A process addiction, also referred to as a behavioral addiction, is distinguished from other addictions because it does not involve substances such as drugs or alcohol. People with a process addiction are addicted to harmful behaviors but cannot stop them despite the damage they can create. Behavioral addiction treatment is available for individuals with a process addiction.
If you or a loved one suffers from a process addiction, Apex Recovery Nashville can help. You are not alone, and treatment is available. Contact us by calling 615.703.4639 or filling out this online form.
What Is a Process Addiction?
Behavioral or process addiction refers to a set of behaviors that include:
- Decrease in self-control
- Persistent seeking of a behavior, not a substance
- Compulsivity
- Significant harm to self
When compulsively pursued behaviors such as gambling begin to interfere with normal functioning, it is defined as a process addiction. Even though drugs and alcohol are not involved, these addictions can cause psychological damage, erode relationships, endanger employment, and put health at risk. Apex Recovery Nashville offers comprehensive treatment programs that address the unique issues of people with process addictions. Our team takes an individualized approach to find the best treatments for each person in our care.
As with any addiction, if you have a behavioral addiction, your brain does not respond to rewards like others experience the reward feedback loop. The brains of people with a process addiction react to a specific behavior like the brain of someone with a substance use disorder responds to their substance of abuse. As with many drugs and alcohol, certain behavioral addictions, such as technology, can change the structures within the rain and affect cognition, memory, social adjustment, and mental health.
Examples of Process Addictions
Many addictions fall into the process or behavioral category, including the following:
- Technology – Addiction to the internet, video games, social media, and other screen-related sources of information or entertainment greatly concerns parents and teachers because of their damaging effects on growing brains. This kind of addiction affects adults, too.
- Gambling and other risky behaviors – A gambling addiction, or an addiction to sky-diving or big game hunting, affects the same parts of the brain that an addiction to alcohol or drugs does. The brains of people with this process addiction may not produce neurotransmitters in the same way or as effectively as those of other people, and they become addicted to the high they get from risk-taking.
- Shopping – Everyone shops, but for most people, it is, at worst, a chore and, at best, a pleasant pastime. However, some avoid negative feelings like loneliness, depression, or anxiety by spending money and acquiring new possessions. Like most addictions, this behavior is linked to impulse control and can become dangerous as it can lead to financial ruin.
- Food – A food addiction is challenging to crack since everyone needs to eat. But a binge eating disorder means that food consumption, like drugs, is done to soothe unmanageable emotions, mask trauma, and mitigate significant depression. People will eat themselves into ill health and still cannot stop.
If you recognize yourself in the list of process addiction examples above or wonder if another behavior may have become an addiction, please don’t wait to get help. Your mental and physical health may be at risk, and you deserve to live without being shackled by compulsive, destructive behavior.
What Is a Process Addiction Treatment Program? Find Out at Apex Recovery Nashville
Call 615.703.4639 or submit this form to find out how Apex Recovery Nashville addresses our clients’ process addictions. To learn what a process addiction treatment program looks like, how it can help you, and the first steps to begin your recovery, reach out today.