It’s very easy to think about addiction and brush it off as just a drug or alcohol problem. Whereas, you can get addicted to just about anything. Although, you quickly tend to find a justification for your actions and desires and this can become a problem in the long run. It could also be quite hard to see the signs. Also, it may seem like a normal behavioural trait. However, the chronic disease soon takes over your sense of reasoning.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) defines addiction as a chronic disease. It affects the brain’s reward, motivation and memory functions. Another definition by ASAM is, “when a person is unable to consistently abstain from a behaviour or substance.”

Therefore, it is more than the substance abuse but can be gambling, eating and so on. There’s also a likelihood of you becoming an addict based on family history. The problem could grow up from any point in your life.

The beginning of freedom from being an addict is to recognise the physical, mental and emotional signs. Then, you need to accept that you have a problem and seek help from a professional, family and/or friends.

If you’re worried about becoming dependent on something to a point of concern, here are ten tell-tale signs of addiction that may help you to clarify that.

Press play on the video below to learn all about the signs of addiction.