiological functions. This leads to better sleep, better digestion, better breathing, better blood circulation etc.
• It detoxifies by enhancing elimination
• It improves energy levels.
• It gives mental calmness but does not make numb. It helps in achieving emotional balance.
• It causes internal homeostasis leading to better internal environment in body.
• It helps in smooth recovery and prevents relapses.

An addiction is an unhealthy relationship with some substance like nicotine, drugs or alcohol or some habit like gambling, sex and pornography in which the more you use more than you would like to use. People who are addicted cannot control their need for alcohol or other drugs, even in the face of negative health, social or legal consequences.

Types of addiction

There are a number of different types of addiction including

• drug dependence
• alcohol dependence
• compulsive behaviours (including gambling, exercise, shopping, sex and overeating)

There are many reasons why addictions begin. In the case of drugs, alcohol and nicotine, these substances affect the way you feel, both physically and mentally. These feelings can be enjoyable and create a powerful urge to use the substances again. Gambling may result in a similar mental ‘high’ after a win, followed by a strong urge to try again and recreate that feeling. This can develop into a habit that becomes very hard to stop.

Symptoms of addiction include tolerance (development of resistance to the effects of alcohol or other drugs over time) and withdrawal, a painful or unpleasant physical response when the substance is withheld. Many people with this illness deny that they are addicted. They often emphasize that they enjoy drinking or taking other drugs.

Complications

• Mental confusion, delirium or amnesia
• Vomiting and ulcers
• Pancreatitis
• Osteoporosis
• Infections
• HIV
• Hepatitis
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure and heart disease
• Malnutrition
• Liver disease, fatty liver or cirrhosis
• Brain and nerve damage — changes the emotion, decision, muscle, breathing and heartbeat-controlling centers of the brain
• Linked to numerous types of cancer
• During pregnancy, it’s linked to lower birth weights, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), poor growth, delays in development, altered facial structure, other birth defects and addicted babies

The biggest problem is the addicted person’s failure to recognize the harm their addiction is doing. They may be in denial about the negative aspects of their addiction, choosing to ignore the effects on their health, life patterns and relationships. Or they may blame outside circumstances or other people in their lives for their difficulties.

A sign is something other people, such as the doctor notice. The signs of substance dependence vary according to the individual, the substance they are addicted to, their family history (genetics), and personal circumstances. Following are some signs of addiction:

• Weight loss or weight gain
• Extreme mood changes – happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc
• Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night
• Money becomes an issue
• Loses interests in hobbies and activities
• Changes in energy – unexpectedly and extremely tired or energetic
• Unexpected and persistent coughs or sniffles
• Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times
• Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual
• Make lengthy trips outside of the home.
• Secretiveness
• Lying to family members
• Small stocks of their substance hidden away in different parts of the house or car; often in unlikely places
• Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times
• Relationship problems
• Social and/or recreational sacrifices

A sign is something other people, such as the doctor notice. The signs of substance dependence vary according to the individual, the substance they are addicted to, their family history (genetics), and personal circumstances.

A risk factor is something which increases the likelihood of developing a condition or disease. Although anybody, regardless of age, sex or social status can potentially become addicted to some substances, there are certain factors that can affect the likelihood of your developing an addiction:

• Family history of addiction
• Having another psychological problem such as depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder
• Anxiety and depression
• Poor social and coping skills
• Being alone and feeling lonely can lead to the consumption of substances
• The earlier a person begins to use drugs the more likely they are to progress to more serious abuse.
• Early childhood abuse, neglect and other forms of trauma
• A lack of attachment with your parents
• If a person’s stress levels are high there is a greater chance of addiction
• Association with peers who use alcohol or other drugs or other drugs or who engage in risk taking behaviours
• Unclear family rules, expectations and consequences
• Teenagers who struggle in school such as low motivation and poor bonding with classmates and teachers.

