Most of us will have felt the stress of work or family life build up at one point or another. When stress becomes too much to bear, it can be all too easy for us to fall into an addiction. Addictions are extremely detrimental to our mental and physical well-being. One of the best ways to deal with an addiction is to prevent yourself from falling prey to one. So which ones should you be looking out for? Here are five of the most common addictions.
Alcohol
After a hectic day, many of us will pour ourselves a glass of wine to take the edge off. One glass a couple of times a week is perfectly fine, but you need to start thinking about getting help if one glass turns into a whole bottle. The misuse of alcohol can damage your body. Not only are you putting yourself at risk of getting into an accident while drunk, but you could end up poisoning yourself. Long-term alcohol abuse can result in kidney and liver failure. If you want to talk to someone about an alcohol problem, attend your nearest AA meeting.
Drugs
Drugs can really take a hold of us. It doesn’t matter whether you are addicted to prescription pills or class A drugs. It is important to get help even if you only take drugs recreationally, as this often leads on to harder and more dangerous substances. Talk to friends and relatives if you feel drugs have got a grip of your life. If they understand your situation, they will be able to help you out. Places such as this addiction recovery center can help you turn your life around.
Smoking
Smoking is an extremely addictive past time. Not only that, but it is very expensive. The nicotine in cigarettes is highly addictive, but it is the tar and other chemicals in them that will damage your health. Smoking puts you at a very high risk of various cancers, heart disease, and emphysema. To help you curb your addiction, buy some nicotine patches. These supply your body with the nicotine it craves, but without any of the dangerous chemicals.
Gambling
A gambling addiction doesn’t have any ill effects on your health, but it can seriously damage your bank account. It’s fine to have a bet or play a game of cards now and then, but if you are taking part everyday, then it becomes a problem. Gambling addicts fall into money problems far too easily, and many end up in debt. This doesn’t have to be you, though – if you find yourself gambling more and more, seek help fast.
Food
We all crave comfort food after a hard day. But you need to know when to stop. Food addiction leads to obesity and many other health issues such as eating disorders and sleep problems. One way to put an end to your food addiction is to eat until you are full. Also, try swapping chocolates and sugary foods for healthy snacks.
As they say, prevention is the best medicine. Especially when it comes to addictions!
