Addiction Flashcards
What is addiction
A mental health problem in which people need to do a thing in order to go about their daily routine. They feel like they need to have or do something regularly to avoid negative feelings. Addiction to substances include alcohol and drugs and addiction to activities (Behavioural addiction) incluse shopping and gambling
Symptoms of dependence disorder/ addiction
A feeling that the person needs to take the substance
Ignoring that the use of the substance is harmful to them
Stopping or reducing the use of the substance is very difficult
Symptoms of behavioural addiction
They need to do the activity regularly
Reducing the activity is very difficult
Ignoring that the activity is unhealthy or damaging
Features of addiction
Figures state that in 2014-15, there were 141646 adults being treated for problems with substance misuse, mostly opiates with the next highest being alcohol
The NHS have estimated that about 2 million people in the UK are suffering from some kind of addiction
According to a recent study, about 6% of the world have problematic internet use which can be categorised as an addiction
1300 18-24 year olds admitted to using the internet for 15 hours a day.
Incidence of addiction
One key issue in assessing changes in the incidence of addiction over time is the definition of addiction itself. For example opiates used to be prescribed for medical purposes but nowadays we might consider someone regularly using opiates or cocaine to be an addict.
A report suggested that many sources of addiction are becoming cheaper to access which could increase the use in some groups of people.
Another report told us that in 2008 a survey said that 27% of people said they have used an illegal substance whereas that number was 31% in 2014 suggesting a slight increase
How does addiction affect individuals
By doing the thing they are addicted to, a person with the addiction may ignore their family and the things they regularly did, such as going to work or school. They may also spend money they would normally have used for things like food and accommodation on their addiction. This could affect their quality of life and health.
How does addiction affect society
People with addictions may develop health problems. This could mean that they need to take time off work which will results in costs for the company in covering the workload of the individual. This impacts the workplace.