A risk factor is something which increases the likelihood of developing a condition or disease. Although anybody, regardless of age, sex or social status can potentially become addicted to some substances, there are certain factors that can affect the likelihood of your developing an addiction:

Addictions can create a number of life-changing complications. They can include:

• Health consequences – addiction can lead to a range of both short- and long-term mental and physical health problems. In the case of drug/alcohol addiction there may be mental/emotional as well as physical health problems. In the case of nicotine addiction the problems tend to be just with physical health.

• Mental disorders – Long-term abuse of stimulants changes the way the brain functions, and may lead to severe mental disorders and memory loss.

• Accidental injuries/death– people with a drug/alcohol addiction have a higher risk of falling over, or driving dangerously when under the influence.

• Suicide –People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol commit suicide more often than do people who aren’t.

• Problems at school –Academic performance and motivation to excel in school may suffer.

• Financial problems –Spending money to support your habit takes away money from your other needs, could put you into debt, and could lead you into illegal or unethical behaviors.

• Relationship problems– social, family and marital relationships can be severely strained, leading to family breakups, etc.

• Child neglect/abuse– the percentage of neglected or abused children who have one or both parents with an addiction problem is higher compared to those whose parents are healthy. These figures apply to some drugs and alcohol, not to just nicotine dependence.

• Getting a communicable disease –People who are addicted to a drug or alcohol are more likely to get an infectious disease, such as HIV, either through unsafe sex or by sharing needles.

What starts as curiosity, peer pressure or style statement can easily over power and cause failed health, failed professional success, failed relationships or even failed life. Addiction refers to physical and / or psychological dependence on some substance or activity. It is characterized by :

• excessive role of that substance or activity in everyday life of person
• detrimental effect of that substance or activity
• poor self control over its use
• deviant or antisocial behavior

Common types of addiction / Substance abuse

• Alcohol addiction, alcoholism
• Nicotine Smoking addiction
• Drug addiction like cocaine, heroin, marijuana, opium bhang, LSD etc
• Inhalants like paint thinner
• Tobacco chewing addiction
• Caffeine addiction
• Benzodiazepene, Barbiturates, Analgesics Antihistaminics addiction
• Sugar or sweets addiction
• Sleeping pills addiction

Other Addictions:

It is not necessary that there can be only substance abuse addictions. There are many other addictions in life which can equally harm the health and happiness. Some of them are :

• Internet addiction
• Chatting addiction
• Sex pornography addiction
• Gambling addiction
• Shopping addiction
• Eating addiction
• Work addiction
• Television addiction

Acupuncture Treatment Protocol of Addictions

The acupuncture treatment takes care of all aspects of addiction

• Management of troublesome symptoms
• Management of withdrawal symptoms
• Bio medical management
• Emotional management
• Social management
• Behavior management
• Treatment compliance management
• Recovery management
• Relapse prevention

Acupuncture is one of the most popular therapies worldwide for deaddiction. It is now part of almost every deaddiction protocol. There is significant clinical research that proves effectiveness of acupuncture in deaddiction. Research has shown that acupuncture raises the level of endorphins in the nervous system, the body’s natural pain killers. Acupuncture deaddiction is based on the energy concept of Yin and Yang. There must be a balance of Yin and Yang. Fine needles are used to stimulate certain specific acupoints which brings back the balance of energy system and proper flow of energy in various energy channels.

Ear Acupuncture

Ear acupuncture is highly specialized microsystem of acupuncture that has been extensively used in treatment of addictions. It involves stimulation of acupoints in ear.

NADA

The National Acupuncture Detoxification Assocation (NADA) auricular acupuncture protocol is used around the world to help people deal with and recover from substance abuse. Five earpoints in each ear are stimulated by sterilized, one-time use stainless steel needles.

Benefits of acupuncture deaddiction program

• Freedom from complaints
• Freedom from craving
• Rejuvenated body
• Active and calm mind
• Good sleep
• Better body functions
• Better social relations
• Better adjustment and success in life

*****

Addiction is a brain disease that affects a person’s inhibitory control over their behavior. When an individual engages in compulsive behavior such as drug or alcohol substance abuse – despite harmful consequences to themselves and those around them – they are likely struggling with a chronic illness called addiction.

