Know about these new addictions

Addiction is a physical or psychological inability to stay away from a substance or activity. Apart from smoking and alcohol consumption, there are many other things that can lead to an addiction. These are the new addictions in this era.

If any of your friends are suffering from these addictions, they try to help them as early as possible.

Here are certain things you could be addicted to even if you are not aware of your addiction to those things:

Addiction to fast good is growing in teens now. A study shows that children in higher socio-economic groups showed a higher interest in fast food. Regular consumption of fast food leads to diabetes and obesity. It affects their health adversely.

Shopping addiction, especially online shopping addiction is growing now. This is seen in many young people nowadays. Many are suffering from BSD (Buying-shopping disorder). This affects their financial condition also.

Video game addiction is another addiction. The World Health Organisation has added ‘gaming disorder’ to medical reference books. Video games release dopamine in the brain of people who are playing the games. As a result, they cannot do without playing these games. Extreme exposure to games can also make structural changes to their brain. In addition to that, people can also have withdrawal symptoms like boredom, anxiety, depression etc.

Gambling addiction is an impulse control disorder. It starts from entertainment but later develops to a lifelong problem. If affects your health and financial condition. It even impacts your relationships.

Internet addiction is another impulse control disorder. It is an obsession where people prefer to have virtual friends rather than real friends. They share everything online and give importance to virtual friends but ignore real relationships. They suffer from severe anxiety and depression and feel extreme boredom if the internet is cut off.

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