Addiction is a condition that results when a person engages in an activity

Addiction is a condition that results when a person engages in an activity (such as gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continuation of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary responsibilities and concerns, such as work, relationships, or health. People who have developed an addiction may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.
In the 1930s, when the world was trying to understand the concept of addiction, a scientist name BF Skinner applied a theory with a box. In this box there was a lever on one side and he put a hungry rat in it. Whenever the rat pulled the lever, the food fell inside the box. Initially the box was delivering the need of a hungry rat, which made him no longer hungry. But the rat never stopped pulling the lever even when full stomach. It was because; whenever the lever was pulled the food he received gave the rat a sense of satisfaction not only for his stomach but also to his brain. The sense of glory, happiness or delight. The rat no longer had the need to pull the lever or the food, but he had the desire to do so. The Skinner believed that this principle is applied to everyone.
The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect, otherwise known as tolerance. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.
However, most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues. People commonly use drugs, gamble, or shop compulsively in reaction to stress, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn’t what matters; it’s the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. Treatment requires an understanding of how it works.
When referring to any kind of addiction, it is important to recognize that its cause is not simply a search for pleasure and that addiction has nothing to do with one’s morality or strength of character. Experts debate whether addiction is a “disease” or a true mental illness, whether drug dependence and addiction mean the same thing, and many other aspects of addiction. Such debates are not likely to be resolved soon. But the lack of resolution does not preclude effective treatment.

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