Behavior Addiction: What it Is and How to Get Help

When we think about addiction, we often picture substances like alcohol or drugs. However, there's another category of addiction that can be just as destructive⁠—behavioral addictions.

These addictions center around compulsive engagement in pleasurable activities. These include gambling, compulsive shopping, internet addiction, video game addiction, or sex addiction.

While they may not have the same effects as a physical addiction, they can still be debilitating. Let’s discuss this further.

What Makes Certain Behaviors Addictive?

Just like substance use disorders, behavioral addictions hijack the brain's reward system. Engaging in these behaviors can trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good.

The repeated dopamine rush can be intoxicating and reinforces the behavior, making us crave it more and more over time. This reward cycle can lead to a sense of compulsion, like how many substance use disorders develop.

Common Behavior Addictions

Behavior addictions are more common than you think—and sometimes, they develop from the most ordinary habits. However unremarkable these activities or hobbies are, they can become devastating addictions if left unchecked.

Some of the most common behavioral addictions are:

• Gambling addiction
• Internet, social media, or gaming addiction
• Sex and love addiction
• Exercise addiction
• Work addiction
• Shopping or spending addiction
• Food addiction (not to be confused with binge eating disorder BED)

Some of these addictions are more common in men than women, while the opposite is true for others. For example, gaming, sex, and gambling addictions are more common in men, while shopping addictions are more common in women.

These ordinary hobbies can easily spiral out of control when they become unhealthy coping mechanisms or distractions. You may initially depend on these behaviors or hobbies to distract yourself but eventually, find yourself giving in to the compulsory need to engage in them.

Behavior Addiction vs. Substance Addiction

While behavioral and substance addictions share many hallmarks, there are key differences.

See the table of comparison we created below:

Even though these two types of addictions may present differently, behavioral addictions are just as real and serious as substance addictions.

If you or someone you know is struggling, seeking guidance and support is the first step toward regaining balance in your life.

Warning Signs of Behavior Addiction

A behavior may have crossed the line into an addiction when you have the inability to control it. Even though you may want to cut back on a certain behavior, you cannot resist the urge to do it.

Other signs of a behavior addiction include:

• Constantly thinking about the behavior, even when trying to focus on other things
• Going to great lengths to conceal the extent of your involvement in the behavior
• The behavior is getting in the way of your life, leading to problems in your relationships, work, or even your health
• Isolating yourself from loved ones
• Ignoring important obligations and even jeopardizing other aspects of your life just to indulge in the behavior
• Experiencing distressing emotions like anxiety, irritability, and restlessness when stopping the behavior

While the withdrawal you may experience may not be as life-threatening as substance use withdrawal, it can still be uncomfortable and stressful to go through.

Many succumb to this discomfort and continue to indulge in the activity, feeding a vicious cycle. If you find yourself or a loved one stuck in this cycle of addiction, we strongly encourage getting help immediately.

What Causes Behavioral Addictions?

Behavioral addictions are incredibly complex, and they develop from a variety of factors, including:

• Brain chemistry: The dopamine rush caused by the behavior rewires the brain's circuitry, increasing the craving for the behavior and making it difficult to resist
• Underlying issues: Stress, anxiety, depression, unhealed or unaddressed trauma can cause you to seek a coping mechanism that can turn into an addiction.
• Environmental triggers: The accessibility of certain behaviors, like the internet or gambling, and social or cultural factors can increase the risk of addiction.
• Genetics: Research shows that variations in certain genes, especially those related to neurotransmitters like dopamine, make some people more susceptible to addictive behaviors.

The interplay of these factors is important to consider. A person with a genetic predisposition for addiction may experience more intense pleasure from addictive behaviors, making it harder to resist them.

A chaotic environment can amplify this risk, while a stable and supportive upbringing can act as a protective buffer. However, remember that genetics don't dictate your destiny.

By understanding your genetic predispositions, making healthy choices, and fostering a positive environment, you can effectively manage addiction risk and lead a fulfilling life.

How Do Behavioral Addictions Affect a Person?

Behavioral addictions can create a devastating domino effect and can be just as devastating as substance addictions. Financial problems, job loss, and neglected education are common consequences.

Addictions to sex or gaming can lead to a decline in health and self-care, further diminishing quality of life. This negative impact can extend to those around the person, creating a cycle of dependence and further isolating the person struggling with addiction.

