What is the difference between obsession and addiction in psychology?

I am well aware of the dictionary definitions of these two words. My question is, what is the difference, in psychology, between a psychological addiction and an obsession? It seems to me that the two are extremely similar. I do not refer to physical addiction, but to psychological addiction.

Also, how does one determine whether a person suffers from an obsession or a psychological addiction? Is it simply the preference of the one making the diagnosis, or is there a set of criteria that explicitly defines each?

Thank you.

addiction :(?

i have an issue i get easily addicted :( all my friends think i'm a freak because i'm like obsessed with michelle pfeiffer
is it normal
why do they think i'm a freak just because i've seen almost all of her movies read her biographies and watched all of her talk show apperences

do you think i'm a freak whats wrong with me

Alcohol rehab and drug rehab centers and programs require a sincere dedication on the part of the addict to make sure that they are successful in their task. Some say that if the person addicted to the substance abuse is dedicated and sincere about wanting to be rehabilitated, that is as much as 50% of the way to the road to recovery. So clearly, finding the right alcohol rehab program or drug rehabilitation center can make all the difference. If you choose the wrong program, your chances for successful treatment are greatly reduced.

Depending on the type of addiction, treatments vary from center to center and from program to program. Alcohol rehab programs will concentrate on various aspects of the addiction, but the focus areas will be different for drug rehabilitation. And even further for drug rehab, there is a difference in treatments depending on whether the drug addiction is prescription drugs or street drugs such as heroin or amphetamines. The rehab center is almost an all-encompassing term for the medical and psychotherapeutic treatments that are used during the rehabilitation process.

The first step in the treatment process is to make an evaluation of the addict. One of the steps here is to determine the addict’s sincerity in wanting to enter the rehab program, which again plays a key ingredient to the success of the program for the individual. A complete profile of the person being treated will be gathered, and one of the many focal points will be the reason for the addiction. Was it related to job stress, marital problems, financial problems, or what? Typically, a person does not start with substance abuse out of a clear blue sky, so part of the profil
Addiction: Drug Rehab & Alcohol Rehab Improve Addiction Recovery

ing is done to determine the reason for it, as well as to work with the family during the rehab process to see if the issues that caused the patient to turn to substance abuse still exist in their life.

Another step in the rehab process will focus on the aspects of withdrawal, whether the withdrawal is from alcohol or drugs. Depending on the severity of the addiction as well as the personality of the patient, the detoxification process can be grueling, although this step is absolutely necessary. The patient’s body has become accustomed to being pacified with the abused substance, and taking away that substance will almost guarantee a reaction. It may not be pleasant but it is a very necessary part.

Since people who are diagnosed with substance abuse are frequently at the point of ignoring other daily necessities, the program will keep a close eye on providing the proper nutrition for the patient, who frequently has nutritional deficiencies. The diet of the patient during the rehab process is one of the important parts of rehab, creating a very balanced a vitamin-rich diet.

If someone you love is addicted to alcohol or drugs, the best thing you can do for them is to encourage them to seek help. Their addiction is going to continue to get worse, and the final outcome without help is bleak. The best thing you can do for them is to convince them that they need the help to kick the habit permanently. Getting them into an alcohol rehab or drug rehab program will be the best thing you could ever do for them.

Jon Arnold

Drug addiction is compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug abuse is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended. Dependence on a substance is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction, there are some substances that don't cause addiction but do cause dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances that cause addiction but not dependence (they are mainly characterized by depression).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence or addiction. Drug addiction may also follow the use of drugs for physical pain relief, though this is rare in people without a previous history of addiction. The exact reason of drug abuse and dependence is not yet known. The genetic make-up of the individuals, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress are all factors which seem to be involved. Children who grow up in an environment of illicit drug use may first see their elders using drugs. This may put them at a higher risk for developing an addiction later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons.

Commonly abused substances include:

· Opiates and narcotics are powerful painkillers with sedative and euphoric qualities. These include heroin, opium, codeine, Oxycontin and others.

· Central nervous system stimulants have a stimulating effect and can produce tolerance. These include amphetamines, cocaine, commonly used stimulants are caffeine and nicotine.

· Central nervous system depressants produce a soothing sedative and anxiety-reducing effect and which leads to dependence. These include barbiturates (amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital). Commonly used depressants, by far, is alcohol.

· Hallucinogens produce psychological dependence. These include LSD, mescaline, psilocybin ("mushrooms").

· Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active ingredient found in cannabis, marijuana, and hashish. Although used for their relaxing properties, THC-derived drugs can also lead to paranoia and anxiety.

Drug intoxication and drug overdose may be accidental or intentional. Drug withdrawal symptoms can occur when use of a substance is stopped. Withdrawal symptoms vary, depending on the particular substance. The withdrawal symptom depends on the length of time the drug was being used. Drug intoxication, overdose, and withdrawal can be life-threatening in some situations.

