Addiction refers to a repetitive behaviour that can have a harmful effect on our wellbeing. Over-reliance on alcohol or other drugs can be an indication of an addiction, harming the body as well as our ability to enjoy healthy relationships at home and at work. Other forms of addiction can involve us becoming hooked on activities such as gambling, shopping, technology or sex. An addictive behaviour is characterised by a sense of lack of control, as though the behaviour itself is dictating what we do and how we lead our lives.
The feeling of not being able to stop a harmful habit is made worse as an addictive behaviour becomes associated with a bodily adrenalin rush and a surge of good feelings. If other aspects of our lives are stressful and challenging it can lead to us holding fast to an addiction that brings some temporary pleasure or relief. This sets up a cycle of dependency where stressful life events lead us to seek the reward our addiction gives us: we can become enmeshed in an ever escalating cycle of behaviour that feels like an inescapable trap.
If you think that you are becoming dependent on drugs or particular behaviours are becoming a problem in your life, please get in touch. Or you could be concerned that someone else in your life has become an addict in some way. I can support you to explore your thoughts and feelings around the addictive behaviour, with a view to finding out more about what it means. In the space we create together we can consider the possibilities for change, however small, to enable you to regain some control and develop new and healthier ways of living.
It might be that your issue requires support from other services that I can signpost, in which case we can decide if working alongside these services will be useful for you.