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What is an Addiction Anyway?

Addiction has many definitions and interpretations, but one of the more common meanings is the compulsivitiy caused by dependence that drives addictive behavior resulting in one or more major aspects of life becoming unmanageable.  Some examples of these aspects of life commonly becoming unmanageable are finances, relationships, school or career, health, and legal status.  The very nature of addiction is a brain disease and with the brain being the center of all human behavior, people struggling with addiction lose control over their thoughts, their actions and responses.  All of life becomes occupied with the need for the subject of the addiction (ex. drugs, alcohol. gambling, internet, sex, games) and the things that used to be important are of little consequence.  Although drug and alcohol abuse may be the most commonly known forms of addiction, gambling, internet, sexual, and gaming addictions are just as powerful and dangerous.  Again, the very meaning of an addiction is the dependence on that thing that drives compulsive behavior resulting in unmanageable aspacts of life.  The fact that these kinds of addiction are not as well known as drug and alcohol addiction makes them more dangerous since there is less information on the signs and symptoms of these conditions and they can easily be overlooked or ignored undert the erronous premise that there is no danger.   Do not be fooled into the thinking that just because you don't hear about it means it doesn't pose a serious threat.  There are rehab centers designed specifically to treat each of these kinds of addictions and thousands more than incorporate the treatnment of these addictions in their already existing recovery programs.  The danger of these addictions is real and there is real help for recovery from them. 

What About Eating Disorders? Are They Addictions Too?

Actually, eating disorders are not considered to be addictions, rather very serious, life threatening mental disorders.  Eating disorders generally begin with low self-esteem or fear of losing control, then manifest themselves when their victims find a false sense of control in obsessively monitoring what food they consume.  Millions of people worldwide suffer from eating disorders and while many are young woman, many are men and many are older.   Eating disorders come in a variety of forms, from compulsive over-eating, bulemia, anorexia, over-excersising, obsessive food weighing, and compulsive purging.  Although eating disorders are not considered to be addictions, there is a common factor: compulsivity.  It is this compulsivity that keeps moderation and any form of logic out of the picture.  Eating disorders are brain diseases, just like addictions and they can result in very poor health, hospitalization and sometimes death.  Like any other kind of addiction, eating disorders are very dangerous and must be addressed through treatment, therapy, counseling and a desire and committment for recovery.  There are thousands of rehab centers around the world specializing in treating eating disorders and also thousands that have intergrated eating disorder treatment to their rehabilitation program services. 
There is always hope in the battle against addictions and eating disorders, but the key is having the information to effectively treat these diseases.  Knowledge is power and we cannot win a battle against an enemy we know nothing about.  It is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of the disease if recovery has a chance and that is the purpose for rehabs and the outline of their design.  This website is intended to be a precurser for rehab, providing preliminary information about these diseases and treatment options for recovery.  Please explore the rest of the links here and get the facts to provide more ammunition in the battle for health and sobriety.