Sep 11 2024 12 mins 2
You might be addicted.
In our current world, there are addiction traps everywhere - activities that unnaturally spike your dopamine receptors and motivates you to seek more of those good feelings again and again.
I bet if you look around—and maybe even look at your own behaviors—you might notice that you (or some people you love) are doing some things that would put one at risk for a behavioral addiction.
Everyone’s heard of alcohol or drug addiction, and you’ve also likely heard of more common behavioral addictions like gambling or gaming.But there are some lesser known behavioral addictions, while not diagnoses, can wreak havoc on your life and take you away from your goals.
Lesser Known Addictions
Here are some examples of behavioral addictions:
* Workaholism is when individuals feel a constant need to be productive. They might derive their self-worth from their job performance. This addiction is often socially reinforced in cultures that prioritize success and productivity, like America. Over time, workaholism can lead to burnout, strained relationships, and physical health issues like chronic stress and sleep disorders.
* Exercise addiction occurs when someone feels compelled to exercise excessively, often to the detriment of their own physical health. It can be driven by a desire for control, a need to cope with emotions, or maybe an unhealthy body image. Exercise addiction can lead to overtraining injuries and an imbalance.
* Shopping addiction is compulsive buying. This is an uncontrollable urge to shop and purchase items often driven by emotional needs rather than practical ones.The act of buying provides a temporary emotional high, but then it's followed by guilt or shame. Shopping addiction can result in financial problems, strained relationships, and emotional distress because a person is struggling with their inability to control their spending.
* Obsessive-compulsive cleaning addiction is usually rooted in obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality traits. This is a compulsive need to clean and organize. This behavior is often driven by an overwhelming anxiety about germs or some kind of messiness in your environment. Unlike typical cleaning, which is done, this leads to repetitive cleaning routines that interfere with daily life and also their relationships.
* News addiction involves an overwhelming compulsion to consume news constantly. It’s often driven by the fear of missing out, by anxiety, or the need for control in uncertain times. Essentially, this is a form of doom scrolling. This addiction is characterized by excessive time spent reading, watching, or listening to negative news, often to the detriment of the person's mental health and daily functioning.
* Food addiction is characterized by an intense and uncontrollable craving for certain types of food, typically those that are high in sugar, fat, and salt. People with food addiction may consume these foods compulsively, even when they are not hungry or when they know it could have negative effects on their health, well-being, or emotional state.
* Social media addiction is characterized by excessive time spent on platforms even though you know psychologically you're having a negative response. This type of addiction can lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression, and issues with self-esteem due to constant comparison with others.
To learn more about common behavioral addictions and tips on how to establish healthier habits, take a listen to my podcast episode this week right here in substack, on Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
Why Are Some Behaviors So Addictive?
There are a variety of psychological mechanisms behind behavioral addictions.
Like alcohol and substance addictions, behavioral addictions are linked to the brain's reward systems.
These are activities that quickly release dopamine at rates and amounts much higher than usual. These activities create that temporary feeling of pleasure or relief from discomfort. Dopamine is also a motivational neurotransmitter. That means when you do achieve those good feelings from higher levels of dopamine, your brain is also saying at the same time, “pay attention, and do this again next time.” In other words, your brain is telling you to remember this activity and seek out other opportunities to do it, just so that you can achieve those positive experiences again.
Over time, your brain begins to selectively prioritize activities that spike dopamine quickly in unnatural ways. It’s looking for that quick fix. And over time, it will need more and more of that activity in more intensive amounts in order to experience the same pleasurable sensations, because our brains and bodies acclimate and build tolerance to something we use or do over and over again.
This is how a seemingly innocuous behavior can become addictive.
Many behavioral addictions also serve as a coping mechanism for a person to deal with their negative emotions or to escape negative thinking.
The addictive behavior distracts them temporarily from these negative sensations and reinforces the compulsion to repeat it the next time you're struggling with negative feelings and thoughts.
Cultural norms and societal pressures can also reinforce certain behaviors, making it harder to recognize them as addictive. If you work with a lot of workaholics, for example, it all feels normative to all of you. It might even feel like a badge of honor.
The fact that many of these behaviors are often associated with activities that are generally considered beneficial or socially acceptable make it more difficult to identify when they have become compulsive and detrimental to your well-being.
Combating Behavioral Addictions and Finding B.A.L.A.N.C.E.
I want to share a simple yet effective strategy to help you maintain balance in your life, hobbies, and activities, ensuring you derive the most joy and health benefits from what you do.
With some of the above behavioral addictions, it’s not about doing away with the behavior completely. In moderation, these behaviors can add to your life and be a good part of your overall coping repertoire.
B.A.L.A.N.C.E is a good acronym for different activities that will help you to have more healthy living and to engage in activities in a more healthful way that isn't too excessive or problematic for the other areas of your life.
* B - Boundaries: Set clear boundaries for yourself to ensure activities like work, exercise, and social media do not take over your life. Recognize when to say no and when to take breaks.
* A - Awareness: Cultivate self-awareness to recognize when a behavior is becoming excessive. Regularly check in with yourself about your habits and their impact on your life.
* L - Lifestyle Variety: Engage in a diverse range of activities. Balance work with play, exercise with rest, and social interactions with alone time to prevent over-reliance on any one activity.
* A - Accountability: Have someone you trust to keep you accountable, whether it's a friend, family member, or therapist. This helps in maintaining perspective and keeping behaviors in check.
* N - Nourishment: Focus on nourishing your body and mind, not just through food but also through positive relationships, hobbies, and relaxation.
* C - Connection: Prioritize meaningful connections with others. Healthy relationships can act as a buffer against addictive behaviors and provide support when needed.
* E - Enjoyment: Make sure your activities bring you genuine enjoyment and fulfillment, rather than serving as mere distractions or coping mechanisms.
If you're honest with yourself and you follow this acronym of balance, you're going to be able to hone in on those healthy behaviors and activities to buffer up your mental wellness every single day.
Here’s to your mental health,
Dr. Judy
P.S. If you found this helpful, I hope you’ll forward it to a friend.
Help 2 Heal: Brain Health Event!
On September 13th, at the Reno Tahoe International Art Show, TEDxReno will be hosting a special Salon as part of a series entitled HELP 2 HEAL, which highlights organizations who are doing healing work in our community. This Salon is focused on Brain Health, and the panel is curated by EPIC Brain Centers in Reno. More info below and to grab your tickets, click here.
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About me:
Dr. Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP, ABPdN is a triple board certified and licensed Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, a tenured Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, television and podcast host, and author of Stop Self-Sabotage. An avid researcher and a two-time recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Services Research Award, Dr. Judy maintains a private practice where she specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and expert witness work. She is often called on by the media as an expert psychologist and is also a sought after public speaker for universities, businesses, and organizations.
Dr. Judy received her bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Business Administration from UC Berkeley, and her masters and doctorate from SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. She completed a National Institute of Mental Health sponsored fellowship at UCLA's Semel Institute.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drjudyho.substack.com
