While addiction is complex in nature, scientists have developed a good understanding of how it works. We know that addiction isn’t a personal failure or choice. Rather, it’s a disease that infects the brain and body. This infection can work in two different manners: ¹

• Behavioral Addiction – An addiction that involves persistent and repeated behaviors, such as gambling.

• Chemical Addiction – An addiction that involves substance use (i.e. drugs or alcohol).

Throughout this article, we’ll review everything you need to know about the types of addiction.

How Does Addiction Work?

There are a few ways addiction influences the brain and body. These influences don’t affect everyone the same and you may likely struggle with one more than the other. For this reason, it’s important a treatment facility that caters to your needs. The influences of addiction are as follows:

Cravings and Tolerance

One of the first signs of addiction is cravings. This is when you strongly desire to experience euphoria from substances or behaviors. Much of the time, these cravings appear at specific cues. For example, you may watch a movie where others are getting high and have an immediate desire to want to participate yourself. ²

The other difficulty is you may build a tolerance to their addiction. When you engage in a behavior or substance long enough, its presence adjusts your brain.

More particularly, the neurotransmitter dopamine (a chemical we naturally create that reinforces pleasure) develops through addiction. When an addiction starts, the brain is overwhelmed with dopamine. This is because it receives dopamine more from a substance or behavior than it naturally creates. However, over time, the brain will produce less dopamine as it receives enough from outside sources. ³

With that lack of dopamine, the brain has a difficult time functioning. In turn, you crave more of a substance to function normally.

The Reward System

Cravings and tolerance directly affect the brain’s reward system, the area of the brain responsible for creating and distributing dopamine.

Dopamine is present when we participate in several activities – from hanging out with friends to accomplishing difficult tasks. However, it can also be created synthetically through addictions – from various drugs to certain stimulating behaviors (i.e. gambling, pornography, etc.). ⁴

When we participate in addiction, we tell our reward system that this substance or behavior creates that “good feeling” dopamine is known for. As a result, our reward system directs us to continuously seek out this substance or behavior.

Loss of Interest in Activities and Control

As a direct result of your cravings, you may lose interest in activities you once enjoyed. Chances are these previous hobbies didn’t produce nearly as much dopamine and, in turn, your brain seeks out where it can obtain the most pleasure. ⁵

The difficulty is you can still be at a loss of interest even when you don’t engage in addictive behaviors or substances. This is one of the toughest challenges those in recovery face and often a reason for relapse.

If you believe you struggle with an addiction, it can help to look back at certain activities you no longer participate in. It’s likely you still have some interest in these activities. You simply struggle with the motivation to go out and obtain them.

With such a strong desire to participate in addiction, you’ll likely lose control over important aspects of your life. For example, you may have problems with work, school, health, and relationships.

Behavioral Addiction

There’s a lot of debate about behavioral addiction. Some scientists believe it doesn’t involve addiction processes found in substance abuse. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5 acknowledges two types of behavior addiction: gambling addiction and an internet gaming disorder

The majority of professionals agree that behavior patterns can lead to an addiction. However, there’s disagreement concerning 1.) what point these behaviors become addictions and 2.) which exact behaviors can be addictive. ⁶

Due to the lack of scientific evidence, there are no criteria for labeling a behavioral addiction. However, there are a few signs to consider if you believe you or a loved one currently experiences this problem:

• Continuing the behavior even when it causes trouble in one’s life
• Difficulty avoiding the behavior
• Engages in behavior even when it harms responsibilities and relationships
• Feeling withdrawal symptoms (i.e. irritability, anxiety, depression) when quitting the behavior
• Lying about or hiding the behavior from others
• Spending a lot of time engaging in behavior
• Uses the behavior to avoid or manage negative emotions

The most common behavioral addictions include:

• Exercise addiction
• Food addiction
• Sex (porn) addiction
• Shopping addiction
• Social media addiction
• TV addiction

Behavioral Addiction Treatment

When it comes to behavioral addiction treatment, most professionals will recommend therapy before medication. The most common is known as cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs). These concentrate on the thoughts and emotions behind your distress. From there, you’ll learn how to restructure it to better symptoms. ⁷

Other beneficial treatments are self-help groups. It’s likely many others out there also struggle with the same addiction. A peer support group allows you to relate to the distress you may feel and work together on developing coping mechanisms. ⁸

It’s worth mentioning that some studies suggest SSRI antidepressants may also help in breaking addictive behaviors. ⁹

Chemical Addiction

When people think of addiction, they commonly refer to chemical addiction. This is when one misuses, is dependent on, or addicted to a substance (illicit drug or alcohol). It’s recommended to use the term “substance use disorder” rather than chemical addiction as there’s more room for professionals to differentiate between mild, moderate, and intense cases. ¹⁰

A substance use disorder often takes time to develop. The brain and body must become accustomed to a drug. Not to mention, as with behavioral addiction, there is some debate about when an addiction truly begins and continues to persist.

