Browsing: Addictions

The history of heroin begins with the history of opium, from which heroin is produced. The use of opium goes back hundreds or possibly thousands of years with the opium poppy being cultivated during the Neolithic Age, the new stone age. Opium was widely used and abused throughout history. (How is heroin made?)

Information about heroin has been available for over one hundred years making the question, “what is heroin?” easy to answer. Heroin is a semi-synthetic drug derived from morphine, which is derived from poppies (how is heroin made?). Heroin information also indicates heroin is an opioid drug – a drug that binds to opioid receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, and gut. The key information to know about heroin is that it is most commonly found as a street drug and has a high potential for abuse, addiction, and harm.

Video game rehab exists to help those who have become addicted to video games. Like all addictions, gaming addiction can ruin lives. Gaming becomes increasingly excessive, and it takes control of a gamer’s life. Consequences can be dire, including school failure, loss of employment, loss of friendships and other relationships, and declining physical and mental health (Gaming Addiction Symptoms: How You Know You’re Addicted). Because of this, gaming addiction treatment centers are springing up worldwide to provide video game rehab and help gamers reclaim their lives.

Addicted to gaming help is available. However, it can be difficult to know where to find help if you’re addicted to gaming. This struggle is gradually changing, though, thanks to several factors. Research is increasing awareness of the addictive nature of gaming. The World Health Organization has included gaming disorder as a new diagnosis in their International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Edition (ICD-11) to be released in 2019. Also, the American Psychiatric Association has defined internet gaming disorder and recommended it for further study in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). With this deepening understanding of gaming addiction, help for those addicted to gaming is increasing (Am I Addicted to Video Games, Gaming?).

On-Line Gamers Anonymous (OLGA) is a real, and growing, organization whose sole purpose is to help people whose lives have been hurt by video gaming. OLGA provides support to gamers as well as family and loved ones who are also affected by gaming addiction. Online Gamers Anonymous is a valuable resource for overcoming excessive gaming and rebuilding lives.

People are often surprised when they learn that video game withdrawal is possible. After all, gaming is a behavior, not a substance. People experience withdrawal from alcohol and other drugs because a substance the body has come to need is suddenly gone. With gaming, the body doesn’t become addicted to a substance. Nonetheless, people can become addicted to gaming and thus experience video game withdrawal.

Learning how to quit video games is the first step in what can be a successful journey to take back your life if you’re feeling trapped by gaming. It can be a tough road full of potholes and annoying speed bumps. The road isn’t closed, though, and it moves continually forward. When you discover how to quit video games—what works for you—you’ll travel ahead into the life you want to live, free from excessive gaming.

The relationship between video games and anxiety is an enmeshed one. Video games tend to draw people who experience certain types of anxiety and keep them hooked. Then, the more time someone spends gaming, the more his or her anxiety tends to increase. Let’s explore the relationship between video games and anxiety to loosen the grip they might have on you.

It’s becoming increasingly evident that the relationship between video games and depression is real and significant. Researchers are still studying gaming disorder to better understand how excessive gaming impacts people. Something they know already is that understanding the relationship between video games and depression can help treat both.           

If you find yourself uttering the words, “My husband is addicted to gaming,” know that you’re not the only one. Gaming continues to grow in popularity, alluring new games are produced on a constant basis, and boys who grew up playing video games and online gaming are becoming men. Some of them are becoming husbands with a gaming disorder.