Counseling, also called “talk therapy,” is among the most important ingredients in addiction treatment. Counselors and therapists who provide treatment for addicted individuals and their families need special training in behavioral treatments for addiction.  Addiction treatment often requires a combination of medication and addiction counseling or substance abuse therapy.

Several counseling therapies are available for addiction. Some of them are:

Individual therapy

In the individual therapy, a single psychotherapist meets with a single client or patient one or more times per week for about 50 minutes each meeting. Patients have the therapist’s full attention during an individual session, which may help the session to feel more secure and safe. The individual format encourages patients to explore their difficulties in-depth across multiple sessions

Group Therapy

Group therapy is also often run in a ‘support’ or ‘growth’ mode, wherein the therapist will guide the patients in a discussion of things they are struggling with in their lives. Without overpowering the discussion itself, the therapist attempts to shape it so that the participants support one another, model effective ways of managing problems, and get relatively equal chances to talk.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive behavior therapy is based on the idea that feelings and behaviors are caused by a person’s thoughts, not on outside stimuli like people, situations and events. People may not be able to change their circumstances, but they can change how they think about them and therefore change how they feel and behave, according to cognitive-behavior therapists.

Couples and family therapy

Some addictions don’t only impinge on the user’s life but the whole family is affected. So, family members can act as a powerful force for change in the addicted person’s life. Each family member can begin to heal the damage their loved one’s addiction has caused in their own life.

Addiction is an obsessive, compulsive reaction to a stimulus. Everyone has a energetic life force that is contained in every cell of our body. To truly overcome addiction, this inner obsessive energy must be released from the body.

Homeopathy is a holistic treatment that releases toxic energies which disturb thoughts, emotions and body functions. It uses the energy patterns of animals, plants and minerals to heal similar diseased energy patterns.

Homeopathic medicines are prepared by diluting and energizing substances in purified water. With homeopathy, the practitioner uses minute amounts of the natural healing ingredient or remedy to heal the body. Because the remedy is so extremely diluted there is no risk of toxicity to the body. Rather than advising patients to take multiple medicines to cure a single disease, homeopathy focuses on just a single treatment. Thus you do not have to worry about building up toxic side effects from multiple medicines in your system.

Homeopathic treatment is constitutional, or tailored, to specific needs. Some treatments a homeopath may prescribe include:

• Absinthium
• Arsenicum
• Avena Sativa
• Garcinia cambogia
• Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)
• Kali phos
• Nux vomica

The key to successful healing with homeopathy is selecting the most similar remedy at the lowest potency which maximizes healing, and then taking that remedy at appropriate times.  Though homeopathic remedies can be purchased over-the-counter, it is highly recommended to seek the assistance of a trained homeopath when deciding upon homeopathy to treat addiction or chronic mental, emotional or physical illness

Hypnotherapy is therapeutic technique used to safely access the powers of the subconscious mind. It acts to put an individual into a sleep-like state in which the person acts only on external suggestion. It may be used to incite different patterns of thought and behavior, and may be used by an external practitioner or self-administered with the use of pre-recorded sessions.

Hypnotherapy has proven effective for getting a person to stop just about anything. It can be very effective in helping to treat a wide range of addictions. It aims to retrain the subconscious mind in order to affect and modify any sort of behaviors, including addictive ones. Hypnotherapy as a treatment for addiction comes along later in the rehabilitation process. The person seeking treatment needs to completely detoxify their system before they even consider undergoing treatment, and this usually means spending weeks or even months cleaning up.

Hypnotherapy may reduce desires for addictive behaviors because it aids in relaxation. In a relaxed state of awareness, a patient may become more open and accepting of recovering from their addiction. This allows them to explore the ebb and flow of their own cravings – with the goal of putting together strategies to overcome them – without any stress or feelings of guilt getting in the way.

Most addictions are psychological rather than purely physical in nature, and that’s why hypnotherapy can be such a powerful tool in dismantling the addiction. It’s rarely necessary in hypnotherapy to dig down into all the reasons why someone is addicted, or to explore exactly what it is that they get from the addiction.