Treatment for the person with drug addiction begins with the recognition of the problem. Though earlier "denial" was considered as a symptom of addiction, recent studies has shown that this symptom can be dramatically controlled if addicts are treated with love and care, rather than being told what to do or "confronted." Treatment of drug addiction involves detoxification, support and abstinence. Emergency treatment may be indicated for acute cases. Often, there may be a loss of consciousness and the person may need special medical attention temporarily. The specific treatment depends on the drug. Detoxification is the gradual withdrawal of an abused substance in a controlled way. Sometimes a drug with a similar action is substituted during the withdrawal process to reduce the unpleasant symptoms and risks associated with withdrawal. If depression or other mood disorder exists, it should be treated appropriately. The need for treatment is underscored by the severity of illness of those who undergo detoxification and the societal costs of untreated substance use disorders.

Marvist

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Don't turn your back ignoring the issue of drug addiction. It's very true that you are not an addict but you too have a bigger role to play in various ways to this highly sensitive matter. To fight for the bigger cause like doing away with the use of illegal drugs each and every individual residing in this society has to be cautious. Who knows the next victim might be someone very close to you? Will you remain indifferent even then?

Initiation point

What makes one fall for the need of taking drugs? Is it something that just happens like love at first sight? Well for some it might be a part of adventure in the company of some bad friends. But in most cases the attraction towards a particular illicit drug begins from some crisis in life. Loneliness, depression and frustration can easily draw your attention towards drugs. Why?

The drugs give a certain psychological relief as they directly react on nerves and make you inert from all sorts of pain for a time being. But the action doesn't stop here. This is the point from where the use of drugs takes the shape of abuse and the more you become dependent on it, you slowly get into the shoes of a drug addict.

The beginning often poses to be very relaxing without any harm to your body. But as you proceed with the increasing number of intake of drugs the ill reactions begin and your urge takes an enticing state.

Lowering the brain's activity

Once you have become prone to use a particular drug, gradually your brain and the entire nervous system start becoming inactive. You tend to lose the rational position and thinking. The effects reflect through your behavior, actions, body language, physical stability and your way of talking, walking and overall personality. You will ultimately lead a life isolated from every social aspect and feel dejected with everything.

Stepping out

Get help from a rehabilitation center because it can provide a suitable program for the cure of a drug addict. If the addiction level is at the point of initiation, the treatment procedure is not that tough. The success can also be easily gained. A few sittings of psychological therapies along with guidance and counseling can treat well in such cases. But for chronic addicts it takes a longer time with detoxification, counseling, medication and other relevant aspects of treatment. The process can also take over a year. Still you can look forward to get cured.

John Porter

The entire concept of addiction has suffered greatly from a misconception on the part of most people. The confusion comes about in part because of a distinction between whether specific drugs are "physically" or "psychologically" addicting. Historically the distinction revolved around whether or not physical withdrawal symptoms occur when an individual discontinues using a drug; what we in the field now call "physical dependence". However, years of research has demonstrated to us that focusing on this physical versus psychological distinction is a distraction from the real issues at hand.

Strictly from a clinical perspective, it actually does not matter very much what physical withdrawal symptoms occur. Physical dependence is not that important, because even the dramatic withdrawal symptoms of heroin and alcohol addiction can now be easily managed with appropriate medications. Even more important, many of the most dangerous and addicting drugs, including methamphetamine and crack cocaine, do not produce very severe physical dependence symptoms upon withdrawal. What really matters most is whether or not a drug causes what we now know to be addiction. More specifically, the compulsive craving and use, despite all of the negative consequences.

This is the crux of how the Institute of Medicine, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association define addiction and how we all should use the term. It is really only this compulsive quality of addiction that matters in the long run to the addict and to his or her family. Thus, the majority of the biomedical community now considers addiction, in its essence, to be a brain disease - a condition caused by persistent changes in brain structure and function. The changes in brain function results in compulsive craving that overwhelms all other motivations and is the root cause of the massive health and social problems associated with drug addiction. A definition of drug addiction that is commonly referred to is "a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior". It is important to correct the common misimpression that drug use, abuse and addiction are points on a single continuum along which one slides back and forth over time, moving from user to addict, then back to occasional user, then back to addict. Extensive research studies support the view that, once addicted, the individual has moved into a different state of being. Very few people appear able to successfully return to occasional use after having been truly addicted.

Unfortunately, we do not yet have a clear biological or behavioral marker of that transition from voluntary drug use to addiction. However, evidence is rapidly developing that point to an array of cellular and molecular changes in specific brain circuits. Moreover, many of these brain changes are common to all chemical addictions and some also are typical of other compulsive behaviors such as compulsive overeating.