Regardless, it’s important to understand that a drug or alcohol addiction isn’t necessarily a choice. Instead, it’s a disease that persists through the brain and body and becomes difficult to control. Such thinking makes it possible to end the stigma behind substance use disorders and properly understand why so many are negatively affected by them.

If you believe you or a loved one struggles with a substance use disorder, there are some signs and symptoms to consider: ¹¹

• Building a tolerance (the need to use more of a substance to feel the initial effects)
• Cravings are so intense that it’s difficult to think about other things
• Difficulty with work, school, health, and relationships due to substance use
• Discomfort when you can’t get ahold of a substance
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you don’t take a substance
• Great difficulty in quitting a substance
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Risky use of a substance (i.e. driving, working while under the influence)

There are several substances people can find themselves addicted to – from opioids (heroin and prescription pain medication) to amphetamines to cocaine to alcohol and nicotine. Each affects the brain and body differently and has a different treatment process.

Chemical Addiction Treatment

Quitting a substance will most likely be more difficult in comparison to recovering from a behavioral addiction. This is simply due to the nature of drugs and alcohol and how they affect the body.

Upon treatment, you’ll need to undergo a medically supervised detox in which the body naturally drains itself from the substance’s chemical influence. This is often one of the worst parts of the recovery process and can come with serious withdrawal symptoms. ¹²

From there, you’ll be involved in a treatment process that requires therapy and medication. This process can be through a facility or on your own terms, depending on the nature of your condition. The more intense your addiction, the more likely you’ll need an inpatient treatment plan.

The most common therapy for substance use disorder is known as psychotherapies. These involve dealing with the distressing emotions (i.e. cravings) that come with quitting. From there, you’ll develop techniques to manage them. The goal is to prevent you from relapsing once treatment is over. ¹³

Medications are sometimes used to help with the recovery process. The medication you may be offered depends on the substance you’re addicted to and the nature of your addiction. The goal of the medication is to help reduce cravings and ease other withdrawal symptoms. ¹⁴

Normally, it’s best if you undergo a combination of both therapy and medication. However, it’s even more beneficial if you enroll in a twelve-step program, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). These provide group support and a 12-step model to help in recovery.

Final Word

With an understanding of the different types of addiction, we hope you can identify if you or a loved one struggles with either. Generally speaking, it’s best to consult a mental health professional. They’ll be able to provide you with a more detailed analysis of your particular situation.

Both behavioral and chemical addictions are treatable but require a willingness on your end. If there is no will power, relapse is extremely likely to happen. With that said, treatment can’t be forced. However, it can be influenced by the proper techniques.

References

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² Tiffany ST, Wray JM. The clinical significance of drug craving. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012 Feb;1248:1-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06298.x. Epub 2011 Dec 16. PMID: 22172057; PMCID: PMC4041083.

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⁵ Wise RA, Jordan CJ. Dopamine, behavior, and addiction. J Biomed Sci. 2021 Dec 2;28(1):83. doi: 10.1186/s12929-021-00779-7. PMID: 34852810; PMCID: PMC8638539.

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¹⁰ Wu LT, McNeely J, Subramaniam GA, Brady KT, Sharma G, VanVeldhuisen P, Zhu H, Schwartz RP. DSM-5 substance use disorders among adult primary care patients: Results from a multisite study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017 Oct 1;179:42-46. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.05.048. Epub 2017 Jul 13. PMID: 28753480; PMCID: PMC5599360.

¹¹ Volkow ND, Blanco C. Substance use disorders: a comprehensive update of classification, epidemiology, neurobiology, clinical aspects, treatment and prevention. World Psychiatry. 2023 Jun;22(2):203-229. doi: 10.1002/wps.21073. PMID: 37159360; PMCID: PMC10168177.

¹² Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Detoxification From Alcohol and Other Drugs. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 1995. Report No.: (SMA) 95-3046. PMID: 22514824.

¹³ Feingold D, Tzur Bitan D. Addiction Psychotherapy: Going Beyond Self-Medication. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Feb 9;13:820660. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.820660. PMID: 35222121; PMCID: PMC8863854.

¹⁴ Douaihy AB, Kelly TM, Sullivan C. Medications for substance use disorders. Soc Work Public Health. 2013;28(3-4):264-78. doi: 10.1080/19371918.2013.759031. PMID: 23731419; PMCID: PMC3767185.