Unpacking
addiction
10 million South Africans are abusing substances according to the South African Society of
Psychiatrists. With the help of the Houghton House addiction recovery centre, we try to make sense
of this dangerous trend gripping the nation.
What is addiction?
In basic terms, an addiction is the repetitive use of a
substance or engagement in behaviour because of the
reward message the substance or behaviour sends to
the brain, despite numerous negative consequences the
activity produces in the person’s life. No matter how bad
it is, you just want more.
a dysfunctional family and exposure to substances or
abuse at a young age. Other mental health issues that
are present may also contribute to addictive behaviour.
Even physiology may play a role since men seem to be
more susceptible to addiction than women.
Alcoholism
As someone caught up in the addiction, over time you will
get used to the substance or behaviour and up the usage
or frequency of the behaviour. This is called tolerance.
You may not even be aware of the damage being done
by the behaviour, or may know about it and still continue
in spite of it. At some point; the substance or behaviour
may dominate your daily life. It is highly likely that these
conditions are accompanied by other mental health
conditions, such as anxiety or depression.
What causes it?
Oddly enough, science has not been able to come up
with the single cause of addiction, nor can it predict
who will become addicted. There are however, risk
factors that can be recognised, some of which may be
avoidable and some unfortunately not. Genetics, family
history and environmental factors play a significant role
in determining vulnerability including growing up in
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