How Do Behavioral Addictions Affect Relationships?

One of the major hallmarks of behavioral addiction is secrecy. Lying is common, and this lack of honesty breeds distrust and resentment.

The constant preoccupation with the behavior takes time and emotional energy away from maintaining healthy relationships with partners, children, friends, and family members.

Intimacy can also be undermined. A growing sense of isolation can drive the person further away from the very support they need. This can drive wedges between the person with the addiction and their loved ones.

Treatment Options for Behavioral Addictions

Seeking treatment for behavioral addictions is a courageous step towards a healthier, more balanced life. While acknowledging the need for change can be difficult, rest assured that effective and compassionate treatment approaches are available. Let's explore some of the most common and effective treatment options:

Therapy

Therapy and counseling are instrumental in dismantling bad habits, behaviors, and triggers that lead to your addiction. Here are some options:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Through CBT, you'll gain skills to manage emotional triggers and avoid relapses.
• Motivational interviewing: If you're unsure about seeking help, this therapeutic approach can enhance your motivation for change.
• Other therapies: Psychotherapy can help address any underlying emotional issues that might be contributing to your addiction.

Support Groups

Several support groups exist—whether they’re for addiction in general or specific support groups for more niche addictions.

Some of the more general ones are:

• 12-Step programs: They offer peer support and a non-judgmental space to share challenges and successes with others who understand your journey.
• SMART Recovery: This non-12-step group focuses on scientific principles to aid recovery using a 4-point approach that emphasizes building motivation, managing urges, and creating a balanced life.
• Online support groups: These groups can be helpful for people who lack access to in-person support groups or those wanting the anonymity of online forums. They provide a virtual community with shared experiences for continued support and accountability.

Specific support groups also exist that center on particular addictions. Here are a few:

• Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA)
• Gamblers Anonymous (GA)
• Online Gamers Anonymous
• Internet & Technology Addicts Anonymous

Women for Sobriety is a program specifically for women overcoming addictions of any kind, including behavioral addictions, through cognitive-behavioral techniques and positive affirmations—so you can also go here if you’re a woman struggling with an addiction.

Lifestyle Changes

To increase your chances of a full recovery, you’ll need to start making lifestyle changes too. Your daily habits shape your overall well-being, so if you’re healthier at a holistic level, you can ensure that you don’t fall into your addiction again.

Here are a few things you can start changing: 

• Focus on health: Eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, and sleeping well can dramatically improve your mental and physical health.
• Develop a routine: A consistent daily routine creates structure and minimizes unpredictable situations that could lead to stress and relapse.
• Manage triggers: Developing strategies to avoid or cope with these triggers is essential.
• Find healthy alternatives: It is crucial to substitute addictive behavior with positive activities you find engaging.
• Build a support system: Surround yourself with positive, supportive people you can count on. Their encouragement can be invaluable on your recovery journey.

How to Navigate Finding Help

Navigating the path to recovery can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone. Here are some of our tips for finding the support you need:

1. Acknowledge you need help, as it opens the door to positive change.
2. Seek guidance from a doctor or therapist. They can assess your situation and recommend the best treatment options tailored to your needs.
3. Share your journey with loved ones.
4. Accept that recovery is an ongoing process. Continued therapy and support groups can provide lasting tools and prevent relapse.
5. Be kind to yourself. Change takes time, and setbacks are a natural part of the journey.

Tips for Managing Triggers and Building Resilience

The journey to overcoming any addiction requires learning to manage your triggers, those internal or external cues that cause cravings and increase the risk of relapse. Here's how:

• Know your triggers: Pay close attention to the emotions, people, places, or situations that typically lead to the addictive behavior. Journaling can help identify patterns.
• Avoid when possible: Once you know your triggers, the best strategy is to minimize your exposure to them.
• Build coping mechanisms: Develop healthy ways to deal with stress and unpleasant emotions.
• Build resilience: Resilience is your internal armor against relapse. It also helps you become more patient with yourself and more self-aware of how you handle stress.

Remember, it's about finding a healthier relationship with the addictive behavior, not necessarily eliminating it in every case. With the right support, understanding, and self-compassion, behavioral addictions can be managed, and people can regain control over their lives.