Yoga is an effective therapy in addiction treatment as it integrates the body, mind and spirit, to return the individual to balance and wholeness. Using yoga as a therapy can help a person to control any compulsive behaviors that contributes to their addiction. Many addiction treatment centers have introduced the use of yoga as part of an addiction recovery program. Over the years, the evidence that yoga has beneficial effects on those in treatment for addiction has grown.

Yoga as part of effective addiction treatment delivers a number of benefits to the recovering addict, including new methods for relieving stress and a process of challenging oneself to overcome challenges. The combination of yoga with therapy and other treatments has proven to be successful.

The Benefits of Yoga for Addiction

• It enhances the physical health
• The person learns about their body and develops better control over it.
• It finds the perfect balance between the mind, body, and inner spirit.
• It increases a person’s self awareness on a physical and psychological level.
• It helps people to gain a more positive outlook on life, and increase their vitality,
• Breathing exercises performed during yoga therapy can increase brain activity and improve communication between the right and left sides of the brain
• It can help a person to focus more on what is important, and block out these worries and stresses that are not beneficial to their recovery.

The meditation and breathing practices taught throughout the session provide the client with valuable tools they can take with them when they leave.  These are proven methods for dealing with life’s stresses.  Techniques to calm anxiety, lift mild depression, combat stress, diffuse anger and resentment, and restore a sense of serenity.  These techniques can be used anytime, anywhere to break the cycle of stress induced cravings as they arise. Through the continued practice of yoga, a sense of much needed peace and equanimity can be realized.

Alcoholism is a disease with four main features:

• Craving – a strong need to drink
• Loss of control – not being able to stop drinking once you’ve started
• Physical dependence – withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, or shakiness when you don’t drink
• Tolerance – the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to feel the same effect

If you have alcoholism or you have a problem with alcohol, you may not be able to cut back or quit without help. Denying that you have a problem is usually part of alcoholism and other types of excessive drinking.

 Complications of alcohol addiction

• Alcohol depresses your central nervous system.
• Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain.
• Excessive drinking can reduce your judgment skills and lower inhibitions, leading to poor choices and dangerous situations or behaviors
• Health problems caused by excessive drinking are heart problems, liver disease, digestive problems, eye problems, bone loss etc.
• Alcohol use can lead to accidental injury, assault and property damage.

If you drink, do so only in moderation — no more than 2 drinks per day if you are a man and no more than 1 drink per day if you are a woman. Early intervention is important, especially with teenagers. You can help prevent teenage alcohol use. Start by setting a good example with your own alcohol use. Talk openly with your child, spend quality time together, and become actively involved in your child’s life. Never drink and drive or allow your teenager to be driven in the car by someone who has been drinking.

Drinking coffee becomes bad when you start having greedy cravings of it, and at the same time feeling lethargic when you miss one day of not having the beverage.

Excessive caffeine intake can lead to several health problems, including:

• Severe adrenal stress
• Anxiety
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Insomnia
• Irritability or mood disorders

If you have been consuming more than three to four cups of coffee (250-500mg caffeine) per day, then chances are you will have caffeine withdrawal symptoms when you decide to kick the habit. These include headache, fatigue, irritability, depressed mood and difficulty concentrating that is severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to function properly at work or in social situations.

Getting over your addiction to caffeine is definitely possible. If you decide on quitting your caffeine addiction, you need to have a strong determination to kick the habit. Having no drive at all to quit this addiction will just lead you into being more dependent to caffeine than before.

It is usually treated by planning a good and increased intake of some vitamins and minerals. This contains increased intake of Vitamin-C, Vitamin B3, B-Complex, Calcium, Magnesium and Amino Acids. Drinking a lot of water and exercising speeds up the process of detoxification. Homeopathic medicines and hypnosis, a process of limiting the use of caffeinated products psychologically, are also being used by some physicians.

