Addictive behaviors have major repercussions on all aspects of one’s life mentally, physically and emotionally.
Tattoos, social media, love/sex and work addiction are all classified as process addictions: potentially pathological behaviors that expose individuals to intense neurotransmitters, beginning with enjoyment and leading to dependency.
The four lifestyle addictions explained here are not included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an encyclopedia published by the American Psychiatric Association to help diagnose mental illnesses.
SJSU psychology professor Erin Woodhead said while there is research into addictive lifestyle behaviors, there are no official or formal diagnoses.
“In some ways there is a connection between all of these potentially addictive behaviors in that we tend to get some feeling of pleasure or satisfaction from these behaviors and then our brain tells us that we should do more of that behavior,” Woodhead said.
At first, it’s just a behavior that provides a desired or appetitive effect.
There are some variations in behavioral patterns but it always involves a considerable amount of time spent compulsively thinking about and engaging in the behavior.
Eventually it becomes impossible for the person to control when
they do the behavior, how long it goes on or when or if they could ever stop.
The consequences follow: decreased satisfaction in the behavior, impairment of social relationships, emotional trauma or even physical danger.
Although these lifestyle addictions are not diagnosed as actual addictions, they do encourage addictive behaviors and the steps toward rehabilitation often mirror real addiction recovery plans.
The Spartan Daily has curated information on these four lifestyle addictions to explain what could make behaviors toward them seem harmless, but could become harmful.
Tattoos
Tattoos can be a frightening concept to some, but an adrenaline rush for others.
Joshua Medeiros, a tattoo artist at Players Ink in San Jose, said that tattoos can absolutely be considered
an addiction, but in a different light.
“The people who come in here and get tattooed frequently, they refer to it as an addiction, but more times they actually call it therapy,” said Medeiros.
He said people come in to get tattoos for many reasons and every reason is just as valid.
“It is kind of a release, for some reason the pain helps them through whatever the cause of the tattoo is . . . or it’s their way of paying their dues to get happy or to get satisfaction,” Medeiros said.
Sophia Beazley, business marketing senior at
University of San Francisco, makes drives down to San Jose often to see her family as well as to get tattooed at Players Ink.
“I have five tattoos,” Beazley said. “After the first one, I was already planning my second.”
She said she feels her confidence and happiness come rushing back when she gazes upon the finished product on her arms and back.
Medeiros said every client has come back for more, some even drive as much as six hours for
a visit.
“They actually look at it and go ‘Oh shit,’ because whatever they came in here to feel, they felt it,” he said.
Whether it is to feel better, to feel confident, to feel feminine, to feel masculine, to bring tribute to someone else, Medeiros said tattoos can give a person whatever it is that they need and that those feelings can be addictive.
“It’s definitely addicting,” Beazley said. “I feel like so many of my friends who have tattoos would agree with that.”
Social media
It’s midnight and you can’t sleep, so you launch the Facebook app on your phone, promising yourself that you’re only going to scroll until you get sleepy.
But your cousin just reposted some funny memes that you must share, two of your friends are in an online feud that you have to chime in on and then something else catches your interest. Now it’s 3 a.m.
If you can relate to this, then you might have a social media addiction.
According to the Addiction Center, social media addiction affects 5% to 10% of Americans and it has real off-screen effects.
The Addiction Center points out that the effects this addiction has on health in particular can lead to a vicious cycle of worsening moods that can be “cured” by a few hours on Snapchat, Twitter or some other social app, only for the mood to return when you stop.
Validation, coupled with the ability to share oneself with the world with no boundaries makes social media very appealing to people, according to the Addiction Center.
According to a Harvard study, self-disclosure provides a “high” similar to that of taking other addictive substances.
As excessive social media users chase the same surge of validation, they grow more tolerant to the effects of dopamine on their brain, urging them to post more for the equivalent feeling.
Likes, retweets and shares affect the brain the same way that a jackpot at the slot machine might.
According to Dr. Daria Kuss, a psychologist specializing in technological addiction, the fear of missing out, commonly known as “FOMO,” also contributes to the addictive nature of social media, she wrote in a Washington Post article.
She also said that the manifestations of social media addiction fall in a range: from snubbing friends and loved ones in favor of looking at social apps, checking phones obsessively or even more dangerously, checking social media while driving.
Love and sex
Sexually adventurous or nymphomaniac?
Hopeless romantic or serial dater?
Bad breakup or severe emotional distress?
Can’t live without your significant other or disturbingly codependent?
Don’t be quick to dismiss behavioral patterns that may be indicative of deeper psychological issues.
Distinguishing normal intimacy variances from addictive behaviors can be difficult because of the stigma surrounding sex and love.
A 2010 article in the Addiction Behaviors journal estimated about 12% of people aged 19-24 experience love addiction and more than 10% go through sex addiction.
In comparison, approximately 3% of adults experience sex addiction and another 3% experience love addiction.
SJSU psychology professor Erin Woodhead said that sex is a natural reinforcer, like food, which means that the act releases dopamine in the human brain and doesn’t depend on repeated learning.
“People who consider themselves love or sex addicts partially have this tendency because sex activates the mesolimbic pathway in the brain,”
Woodhead said. “This is known as the pleasure pathway and it involves areas of the brain that produce higher levels of dopamine. Any activity that brings us pleasure and enjoyment activates this pathway.”
In addition to dopamine, other biochemicals released while “in love” include dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin and serotonin, according to an article by the Association for the Advancement of Philosophy and Psychiatry.
The same research article reinforced the parallels of natural love biochemistry and the artificial stimulation created by addictive substance abuse, but Woodhead added that there is not a formal diagnosis associated with sex or love addiction.
Notably, Hypersexual Behavior Disorder is not included in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, an organization which specializes in a 12-step recovery program, acknowledges the characteristics of sex or love addiction.
The list includes staying in destructive relationships, using sex and emotional involvement to manipulate, having few healthy boundaries, being seriously distracted by romantic or sexual obsessions and fearing abandonment or loneliness.
The costs of sex and love addiction can be enormous, affecting all aspects of the individual’s life as well as the lives of loved ones.
“Treatment for behavioral addictions typically focuses [on] increasing motivation for change, understanding a person’s thoughts about the behavior, and substituting alternative behaviors,” Woodhead said.
Workaholism
In workplaces that put a premium on productivity, some people live by the motto, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
A person who is highly work-oriented feels driven to work because of inner pressures and finds little enjoyment in work. This fits the typical definition of a workaholic, according to a 2014 article published in the Journal of Management.
Psychosocial consequences of work addiction include poor social lives, burnout, decreased life satisfaction and poor physical health, according to the same article.
But researchers within the psychology field disagree on the parameters of work addiction.
The condition isn’t included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
San Jose State psychology professor Erin Woodhead said there aren’t specific psychological diagnoses associated with workaholism, but some individuals do struggle with addictive work compulsions.
“It’s interesting because it’s a type of behavior where we can’t tell people to work toward abstinence like we might do for other potentially addictive behaviors,” stated Woodhead in an email.
She said most people have to work in some capacity, so dealing with work addiction is a matter of regulating tendencies by developing new hobbies or different coping skills.
12-step programs, similar to those that treat alcoholism, may be more effective for some individuals.
“People who are addicted to work might be overlooked because they might be seen as highly productive or successful in their careers,” Woodhead said.
A 2011 study by Evaluation & the Health Professions Journal estimated that 10% of the U.S. adult population experience work addiction.
According to the Penn World Tables, which lists data accounts of 182 national economies, Americans work more hours per capita than any other large nation of the same production level, which may be the cause.
Chris Padilla and Bryanna Bartlett contributed reporting to this story.
