Addictive behaviors are both reinforcing and rewarding. They become the primary focus of an individual’s life to the disadvantage of other activities. They are of many types of addictive behaviors with sex and drug addictions being among the major addictions (Wu. et al., 2006). Drug addiction (substance dependence) occurs when a person experiences a high need of taking the drug. Addiction happens to a particular kind/class of drug. Sex addiction occurs when one experiences a progressive urge of engaging in sex. It is characterized by compulsive sexual acts and thoughts.
Common Characteristics of Sex and Drug Addiction Behaviors
- They both make a person obsessed by them.
- Withdrawal symptoms always occur upon cessation of these two kinds of addictive behaviors.
- Low esteem is usually associated with addicted individuals.
- Depression characteristic is associated with both behaviors especially when one has gone without them.
- They both result to loss of control where one is unable to control the time, amount and frequency of consumption.
Social drinking is that drinking behavior characterized by low-risk drinking patterns. It is a common behavior among young youths in colleges and those in who are beginning their careers. The primary cause of this among these youths is peer pressure (Zimmermann, & Sieverding, 2010). Bad influence is the major cause of social drinking among these youths. Another cause is the belief that it is an excellent stress management tool. Youths engage in social drinking to sforget about their past bad experiences.
Individualized Drug Counselling As a Treatment of Drug Addiction
Its focus is to stop the addict from drug use. It involves bringing to the attention of the addict the negative sides of the drug e.g. its adverse effects to health, employment and other categories. The counseling helps an addict to develop coping tools and strategies for maintaining abstinence from the drug use. It is a 12-step process of treating addiction (Vollmer, Ferstl, & Ellgring, 1992). I think it is a useful treatment approach since it guides the addict in a systematic process to recovery besides addressing the negative effects associated with addiction.
References
Vollmer, H. C., Ferstl, R., & Ellgring, H. (1992). Individualized Behavior Therapy For Drug Addicts. Drug Addiction Treatment Research. German and American Perspectives, 333-352.
Wu, S. M., Compton, P., Bolus, R., Schieffer, B., Pham, Q., Baria, A & Naliboff, B. D. (2006). The Addiction Behaviors Checklist: Validation of a New Clinician-Based Measure of Inappropriate Opioid Use in Chronic Pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 32(4), 342-351.
Zimmermann, F., & Sieverding, M. (2010). Young Adults' Social Drinking As Explained By an Augmented Theory of Planned Behavior: The Roles of Prototypes, Willingness, and Gender. British Journal of Health Psychology, 15(3), 561-581.