Chatting addiction is an addiction when the need for chat is greater than any other activity in your life. Hours can pass unnoticed when someone is online, talking to friends. With choices such as voice chats, or ICQ chats, or AOL chats, etc. meeting different people becomes almost like a daily expectation. The relationships and friendships one builds with people through the Internet are totally different than in “real life”. Although there is a strong possibility that the person you are speaking to, is not really who they say they are.

Effects of chatting addiction

• It takes up your whole day, and many hours of your life
• It can also ruin your ability to type real words
• It contributes to stress, isolation and loneliness
• Causes family members to feel neglected and unloved
• You lack social support

The chatting addiction make a person lose even more social skills in the real world. Seldom will an internet chat room addict ever get to meet the people he or she is chatting to. It would ruin the facade the addicts are putting up for their chat room colleagues. Unfortunately, this type of computer addiction can have a drastic effect on an individual’s personality and health.

The exact cause of drug addiction is not known. However, a person’s genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors.

There are several stages of drug use that may lead to dependence.

• Experimental use — typically involves peers, done for recreational use; the user may enjoy defying parents or other authority figures.
• Regular use — the user misses more and more school or work; worries about losing drug source; uses drugs to “fix” negative feelings; begins to stay away from friends and family; may change friends to those who are regular users; shows increased tolerance and ability to “handle” the drug.
• Daily preoccupation — the user loses any motivation; does not care about school and work; has obvious behavior changes; thinking about drug use is more important than all other interests, including relationships; the user becomes secretive; may begin dealing drugs to help support habit; use of other, harder drugs may increase; legal problems may increase.
• Dependence — cannot face daily life without drugs; denies problem; physical condition gets worse; loss of “control” over use; may become suicidal; financial and legal problems get worse; may have broken ties with family members or friends.

The type and duration of treatment depend on the individual. There are two primary tools:

• Medication: Methadone and naltrexone are two drugs that help people who are addicted to opiates. Antidepressants are needed when someone also has depression, anxiety, bipolar or psychosis. Two therapeutic — not preventive — vaccines are available to relieve the withdrawal symptoms of cocaine and methamphetamine addicts.
• Counseling: Cognitive behavioral therapy (teaching someone to think differently about their circumstances), family therapy and positive reinforcement are important parts of fighting drug addictions through counseling.

The only way to truly prevent drug addiction is to never take drugs.

The most common types of eating addictions are:

• Binge eating – binge eaters will gorge themselves on large amounts of food such as sweets, salty foods or carbohydrates.
• Anorexia – anorexic individuals will typically limit their food intake in an effort to stay thin no matter what the cost.
• Bulimia – bulimic individuals will eat as much as they want to eat but they will later take extreme measures to prevent from gaining weight as a result of their uncontrolled eating.

Signs of eating Addiction

• End up eating more than planned when you start eating certain foods
• Keep eating certain foods even if you’re no longer hungry
• When you eat a food you were craving, you sometimes eat to the point of feeling excessively “stuffed.”
• Worry about not eating certain types of foods or worry about cutting down on certain types of foods
• When certain foods aren’t available, go out of your way to obtain them
• You often hide your consumption of unhealthy foods from others.
• You feel unable to control your consumption of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they are causing you physical harm
• Spending a great deal of time alone / social isolation
• Feeling depressed or sad about your weight or self-image

A nutritionist, psychologist, or doctor who is educated about food addiction may be able to help you break the cycle of compulsive eating. There are also a growing number of programs that help people who are addicted to food

Gambling addiction is a mental-health problem. Gambling addiction is also called compulsive gambling or pathological gambling. The types of gambling that people with this disorder might engage in are as variable as the games available. Some of the activities in which compulsive gamblers engage are:

• Betting on sports
• Buying lotto tickets
• Slot machines
• Playing poker
• Roulette
• Gambling in casino

Negative Effects of gambling addiction

• Increase in the domestic violence in families having people with gambling addiction.
• People with gambling addiction frequently involve in quarrels and fights with their family members over the issue of excessive gambling.
• The children of people having compulsive gambling also posses high risk of suffering from mental disorders such as behavior problems, depression, substance abuse and others.
• Excessive gambling addiction also has some negative consequences on the mental as well as physical health of the individual who suffers from the condition.
• Financial issues become a way of life for the problem gambler.

