Addiction vs Habit
Addictions have been around as long as excessive behaviors or habits have existed. From the minute that communication, conscious thought, and walking upright defined our species, we have probably had workaholic hunters, obsessive or compulsive gatherers, overeating cavemen and tobacco or drug abusers. Physicians, judges, the clergy, addicts, their families and the general public throughout history have been challenged by the task of defining the word addiction. Likewise professional people in fields such as medicine, psychiatry and psychology define addiction in terms that are appropriate to their areas of concern. For example , for the purpose of providing recovery, Narcotics Anonymous defines addiction treating as a disease because this makes sense to them and it eventually works for them as well. Depending on the definition and its purpose, the word addiction would emphasize things as physiological dependence, psychological dependence, family dynamics, behavioral problems, and morality, among others.Addiction is a term that has been used in many ways, but if we search the notion of addiction we will find definitions that emphasize "the habitual and chronic use of chemical substances that alter physical or mental states" (C
Breaking a habit, though different, is possible. It is a fact that a negative reinforcement or some punishment can help break an undesirable behavior. For example, in test animals, habitual behaviors can be changed or eliminated by applying an electronic shock or other painful stimulus after the behavior. In humans, undesirable habits can be changed by punishment or other forms of negative reinforcement such as our own dissatisfaction with our behavior or the disapproval of others. For example, if a friend is constantly biting his/her nails, or a person we know is always pulling his/her hair, we can make them realize that what they are doing is not healthy or good for them; conversely, in the case of young children, who are starting to develop their habits and personality, sometimes talking to them is not enough or perhaps they do not listen to us or understand how harmful a bad habit could be, so a punishment or a showing of our disapproval to their behavior can help them stop their bad habit . While the process of breaking a habit may be very difficult, the process of withdrawal from an addiction may be even harder. Symptoms caused by withdrawal may range from yawning, crying, sweating and runny nose to more frightening and painful ones such as shaking, shivering, vomiting, increases in blood pressure, temperature and breathing; in more severe cases symptoms are convulsions, respiratory failure and even death. In any case, family support and affection are very important in the process of breaking a habit or withdrawal. If the addict or the person who has a bad habit feels contained, supported and understood by his/her family and friends, the process of recovery may be faster and even definite. Although the family would find very difficult to adjust to this situation, love and caring are considered essential. Having cleared the distinct concepts of "addiction" and "habit", I can conclude saying that the so-called 21st Century addictions such as netaholism, workaholism and shopaholism,
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1349
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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