Non-substance Addiction

Non-substance addictions are destructive habits and behaviors that take over your life, functioning much like substance addictions. Where substance addicts experience a short-term reward for getting "high", non-substance addicts will do the same but for behaviors like gambling, shopping, social media, and more.

Non-substance addictions are complex and do not have a single cause. Instead, they are often related to a combination of individual and environmental factors. Like substance abuse, these behaviors can come up as a result of trauma or a mental health issue, or end up worsening existing mental health issues. 

People often engage in behaviors that feel good to get temporary relief from larger issues, but left unmanaged, something innocuous at first can become all-consuming. Addictions persist despite the negative consequences they may create.

Addiction is generally caused by a repetitive process in your brain that interferes with normal functioning. When you do something enjoyable or pleasureable, it causes a rush of dopamine to flood your brain. The desire to experience this over and over can cause uncontrollable cravings over time. It can feel like a compulsion or an impulse that's hard to ignore.

Our behavioral addictions are usually caused by the desire to feel good, or to distract, numb or soothe us from feeling bad. Many of them are perfectly fine activities in healthy moderation and most people will not get addicted to using them. But when your desire to partake in these activities becomes self-destructive or simply uncontrollable, it can have devastating effects on your relationships as well as your mental and financial well-being. 

Regardless of what behaviors can be addictive and at what point they can be classified as an addiction, if you find yourself lacking the ability to moderate your engagement with something you find to be self-destructive, it can be a helpless feeling. But it is an extremely valid one. You’re not weak just because you’re struggling with an addictive behavior: Addiction is a mental health condition. 

One of the best ways to curb behavioral addiction is to develop a healthy strategy to deal with a particular stressor or emotion instead of the addictive behavior. Fortunately, there are many different healthy coping mechanisms you can try, and finding one that works for you is key. 

Take the time to consider what triggers your desire to engage in the behavior–whether it’s an emotion, a situation or an event–and then take small steps to replace that action with something else you find enjoyable. It doesn’t have to be just one thing, and trying a few things before something sticks is totally normal.