Overcoming a gambling addiction or problem is never easy. But recovery is possible if you stick with treatment and seek support. Every gambler is unique and so needs a recovery program tailored specifically to him or her. What works for one gambler won’t necessarily work for other. The biggest step in treatment is realizing you have a problem with gambling. It takes tremendous strength and courage to own up to this. Make life changes, i.e. removing yourself from the environment which encourages you to gamble. Find something else to occupy your mind. Hypnotherapy can help you in your battle against gambling addiction by reprogramming your subconscious mind from gambler to “non gambler.”

Inhalants are a diverse group of substances whose chemical vapors can be inhaled to produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. Inhalants typically found in a home environment include volatile solvents and aerosols. People tend to abuse different inhalant products at different ages. New users ages 12–15 most commonly abuse glue, shoe polish, spray paints, gasoline, and lighter fluid. New users ages 16–17 most commonly abuse nitrous oxide or “whippets.” Adults most commonly abuse a class of inhalants known as nitrites (such as amyl nitrites or “poppers”).

Effects of inhalants

• Slurred speech
• Lack of coordination
• Euphoria
• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• delusions
• Depression
• Irreversible damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and brain
• Memory impairment, diminished intelligence
• Hearing loss
• Bone marrow damage

High concentrations of inhalants may also cause death from suffocation by displacing oxygen in the lungs, causing the user to lose consciousness and stop breathing.

Inhalant abuse is a serious addictive disease that requires support from medical professionals. Treatment for inhalant addiction is primarily behavioral. An expert in drug treatment teaches people how to function without drugs handling cravings, avoiding situations that could lead to inhalant use, and preventing and handling relapses.

• Cybersexual Addiction (addictions to adult chat rooms or cyberporn).
• Cyber-relationship Addiction (online friendships made in chat rooms, MUDs, or newsgroups that replace real-life friends and family, this also includes the issue of cyberaffairs).
• Net Compulsions (compulsive online gambling, online auction addiction, and obsessive online trading.
• Information Overload (compulsive web surfing or database searches).
• Computer Addiction (obsessive computer game-playing or to programming aspects of computer science, mostly a problem among men, children, and teenagers).

Effects of internet addiction

There are several problems caused by internal addiction. This results in facing difficulty in maintaining relationships with people. One may also face a lot of financial problems due to spending excess time online. People tend to get large bills for using some of the services. There are extended telephone charges. People also get addicted to shopping online and spend a lot of money. This is also known as the process of compulsive spending. One may also get connected with gambling online. Excessive use of internet can also affect one’s health a lot. It is really common for people to develop poor eye sight, bad health and a lot more.

Tips for dealing with Internet addiction

• Set reasonable Internet use goals and stick to them
• Stay connected to the offline world. Visit newsstands, book and music stores
• Strengthen your support network. The more relationships you have in real life, the less you will need the Internet for social interaction.
• Seek out friends. Take time to appreciate the fact that all life is not yet online.
• Alter your routine to break your usage patterns.

Over time, your body builds a tolerance to some of the effects of nicotine and you must therefore continue to smoke to make the effects last.

Nicotine use can have many different effects on the body:

• Decreases the appetite
• Boosts mood and may even relieve minor depression.
• Increases activity of your intestines
• Creates more saliva and phlegm.
• Increases heart rate by around 10 to 20 beats per minute.
• Increases blood pressure by 5 to 10 mmHg.
• May cause sweating, nausea, and diarrhea.
• Stimulates memory and alertness. People who use tobacco often depend on it to help them accomplish certain tasks and perform well.

Smoking harms almost every organ of your body, and more than 60 percent of people who keep smoking will die because of it. Tobacco smoke contains more than 60 known cancer-causing chemicals and thousands of other harmful substances. When you inhale tobacco smoke, you take in these chemicals, which reach most of your body’s vital organs.

