What Is a Behavioral Addiction?
You’ve probably heard of an addiction to prescription drugs or alcohol addiction at a point in your life. These forms of substance abuse are relatively common. Therefore, it’s understandable that a person would need a comprehensive addiction treatment program to help alcohol and drug addicts change their lives. However, it’s important to remember that addiction comes in many different shapes and forms. Alcohol and drug addiction are not the only two forms of addiction that a person may struggle with during their life. There are also several different types of behavioral addiction that a person could experience, which could result in serious physical or psychological health concerns.
Similar to substance dependencies, there are many different types of behavioral addiction. Food addictions, an addiction to internet games, surgery addiction, internet addiction, gambling addictions, and sex addiction are all classified as addictions to some behavior that could lead to physical, psychiatric, and psychological issues for any individual. By working with a luxury rehab facility that offers recovery programs for this type of addiction, you can take back control of your life and develop a healthier way of life overall.
If you do need rehab, here is how to tell your friends and family:
Recognize the Signs of Behavioral Addiction
For you or your loved ones to work through an addiction to internet games or sex addiction, it’s essential to recognize the signs of this type of addiction. When a person is an addiction to prescription drugs, for example, it may be easier to recognize these signs. However, behavioral addiction can be more challenging to spot at times. Below are a few examples of the signs that a person may demonstrate if they suffer from a behavioral disorder.
1. The Inability to Stop or Control Behavior
The beginning of behavioral addiction, such as an addiction to plastic surgery or a gaming disorder, is something that can begin subtly. Similar to typical substance abuse, behavior is something you may try once and realize that you get a certain level of satisfaction from it. Slowly but surely, you will find that you’re unable to control your behavior, and you will continue to give in regularly, similar to an addiction to drugs or a sleeping pill. Little by little, you will find that this behavior is something that completely controls your life. At this stage, you’re beginning to develop compulsive behavior.
2. Feeling Shame or Embarrassment After Doing the Activity
Once this compulsive behavior takes over, you will come to a point where, although you feel some type of shame or embarrassment due to this behavior, you simply cannot stop yourself from doing it. To help yourself feel better, you may develop reward systems or try to justify it in other ways.
3. The Inability to Stop Addictive Behaviors Despite Knowing How They Impact the Body and Mind
Something difficult for many people to understand or accept is the fact that addiction is, in fact, a disease. Countless people make the mistake of thinking that addiction is a choice, and the reality is that no person in their right frame of mind would ever knowingly choose to engage in an activity that could hurt them in every way possible. Unfortunately, behavioral addiction and substance addiction causes a significant error in judgment which can result in a person’s inability to stop engaging in that behavior even though they know that this could result in serious physical and psychological consequences. The compulsion of addiction can make it all but impossible for a person to stop engaging in that behavior without a higher level of help.
4. Doing More Risk-Taking and Increasing Risky Activities to Thrill Seek
Addiction is something that can cause you to do things that you wouldn’t normally do. For instance, when you’re struggling with any type of addiction, you may engage in risky behavior that would put you in physical or psychological peril. These decisions are details that will be addressed when you’re in addiction recovery.
5. Experiencing Cravings for Doing the Activity
One of the telltale signs that you’ve developed a physical or a psychological addiction is when you begin to crave a substance or an activity. You may find it nearly impossible for you to complete any other tasks or think of anything else because you have become so focused on engaging in an activity that could be incredibly harmful. When you commit to treatment, your recovery team will be able to provide you with tools that you can tap into to know what steps you can take to calm these cravings and manage them.
6. Using a Certain Activity in Conjunction With Drugs and Alcohol
Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol abuse often go hand-in-hand when a person is struggling with a behavioral addiction. To maintain a behavioral addiction such as sex or internet addiction, a person may turn to other addictive substances to help. For instance, if a person drinks more, they may notice that their inhibitions come down and feel more confident making decisions they may not have typically made when not under the influence. This poor form of stress management is something that can negatively impact cognitive control and put any person in a potentially dangerous physical and psychological position.
How Muse Treatment in Los Angeles Can Help
Although struggling with a behavioral disorder can be challenging, it doesn’t mean that it’s something that has to define you for the rest of your life. When you partner with a treatment facility such as Muse Treatment, you can rest assured that our addiction treatment team will always go the extra mile to ensure you have the tools and resources to work through your internet addiction disorder and associated compulsive behavior issues. If you’re suffering from behavioral issues as well as problems with addictive substances, we encourage you to reach out to us to learn more about your treatment options.
Depending on the type of substance abuse or behavioral health issues you’re dealing with, you may need to begin your recovery in a withdrawal and detox program. Once your brain has become accustomed to a particular substance or even behavior, you will go through inevitable negative consequences in withdrawal and detox. During this period, there is a strong possibility that you may not be able to care for yourself properly. A detox facility can provide you with the safe and sober environment you need to navigate through your withdrawal symptoms in a way that will not cause further harm.
After detox, you will be in a better physical and psychological place to address your substance abuse or behavioral addiction. One of the most important decisions you will need to make is whether you will commit to inpatient rehab or an outpatient rehab program. Inpatient rehab gives you the chance to change the environment around you. You will be able to take full advance of our luxury rehab and live on our campus when you’re treating behavioral addictions. Residential treatment can be particularly beneficial if you feel you live in an environment that doesn’t understand the physical or psychiatric disorders you may be suffering from or believe that your current living situation could cause you to fall back into substance abuse.
If you cannot commit to inpatient treatment, you will still have the opportunity to address your behavioral or substance abuse issues through an outpatient treatment program. Outpatient treatment is more flexible because you will be able to work or go to school when you’re in treatment. You will not be required to live on the campus of the treatment facility you work with, allowing you to see other essential responsibilities in your life.
Throughout the time that you’re in addiction recovery, a focal point will be to determine the events that may have happened in your life that triggered your addiction. Countless people suffered from different traumatic events that triggered their addiction. Therefore, you must participate in various forms of addiction therapy throughout your recovery to determine the root cause of your addiction and address it. While addiction therapy may sometimes feel uncomfortable, you will find that your time in therapy will be helpful overall. Group therapy, individual therapy, behavioral therapy, and family therapy are all forms of therapy you can expect to experience when you’re in treatment.
If you want to learn more about behavioral addiction and the different treatment options we offer at Muse Treatment Center, please get in touch with us at (800) 426-1818.
