Did you know that almost twenty million Americans struggle with some sort of addiction? These types of addictions can range from substance addiction, like drugs and alcohol, to behavioral addictions, like gambling and pornography. However, it’s often substance addictions that can be the most damaging and dangerous. It costs the US around $600bn each year.
Understanding the nuances between the different types of addiction is important if you or a loved one are an addict. That’s why we’ve organized this guide to help you learn more about them. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
The Common Types of Addiction
As we mentioned in the last section, behavioral addictions are capable of destroying lives. However, more often than not, it’s substance addictions that both ruins lives and take them away.
As such, in this section, we’ll be discussing the common types of substance addictions. If you or a loved one struggles with these types of addictions, then you must get help as soon as you can. We recommend recovery centers that address the underlying causes of addiction, like Oakvine Recovery Center.
Alcohol Addiction
Alcohol addiction, or alcoholism, can come in a variety of different shades. Some addicts might drink heavily every day. Others might binge drink on certain days following periods of sobriety.
This type of addiction can range in severity. The most severe cases are so physically addicted to the substance that they can die without it. The main sign of alcoholism is a complete reliance on the substance and difficulty staying sober.
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction deals with street drugs that are often illegal. Like alcoholism, drug addiction can range in severity. For example, people can be addicted to cannabis. However, this type of addiction tends to be more psychological.
More addictive drugs, like heroin, meth, or cocaine, can result in more physical dependence. These types of addictions can be deadly because tolerance can be built very quickly. As a result, addicts will take more to achieve the initial high they felt. This puts them in danger of overdosing.
Prescription Drug Addiction
Prescription drug addictions often start legally. A doctor might prescribe some painkillers to someone after an accident or surgery. However, if the patient stays on this type of prescription drug long enough, then they can quickly get addicted to it.
If they don’t have access to prescription drugs, then they can easily switch to more readily available street drugs.
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We hope this article helped you learn more about the different types of addiction. Regardless of what type of addiction your or a loved one has, it’s important to get treatment for it as soon as possible. The quicker you get treatment, the more likely you are to get control over the addiction before it potentially ruins your life.
As such, we recommend seeking help if you’re able to. Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep exploring to find more topics that you’re sure to love.
