Dependence - Types of chemical dependency, principles of its treatment

All people engaged in truly important work,

are always simple because they don’t have time to come up with unnecessary things

(L.N. Tolstoy)

Greetings, dear readers!

In this article we will continue the conversation about what a painful dependence on work is.

From it you will learn what the causes of workaholism are and how you can get rid of this type of obsession.

In the previous publication:

Workaholism as an escape from reality and...

We discussed the main symptoms of work addiction, and also determined why it is very similar to alcoholism.

Now let's take a look...

Why do people get addicted?

A person cannot enjoy his existence without satisfying his unhealthy habits. His actions are subordinate to unhealthy habits, that is, they are not performed independently.

Psychologists believe that there are several reasons for such deviations; most often they lie in the insufficient or excessive influence of parents in childhood. Here are some of them:

absence of one of the parents;
the child is given little attention;
the only child in the house;
hostile communication between father and mother (disrespect, violence, swearing, dominant position of one of the parents);
excessive supervision and guardianship of parents.

It is believed that as a result of such parental behavior, the child may be susceptible to depression. In the future, there will be a desire to receive some kind of satisfaction, which a person cannot achieve in a healthy way and will find self-realization in addictions. Such habits can develop into a painful addiction, and then the help of specialists will be required.

Psychologists have proven that alcohol dependence is hereditary and not acquired as a result of life factors.

How to recognize the problem

Symptoms of addiction to a chemical substance develop in different ways, directly depending on the drug itself. If we talk about the general symptoms that are characteristic of this condition, the following signs can be identified:

frequent mood swings;
increased lethargy or activity;
slurred speech;
pronounced thirst;
dilated or constricted pupils;
pale skin;
increased appetite or its complete absence;
sleep disturbance;
change of interests and different social circles;
lies.

Such symptoms are present in the initial stages of drug addiction or alcoholism, but the longer a person is addicted to illegal substances, the more noticeable are the signs of the disease. A person develops various diseases and mental disorders.

All three types of chemical dependence have been well studied by medicine and have some similarities, but it is noticeable in the final stages, when a person degrades as a person, suffers from psychosis and hallucinations, withdrawal symptoms when withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. The strange behavior of an addict cannot be ignored, so relatives do not need to hesitate; they should seek help as soon as possible.

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What types of dependencies are there?

A person has many addictions and their number is growing, despite all the measures taken to combat them. Below are presented only the main types of addictions to which a person is susceptible.

Narcotic. A person cannot live without drugs that cause mental disorders.
Alcoholic. The main danger of addiction to alcohol is that a person takes strong drinks initially for company or to improve his mood, and as a result loses control over himself, as a result - he does not want and cannot do without alcohol. In Russia, alcoholism has become the most widespread addiction among citizens.
Smoking. It would seem that addiction is not such a terrible thing, but it is not so. It has two components, i.e. the physiological component (nicotine affects the body’s metabolic processes) and the psychological component (often this is what prevents the habit from being overcome).
Gambling addiction. The passion for gambling becomes of utmost importance for a person. This tendency can lead a person to the loss of all savings and to debt, even loss of housing.
Internet addiction. The need to be online, reaching a painful state in the absence of it.
Medicinal. As a result of taking medications for a long time, there is a need to increase the dose of drugs more and more.
Sexy. Chaotic sexual contacts lead to the point where sex becomes the meaning of life.
Binge eating. A person suffering from bulimia loses control over the quantity, quality and pattern of food intake. As a result, this can lead to mental disorders, neuroses, and depression.
Workaholism. Career advancement and increasing income become the main goal in a person’s life.

Any addiction brings many difficulties both to the addict and to his family. Often it is beyond your ability to cope with the problem yourself, but there is still a solution.

Work addiction, or Why workaholism is bad

A friend of mine once admitted: “I can’t stand teachers.” And she explained: “My mother was a primary school teacher. I spent all my time at work, even when I didn’t really need to. Either she goes on a hike with the children, then to a museum, or to the regional center on an excursion. And my brother and I were terribly jealous. She didn’t go anywhere with us, she just swore.”

So, I propose to talk about workaholism. Let’s immediately make a reservation that we will not consider those cases when parents work hard at two or three jobs, work part-time in the evenings, work as taxi drivers, bake cakes to order, sell homemade jewelry and souvenirs, just to feed the family. It is in these cases that everything is fine, because the priorities of such people are the well-being and interests of the family.

But when a person works for the sake of work, while “sagging” in other areas of life, these circumstances deserve our close attention.

Psychologist Wayne Oates defines workaholism as “an obsessive or uncontrollable desire to work.” The American Psychological Association diagnoses workaholism in the presence of three components - constant thoughts about work, including during rest, frequent overtime work to the detriment of other significant human values, and constant impulses: “I have to go, I have to be there,” “So what?” What's vacation? How are they doing without me?”, “I have no right to sit idle, I need to work urgently.”

All these components are similar to non-chemical addiction, such as gambling addiction, addiction to sects, etc. And even the physiology of the process is the same. A person first loves his profession, and later becomes simply obsessed with it. He can no longer fully think about his family, his health, or his rest. It becomes difficult to communicate with such people, because they transfer all topics to work, or even become isolated, not understanding the lack of interest in their work and not wanting to support others in “their nonsense.”