The complexity of this brain disease is not atypical, because virtually no brain diseases are simply biological in nature. All, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and clinical depression, include some behavioral and social aspects. What may make drug addiction seem unique among brain diseases, is that it does begin with a clearly voluntary behavior - the initial decision to use drugs or drink alcohol. Moreover, not everyone who ever uses drugs goes on to become addicted. Individuals differ substantially in how easily and quickly they become addicted and in their preferences for particular substances. Consistent with the bio-behavioral nature of addiction, these individual differences result from a combination of environmental and biological, particularly genetic, factors. In fact, estimates are that between 50 and 70 percent of the variability to becoming addicted can be accounted for by genetic factors. Although genetic characteristics may predispose individuals to be more or less susceptible to becoming addicted, genes do not doom one to become an addict. Over time the addict loses substantial control over his or her initially voluntary behavior, and it becomes compulsive. For many people these behaviors are truly uncontrollable, just like the behavioral expression of any other brain disease. Schizophrenics cannot control their hallucinations and delusions. Parkinson’s patients cannot control their trembling. Clinically depressed patients cannot voluntarily control their moods. Thus, once one is addicted, the characteristics of the illness - and the addiction treatment approaches - are not that different from most other brain diseases. No matter how one develops an illness, once one has it, one is in the diseased state and needs treatment. In the case of the addict or alcoholic treatment is best defined as admission to a drug rehab, addiction treatment facility or alcoholism treatment facility. Please note that not every person requires an inpatient drug rehab or addiction treatment facility, but research shows that most individuals do require structure of some kind to break the vicious compulsive cycle associated with drug addiction and alcoholism.

Gean Biffulco

Questions we all should have about the disease concept and Alcoholism and how it it sold as fact when it is not fact. No claim for the "disease" concept is based in science. Anyone selling the disease concept is deliberately selling a lie. Research it and you will see I am right. www.baldwinresearch.com

Many publications and even some commercials have made statements that nicotine is a poison that kills, but is it true? Nicotine is said to be both a bad habit that people can just lay down, but others claim that it is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. The claims that nicotine is used in insecticides have been circulating for years, so is it? All of these informational tidbits sound unreasonable and unbelievable; however the part about just laying them down seems reasonable. Which is the truth and which is fiction? Is nicotine deadly, or just someone’s mission to put the tobacco industry under? Here we will expose some of the most common myths and shed light on the truth about nicotine addiction.

Myth: Those addicted to nicotine products are weak, or else they would just quit the habit!

Fact: Any type of addiction is not centered on strength, because even the strongest people fall victim to something. Since everyone has their vice, we cannot make the general statement that smokers or chewers are simply weak. Nicotine addiction, just like all other addictions, has some habits associated; however the actual addiction is far more than just a habit. In order to quit it takes much dedication, education, withdrawals and a strong support network.

Myth: Nicotine is not addictive and if it is it is not as bad as illegal drugs.

Fact: Nicotine is highly addictive, regardless of what the cigarette manufacturers have said in years past. While in treatment most nicotine addicts have claimed that their cessation of illegal drugs was easier to quit than cigarettes. Nicotine if often compared to the addiction of heroin and cocaine. Addiction is addiction, it simply doesn’t matter to what!

Myth: Nicotine could not be a poison or they couldn’t sell it.
Best Way to Quit Smoking: Young Woman Quits and Receives New Stop Smoking DVD

Fact: Nicotine is derived from the leaves of the tobacco plant, which is meant as a deterrent to insects chewing on it. It is used in pesticides and said to be deadly in even a small drop. It is true that nicotine is used in pesticides and is more deadly than arsenic or strychnine. It can be sold because it is administered in such minute quantities that it doesn’t kill immediately, just slowly through years of consumption.

Myth: Gums, patches and other cessation products are the only way to quit.

Fact: The latest research has shown that all the cessation products are no more effective than a commitment to stop by the person along with some professional treatment. Education about how nicotine affects the body and changing the mind altering effects is the most effective manner by which to stop all nicotine usage.

Myth: Nicotine is not an addiction.

Fact: Nicotine addiction is as real as any other addiction on the books. In fact, some professionals believe that it is one of the most addictive because it is somewhat accepted. It is not illegal, leading some to believe that it must be ok, since it isn’t forbidden.
Those suffering from nicotine addiction should be taken very seriously. They must have help to stop the cravings, withdrawals and negative effects of this drug on their body. It is true that nicotine is out of the bloodstream within 72 hours from last ingestation, however that doesn’t mean that the cravings stop for another several weeks. Cessation is not easy, but it can be done with commitment, education and the help of others.