The best way to prevent tobacco dependence is to not smoke in the first place. The best way to prevent your children from smoking is to not smoke yourself. If you’re a parent who smokes, the younger your children are when you quit, the less likely they are to become smokers themselves.

Your health will benefit almost immediately if you stop smoking. Younger smokers who stop can have a normal life expectancy, and even older smokers who stop add years and quality to their life expectancy.

Sex and Porn addiction develops much like a drug addiction. Like in drug addiction the problems arise when urges to view porn conflict with an individual’s daily responsibilities. Instead of leaving for work on time, the addict may decide to stay at home and watch porn. Many porn addicts report that they end up in a distressing situation where their shameful sexual release is the only positive experience they get to have.

Negative effects of sex and pornography addiction

• It consumes your thinking. You spend increasing amounts of time using pornography.
• You may neglect responsibilities or become less effective in your job or in academics.
• It causes problems in your intimate relationships, such as creating emotional distance between people you love or causing those in a relationship with you to feel neglected.
• You might spend too much money on pornography or put yourself in dangerous situations you would not normally be in due to the pornography.
• One may become prone to immoral, antisocial and even criminal activity.

Treatment

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been suggested as a possible effective treatment for sex and pornography addiction based on its success with addicts. Acceptance and commitment therapy has also been shown to be a potentially effective treatment for problematic Internet pornography viewing.

Holistic Treatment

Holistic treatment including lifestyle medicine, acupuncture, yoga, homeopathy, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy offers very effective lasting cure of sex and pornography addiction.

A person struggling with shopping addiction becomes caught in a turbulent cycle of self appeasement and debt. Being unable to control the impulse to spend is just as dangerous as not being able to prevent yourself from drinking too much. There are numerous signs and symptoms of this problem.

• The person will hide the shopping purchases from others
• Excessive Credit Cards and Debt
• A closet full of clothes or other items with tags still on them is a sign of excessive spending and compulsive shopping.
• Depression or Anxiety after Shopping

Effects of shopping addiction

• Shopping to heal pain or social anxiety
• Spending too much money when you don’t have money to spend
• Feeling anxious about shopping
• Feeling guilt or anger after shopping and overspending
• Decreased self-esteem as a result of overspending when you intended not to
• Relationship loss as a result of shopping when you were not supposed to or promised that you wouldn’t

Recovery from shopping addiction, much like all other addictions, starts with an understanding of the behaviours. Shopping addiction may be treated with psychotropic drugs and counseling. Following are some treatment options:

• Behavioral therapy –this method of treatment aims to change negative behaviors such as poor spending habits into more positive behaviors.
• Cognitive therapy –this method of treatment aims to help the shopaholic learn how to change their thought processes and stop thinking about shopping
• Financial counseling –this is often necessary to get the compulsive shopper back on track and to stop overspending
• Self-help books –many self-help guides are available to assist shoppers in finding methods of having fun without spending
• Medications –sometimes, shopping is the result of depression, anxiety or another mental illness which is treatable with medication.
• Homeopathy – It offers safe and effective treatment by helping positive changes in mindset and personalities.
• Hypnotherapy – This is one of the most effective treatment by working on deep subconscious mind.

People do not normally start out with the intention of becoming addicted. Many start off taking sleeping pills that have been prescribed by their doctor for medicinal purposes. They later become dependent on this medication and might take it even when it is not required. Taking sleeping pills can create similar feelings to being drunk on alcohol

Side Effects of Sleeping Pills

• Burning or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
• Changes in appetite
• Constipation
• Stomach pain or tenderness
• Diarrhea
• Difficulty keeping balance
• Dizziness and drowsiness
• Dry mouth or throat
• Gas or heartburn
• Headache
• Uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• Unusual dreams
• Weakness

The danger of sleeping pill addiction means that the only safe treatment is to come off them completely. If the addiction is mild it may be possible to recover by tapering off the medication. This involves gradually reducing the dose over time so that there are no sudden withdrawal symptoms. There are specific regimens available for the safe tapering off from sleeping pills. However, in some instances the doctor might decide to allow the individual to reduce the dosage as they feel comfortable.

