How addictions and habits work
A habit is an association between an incentive and a behavioural reaction which is ingrained or learned. Habits are manifested consciously and subconsciously to achieve their goal. Addiction is a complex condition whereby an individual is unable to stop engaging in a particular behaviour or using a substance. Addiction is used to refer to a compulsive physiological need of a substance or a certain habit. Habit and addiction are interchanged, but there is a significant difference between the two. Habits can be positive or negative, while addictions can only be negative. The paper entails an in-depth discussion between addiction and habit and how they work.
Habit and addiction grow from repeated behaviours. Despite the similarity, there is a difference in their treatment. The time and effort needed to change the negative behaviour is the key to differencing the difference between habit and the disease of addiction. Habits require minimal attention, time and effort to alter. Addiction demands a long-term and integrative plan to treat the physical symptoms and the disconnection between the body and behaviour. A habitual behaviour may be troublesome as repetition creates comforts and familiarity. Positive habits are survival tools, while negative habits may grow into addiction. For one to recover from a bad habit, there is a need to assess one’s behaviour, including how it affects the health, life, relationships and spirituality.
In the book, the power of habit, the author state that a habit occurs from a familiarity of certain behaviour. She further explains that scientist claim that habits emerge from the brain effort to constantly save efforts. The brain constantly seeks to turn every routine into habits whereby a habit allows the human brain to ramp down more often. Habits vary among different individuals because the changing behaviour patterns in life differ from one individual to another. Habits are driven by different cravings. There is a certain neurological loop which is a core for every habit which consist of a cue, routine and a reward. One has to understand the components of the loops to understand the habits and later look for ways of replacing the habits with new routines. The first step is identifying the routine, which is basically the behaviour that one wants to change. For instance, one may have a habit of going to a coffee shop every evening, which is regarded as the routine. The second is rewards, which is the craving that drives the behaviours: the coffee. The third one is a cure which is referred to as the expectations of an impending event—for instance, feeling relaxed after taking the coffee.
Addiction is derived from a Latin word for enslaved or bound to. Addiction has a long and powerful influence on the brain which manifests in three ways: the craving for a substance, loss of control over the substance and continuing to involve in the behaviour despite its consequences. Generally, people suffering from addiction lack willpower and are morally flawed. It is the reason overcoming an addiction needs one to be willing to break the habit. Addiction loves from liking to want as the brain registers the pleasure hence realizing, dopamine, a neurotransmitter which is consistently tied to pleasure. Dopamine not only plays the pleasure role but also contributes to learning and memory, which makes one transit from liking something to becoming addicted to it.
Addictions are more complex compared to habits. It manifests symptoms of behavioural flexibility, intense craving and loss of impulse control. Addictions are physiologically developed and reinforced to one’s brain every time they use a substance leaving one with an underlying desire to endure emotions and discomfort. Addiction relates to pleasure-seeking patterns such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol which create a neural pathway in the brain, connecting to the relief of negative emotions such as depression and stress with impulsive desire or craving. Some behaviours may be harmless, but when done consistently, successfully and physiologically, it can develop into an addiction. Both habits and addiction entail a cause and effect relationship, but addiction entails an intermittent reinforcement. Unlike habit, one does not have control over a desire hence the reason for continuous engagement in an addiction. The addictive substance has a negative impact on the job, relationship and health of the individual, and one is unable to stop be behaviour.
It is hard to diagnose addiction due to the lack of an understanding of what drive the negative behaviours. Understanding the underlying difference between a habit and behaviour is critical to diagnosing addiction. Withdrawing from addiction presents as a challenge due to the withdrawal symptoms, which require an integrated treatment plan and support. Addiction is a life-threatening illness which requires professional help. Habits can be changed by identifying the routine, experiment the reward and isolating the cue. For instance, if one has to go to the coffee shop every evening, the habit can be replaced by another behaviour.
In conclusion, habit and addiction are two distinct behaviours which develop from the human brain making the individuals seek the activity. Habits may be negative or positive, but addition entails negative impacts. However, one can reverse the behaviours by an intermittent treatment plan and seeking professional help to replace the negative behaviours with positive ones.