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Εργασία 2^ου τετραμήνου στο μάθημα των Αγγλικών

Υπεύθυνη καθηγήτρια: Γρηγορία Μέντη

Βασίλα Νίκη Β1’ 2023-24

ADD CT ONS

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SMOKING

MONEY

COFFEE

DRUGS

VIOLENCE

INTERNET

ALCOHOL

GAMBLING

SUGAR

SEX

SPEED

SHOPPING

EXERCISING

GAMING

WORKING

About 8% of caffeine users meet the diagnostic criteria for caffeine use disorder.

Approximately 6.1% of the global population suffers from internet addiction.

Studies show that roughly 75% of Americans overindulge on sugar.

Approximately 6.5% of the worldwide population suffers from compulsive buying disorder, which can lead to a shopping addiction.

Approximately 3% of people who exercise regularly are addicted to it.

Approximately 3-4% of gamers are estimated to experience symptoms of video game addiction.

Research indicates that workaholism affects between 27-30% of the general population today.

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https://www.sanantoniorecoverycenter.com/rehab-blog/does-caffeine-addiction-lead-to-drug-addiction/

https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/internet-addiction-real-thing

https://invigor8.com/blogs/health-and-wellness/5-signs-you-are-addicted-to-sugar

https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/signs-of-shopping-addiction/

https://www.lakeviewhealth.com/blog/can-you-become-addicted-to-exercise/

https://www.destinationsforteens.com/destinations-blog/signs-your-teen-is-addicted-to-video-games/

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SMOKING

MONEY

DRUGS

VIOLENCE

ALCOHOL

GAMBLING

SEX

SPEED

COFFEE

INTERNET

SUGAR

SHOPPING

EXERCISING

GAMING

WORKING

Researchers found that 85% of the daily cigarette smokers were addicted to some extent (either mild, moderate or severe addiction).

Some 40-50% of drivers drive faster than the recommended speed limit and 10-20% exceed the limit by more than 10 km/hr.

At least 21.4% of people 12 and over have used illegal drugs or misused prescription drugs.

Most studies say problem gambling affects over 1% of the U.S. population.

Most studies seem to estimate between 3-6% of the general adult population of the USA suffers from sex addiction.

Alcohol or drug use is involved in 40-60% of domestic abuse situations.

Some 10% of Americans over the age of 12 have Alcohol Use Disorder.

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https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/alabama-tops-list-states-addicted-smoking/story?id=20707318

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/features/drowsy-driving.html

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/credit-union-employee-stole-e87000-for-gambling-addiction/

https://www.oasisrecovery.org.uk/addiction/drug/

https://www.thecabinsydney.com.au/blog/how-to-know-if-you-are-living-with-a-sex-addict/

https://www.stepaway.co.za/News/entryid/1077/domestic-violence-and-addiction-how-are-they-linked

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Addiction is a chronic condition that can affect many aspects of your life, including your physical and mental health, relationships and career.

There are two main forms of addiction: substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. Addiction is treatable. It’s crucial to seek help as soon as possible.

Your brain chemistry changes with addiction!

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Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance addiction

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Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance addiction

According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 29.5 million people ages 12 and older (10.5% in this age group) had alcohol use disorder in the past year.

“It’s been one of the greatest challenges that ever came along in my life, it was one of the more difficult things to do.”

From an astronaut who stepped on to the moon in 1969, this description from Buzz Aldrin about the challenge of giving up alcohol is very telling. In the grips of alcohol addiction, it often feels impossible to see a way out – even if you’ve already achieved incredible things in your life.

“To be sober is the most important thing in my life and everything else is a bonus. And if it isn’t life-threatening, it really is trivial.”

Eric Clapton’s perspective on life and problems shifted through giving up alcohol. He describes a freedom from worrying about the unimportant events in life.

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Alcohol use disorder is the most common substance addiction

According to the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 29.5 million people ages 12 and older (10.5% in this age group) had alcohol use disorder in the past year.

“It’s been one of the greatest challenges that ever came along in my life, it was one of the more difficult things to do.”

From an astronaut who stepped on to the moon in 1969, this description from Buzz Aldrin about the challenge of giving up alcohol is very telling. In the grips of alcohol addiction, it often feels impossible to see a way out – even if you’ve already achieved incredible things in your life.

“To be sober is the most important thing in my life and everything else is a bonus. And if it isn’t life-threatening, it really is trivial.”