There will be withdrawal symptoms when removing sleeping medication from your routine. This is why it’s important to talk to your doctor and to work out a gradual release from the grip of these insidious pills.

Sugar addiction refers to a situation wherein a person finds it very difficult to give up consuming sweets. The causes of this can vary widely, but chief among them are hormonal imbalances of insulin and serotonin, unhealthy dieting, adrenal fatigue, eating disorders, and even premenstrual syndrome.

Disadvantages of eating excess sugar

Eating excess sugar can lead to weight gain, tooth decay, and blood-sugar spikes, followed by sugar withdrawal – sharp declines, a pattern that exacerbates irritability, anxiety and lightheadedness. Even worse, eating too much sugar causes insulin resistance, which leads directly to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Most sugary food is high in saturated fat as well.

How to stop sugar cravings
Sugar is carbohydrate. It is a quick source of serotonin which is known to be a ‘feel good’ chemical messenger of body. When it comes to the question how to stop craving sugar, it is strongly recommended to follow a healthy diet full of nutrients and devoid of sugar.

• Increase your protein and fat intake
• Replace sweets and sugar with fruits. The sugars in fruits are digested differently than normal table sugar or sugar in candy and processed foods
• Get rid of the cakes, ice cream, cookies, etc.
• Eat a small piece of 70% dark chocolate instead of a candy bar.
• Avoid artificial sweeteners
• You are required to control the high carbohydrate temptations like bread, chips, crackers, croutons etc
• Add a multivitamin/mineral supplement because nutrients such as chromium, magnesium and vitamin [B.sub.6] help stabilize blood sugar levels.
• Try to avoid sitting alone and thinking about your cravings.
• Being aware of sugar content can help you avoid high-sugar foods and kick the addiction.
• Have small, frequent meals to help keep your blood sugar level stable. Avoid skipping meals.

Possible Signs of Television Addiction

• Television watching takes up much of the person’s time.
• the desire to buy products advertised on the television
• He or she has withdrawn from important social, work, or family activities in order to watch television.
• Withdrawal symptoms, like anxiety, irritability and nervous agitation, from the moment that the victim no longer has a television available.
• Reduction in leisure activities so as to watch television

 Effects of Television Addiction

• Makes you forget about reality
• Leads to depression
• It can induce guilt

How to overcome television addiction

• Take up hobbies and find time for creative and active activities during the week
• Make a list of all of the other non-television activities you find pleasurable
• Limit the daily amount of television to 2-3 hours.
• Switch on the television for specific program only
• Counseling and Hypnotherapy are effective for quick treatment.

In some cases it is possible to regulate our habits ourselves so as to get rid of this addiction quickly, leaving time to do other, more creative activities. In other cases, and especially when this addiction is one of many, victims have to go on specific treatment courses which may require them to completely change their habits.

Like other addictions, work addiction affects the workaholic’s social life and restricts his or her personal freedom and happiness. In fact, excessive work can be a means to withdraw from relationships, to manipulate relationships by limiting one’s availability, or to regulate relationships so that not too much is expected.

The behaviors of work addicts are self-imposed and based on inaccurate self-perceptions, stemming from underlying emotional problems. Work addicts generally exaggerate their importance and accomplishments, using work to avoid negative emotions.

Symptoms of a work addiction

• Long hours at the office, even when not necessary
• Obsession with work-related success
• Intense fear of failure at work
• Losing sleep to engage in work projects or finish tasks
• Paranoia about work-related performance
• Restricts personal freedom and happiness
• Defensive attitude toward others about behavior
• Use of work as a way to avoid human relationships, or life crises like death, divorce, or financial trouble

Like other forms of addiction, work addicts can have significant health consequences, including significantly higher work-related stress and job burn-out rates, anger, depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms such as stomachaches and headaches.

As a psychosocial condition, work addiction is usually much easier to “cure” than something like a substance abuse addiction. Lifestyle changes, practicing balance, and avoiding stressors and triggers will give the work addict the best chance for success. Hypnotherapy is effective in working on deep psychological issues.