Michael Porteous

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span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The world is seeing a spurt in alcohol and drug production, consumption and addiction presently even though the governments are trying to stem the rot. United States is also not immune to this situation. However, many drug and alcohol rehab centers have come up in most states, including Utah, to pull out the unfortunate souls who have fallen prey to the menace.

Utah, with a population of about two and a half million people, is threatened with the ever increasing use of cocaine, heroin and marijuana to name a few. The problem is compounded with the over use of alcoholic drinks which amount to addiction. These have enhanced the need for treatment and rehabilitation centers in the state. These centers have come about as places imparting hope for disillusioned and helpless souls.

Treatment centers adopt a slew of measures to bring a troubled soul back into life. These steps, which are time tested, scientific and practical are applied on the patients on a case to case basis. Some rehab centers offer individualized one to one therapy. Before starting the treatment procedures, there is a high need to understand the family and social backgrounds of the individual as this would help the doctors and psychologists to arrive at the correct conclusions about his current state of mind and body, which in turn facilitates correct and up to the point treatment measures.

Drug detox or alcohol detox is the first step to cure a drug addict or an alcoholic. Modern therapies like acupuncture, physiotherapy, acupressure etc are conducted side by side with medication to wash out drug sediments or alcohol remnants from the body. This often proves to be frustrating to the patient whose body has come to a state where it cannot survive without these additives. Many people fall into a relapse and show severe withdrawal symptoms. But slowly and steadily the body learns to cope with lack of drugs or alcohol. Yoga and physical fitness training also helps a lot at this stage.

Next they move on treat the mind and spirit. Most often, people turn to drugs or alcohol due to lack of self esteem. They feel, very wrongly, that these additives would enhance their image. The second stage of treatment deals with this. Psychotherapy, spiritual counseling, self image enhancement therapy etc are administered to the now physically better patient. This approach has been found to be very successful.

The rehabilitation stage is the most important part of any drug and alcohol rehab plan. The patient is given drug and alcohol counseling to enhance his or her self esteem so that they may stay away from these dangerous materials in future.

There are many drug detoxification centers in Utah, among whom there are a handful of very successful ones. You may check up in the internet sites of these centers and also pay a personal visit to ascertain facts before availing their services.

Roberta Groche

Drug addiction is a very significant danger that we are facing today. There are several factors that contribute to drug addiction

If your parents have addiction struggles, there are chances you are susceptible to addiction. If your parents use drug, you have a predisposition to abusing that drug. Drug addiction causes one generation to pass it on to the next

Experimentation and curiosity are the factors that draw many people to try drugs. They want to feel that "high," the sense of euphoria that comes with drug use. Some drugs (like heroin) are more likely to cause addiction than others, resulting in an addiction from simple experimentation alone.

Sometimes people need some help coping with life. Everyday life becomes a struggle and simple things become too much to handle. Drug use can help a person temporarily escape the realities of his/her life.

Elite athletes are susceptible to using drugs. They use them for performance enhancing abilities. Steroids can make muscles bigger, while amphetamines help reduce or numb pain, allowing persons to play injured.

Pressure is also a factor that turns people into drug addicts. Adults fall prey to peer pressure to fit into new social classes, new workplaces, and new neighborhoods. Teenagers fight peer pressure on everything from looks to alcohol to sex to drugs. In fact, crystal methamphetamine is becoming a way for many teenage girls to fight the pressure that comes with needing to be thin and attractive. Teenagers can also fall prey to the rebellious attitude that they need to do anything their parents or those in authority say is bad.

Another one of the causes of drug addiction is using drugs to mask mental problems. Depressed people frequently use drugs to escape their sad feelings. Schizophrenics find that some street drugs can control their hallucinations. Denial and hiding the problem just lead to more problems in the long run.

Some people want to feel good physically and emotionally. Sometimes drugs are the substitution for a healthy life experience. The person in pain wants to numb the pain. The drug numbs the pain and for a moment they don't feel as poorly. For a short while, the drug takes them away and they feel "better."

In addition, Easy access, environmental and cultural factors play a role in who starts or continues to abuse drugs

sunshine

Part 13. Alan continues to deny that he has a problem despite Edward and Ned's attacks. Alan tries to defend his actions but his lies are ridiculous. (Ned, however, seems to have forgotten that Alan has held a gun before...several times.) Alan even guilts Lila which causes Lila distress and Reginald to shake his head at him. The family is ready to put Alan in rehab but AJ tells them that they can't force him to check in. Ned wants to know what Monica had to do to get Alan's release. Monica lies to Ned. While Edward, Ned and AJ argue about what to do with Alan, Alan finds some pills that he hid and takes them. Monica goes to meet Taggart about Justus but Justus is at the station flirting with Dara. Taggart tells her that they'll meet tomorrow.