Eric Clapton’s perspective on life and problems shifted through giving up alcohol. He describes a freedom from worrying about the unimportant events in life.

“There’s a phrase, “the elephant in the living room” which purports to describe what it’s like to live with a drug addict, an alcoholic, an abuser”. “People outside such relationships will sometimes ask, “How could you let such a business go on for so many years? Didn’t you see the elephant in the living room? And it’s so hard for anyone living in a more normal situation to understand the answer that comes closest to the truth; “I’m sorry, but it was there when I moved in. I didn’t know it was an elephant, I thought it was part of the furniture.”

Writer Stephen King refers to denial as part of alcohol addiction.

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What being addicted feels like?

To help understand this feeling in more depth, Stephanie, a fellow addiction advocate who is in recovery from an addiction to several substances, will describe her experiences.

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What being addicted feels like?

1. The loss of control

The loss of control is a universal feature of addiction. As Stephanie states:

The biggest thing I feel people don’t understand is the lack of control. They think we start and can stop at will. It’s not like that.

Telling someone to just stop their addiction is almost like telling someone to just stand up and get over a broken leg. Addiction takes away someone’s normal level of control over their lives, making them feel powerless. Stephanie describes this experience in the following metaphor:

Addiction feels like a war in your head. You know what your doing is hurting you but can’t stop. It’s like watching a bad movie you are the star of. You want to yell “stop” at the screen, but it does no good. It’s watching everything around you fall apart because of a simple action you can’t stop. It makes you hate yourself and the person you’ve become. You watch yourself do things you would never normally do, and your mind justifies them for you.

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What being addicted feels like?

‘’Addiction is never a choice. It’s a maze or a trap we get stuck in, and we can only get out of it with love and support.’’

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What being addicted feels like?

2. Isolation and Self-loathing

Isolation causes addiction, and addiction causes isolation. As Stephanie describes:

We isolate because no one understands and thinks we are being selfish… addiction to me is being lost. Not knowing which way is up.

The experience of isolation is combined with the shame of self-loathing. She goes on to state:

When I was using, I didn’t want anyone to know because I couldn’t handle any more people’s hate. I hated myself enough already. The loneliness made me have time to think and the more time I had to think the more I wanted to use because all my thoughts were about using or the horrible person I had become while using.

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What being addicted feels like?

3. A Need-hate Relationship.

The need-hate relationship is a common feature of addiction. Stephanie shares a similar experience, stating:

There were many times while I was using, I would try to stop, but I would still make the call, and pick up to use. I would bawl my eyes out because I didn’t want to be using, and I knew it was hurting everyone around me but couldn’t stop. I hated myself for not having enough strength to stop. I hated the substance for what it did to me but still treated it like a friend.

Throughout her addiction, this internal battle played out like an out-of-body experience. She watched herself go through the motions, tortured by her inability to stop.

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What being addicted feels like?

4. Fleeting Pleasure

Addiction is about much more than simple pleasure. Stephanie describes the role of pleasure in the following words:

The pleasure is short-lived. It happens when we use but only lasts a few minutes. We feel the warm hug or the rush the substance gives us, but 5 mins later, we feel nothing except the need/ want for another dose. We feel the self-hate, and that compels us to find the next dose to make that go away.

People with addiction are using the substance to avoid short-term pain, but this comes at a long-term cost.

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What being addicted feels like?

‘’Addiction is more about escaping pain rather than enjoying pleasure.’’

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What being addicted feels like?

5. Intense Craving

Stephanie describes it as the following:

A craving is a thought that gnaws at your brain and won’t go away. It doesn’t let you sleep… you can't think about anything else; you go over every scenario in your head on how to get your next fix. It is like wanting to crawl out of your skin. Like sitting in a bathtub filled with red ants.

In everyday life, we often hear people say things like, “I’m really craving ice cream.” So, Stephanie describes how she would compare addictive cravings to your average sugar craving:

I get cravings for sugar now because of my recovery medicine but its nothing like the cravings I got with opiates or coke(drugs). It’s like the craving takes over your whole body! Sugar is nothing in comparison.

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What being addicted feels like?

‘’When you see someone that is using, and your brain wants to think those horrible things about them, ask yourself, what happened to them to make them use. What pain are they trapped in, trying to get out? And something as simple as a smile can mean the world to someone living in that dark place.’’