Performing professional duties causes, if not an orgasm, then certainly a dopamine surge in such people. Moreover, every time, getting pleasure requires more and more new heroics - completing more tasks in a short period of time, convincing difficult and intractable partners, suddenly getting ready for your favorite job at 11 pm.

Reminds me of drug addiction, doesn’t it? Me too. Only in our case, the active substance is neurotransmitters produced by our body in response to psychological stimuli.

For gamers, this incentive is the “emotional swing” in front of the slot machine, for a sectarian it is the praise of the “teacher” and moving to another level, and for a workaholic it is the recognition of management and colleagues, grants, bonuses, victories in a competition, the feeling “I am irreplaceable,” “ without me they are like without hands"

In Russia, 12.5% of all workers are susceptible to workaholism. But statistics count only 3% of gamers. Why such a spread? But because in our culture, labor is the cure. This is the most socially acceptable way to temporarily escape from other problems. Remember the proverbs? “Patience and work will grind everything down,” or “He who works well has something to boast about.”

What does a woman hear from society when her husband left her and she rushed to develop her own business? “Well done, don’t lose your temper! Don’t give a damn about that!” Yes, work helps you overcome a difficult emotional period, but if you don’t control yourself, you can get stuck in a new swamp.

And what does a young specialist hear who is so carried away by his work that he has forgotten about everything else? “No girlfriend? It’s okay, you’ll find it again.” “No hobby? Why do you need it? Work is your passion." Gradually, such a young person already gets used to thinking about work 24 hours a day, loses the desire to get to know anyone, take care of someone, and empathize. He doesn’t even want to think about his health. Meanwhile, he develops a dangerous disorder.

Want to know if you're at risk for job addiction? I suggest you take a short test. At the end, add up the points.

Do you know how to efficiently distribute responsibilities between people?

Yes. – 0 points No, and therefore I have to do a lot myself. – 1 point

2. How much time do you spend resolving business issues (including answering letters, messages, calls, instructing colleagues after hours)?

Less than 60 hours per week. – 0 points More than 60 hours per week. – 1 point

Can you fully relax on vacation?

Yes. – 0 points No, I think about work all the time. – 1 point

Does poor quality work from your colleagues make you angry?

Yes. – 1 point No. – 0 points

Do you feel guilty because you can't go to work due to illness?

Yes. – 1 point No. – 0 points

6. You have won a trip to the sea with a strictly defined departure date. The other day your partner called you and offered you a contract for the amount of a trip. The contract execution date coincides with the vacation period of the voucher. You will not be able to work remotely. What will you choose?

Contract. – 1 point Travel ticket. – 0 points

Do photographs, magazines, films with entertaining or erotic content irritate you?

Yes. – 1 point No. – 0 points

Do you perceive failures at work as a disaster?

Yes. – 1 point No. – 0 points

Result: 4 or more points - there is a risk of developing dependence on work.

How to help yourself?

In such cases, I always encourage you to go to a psychologist, because when a person hides behind work in a more or less good financial situation, it means that he has a problem that he does not want or cannot solve. Or he doesn’t see her at all, as subconscious defenses are triggered. Someone doesn’t want to see their husband because he either whines or humiliates. Someone cannot find a common language and contact with the child because much has been missed. Some people don’t like to cook, or even maintain a home, but are afraid to admit it to their family. For some, “work-bleeds-from-the-nose” was a constant instillation from the parental family, grandparents, and other values were omitted. A lot of everything. We need to radically solve these problems, and not cover them up with the sign “I’m working. Don't interfere."

If the situation is not very advanced, you can try the “Adjustment” method.

You need to plan your work day so that it includes:

time for yourself (meeting with friends, reading your favorite authors, watching videos or TV shows that energize you, visiting a cosmetologist, massage therapist, ordering amenities from the Internet),
time for your health (timely medical examination, consultations with specialists, healthy eating, physical activity, meditation, auto-training),
time to communicate with family (help in solving each other’s problems, common trips, family holidays, competitions, participation in parent events).

This can also include conversations with each family member. Ask if they are suffering from your inattention, how they would like to spend time with you, if they can support you, remind you of the need for rest.

All this, in addition to standard sleep, according to experts’ recommendations, should take at least 4 hours a day.

If absolutely nothing, then you just need to arrange fasting days on weekends. From the very work that is already in the liver. Well, you can do household chores with your family. Both communication and benefit. And training in delegation, which is clearly lacking in all workaholics: “Everything on your own.”

Because health is not ironclad. And the patience of family members too.

All addictions are dangerous

If a person has addictions, he loses the ability to express his own will, therefore, any type of addiction must be fought.

Overcoming any addiction is long and difficult; it can take several years. But there are no other ways to acquire freedom, true happiness and harmony.

Substance abuse among children and adolescents

April 14, 2020 Types and causes of human addictions
During this disease, an individual’s physical and mental addiction progresses, various somatic changes and personal degradation occur. Substance abuse has become widespread among children and adolescents.