Are Your Habits A Sign Of Obsession, Compulsion, Or Addiction? Read And Find Out

By Author: Bermuda Hills Writing Institute
Total Articles: 8
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Habitual behavior can be natural, like in looking out before crossing the road, but when the behavior becomes misdirected and affects our daily lives and social adequacy, it has become a compulsion. What is compulsive behavior? Compulsive actions afford relief from inappropriate anxieties. The compulsive action neutralizes the anxiety. The urge to alleviate and avoid anxiety, and feelings of apprehension is what lies behind the compulsive action. This anxiety can spring from obsessions: like when a unfounded terror of dirt and bacteria results in ritual, compulsive cleaning. Compulsive behavior can also arise unintentionally like biting one's nails without realizing it. Common compulsions are counting, cleaning, adjusting and looking at things a second time to ensure peace of mind. If these actions get out of hand as when needing to make sure the gate is properly closed repeatedly when leaving the house, the behavior wastes time, interferes with normal daily routine, and may have become an anxiety disorder. What is an obsession? Obsessive thoughts can appear as misgivings and fears that give rise to anxiety. The obsessions are ...
... the force behind the compulsion. Compulsive acts ease the anxiety and distress for a while until they increase and demand to be relieved again. Using the term loosely, it could be said my obsession is working out as often as I can, but if my motivation is to join in a tournament, my working out is motivated by a sound mental process. If my motivation for attending the gym is rooted in emotion, as a distraction to uncomfortable emotions, and I'm constantly thinking about exercising and feel anxious or frustrated if I cannot get to the gym, then I probably have an obsession. The obsessive thought has to be alleviated by attending the gym, which is now a compulsion. The compulsive act is the culmination of the obsession, allowing a brief respite from the feelings of fear and anxiety. What is an addiction? Addiction characteristically relates to drug dependence typified by difficulty in breaking the habit despite physiological damage. Tolerance and abstinence syndrome are both manifestations of addiction. Addiction is a psychological and/or physical compulsion basically indulged in for the urge to feel good. In fact, neurologists maintain that any process that works on the brain's pleasure centers can be called addictive. For this reason, addiction embraces psychological dependence on overeating and overexercising. Though not traditionally regarded as addictions, and sometimes classed as types of impulse-control disorder, withdrawal symptoms do arise if ever the compulsion cannot be carried out. Compulsive habits and addictions show similarities as they each comprise short circuiting of the pleasure centers of the physical brain. The compulsions serve as a temporary means of relieving anxiety and tension. Every one of us is susceptible to addiction that can be fired by social and psychological influences. Treatment providers deal with those with problems accordingly, but to produce results the therapy must broach the fundamental causes of the anxiety that is driving the impulsive behavior.

Tom Coghill has written several books on health, nutrition, and fasting. For more information on compulsive eating, see below: Compulsive Eating Plan , Eating Habits That Help Compulsion , Freedom From Compulsive Eating Ref:COMPULSION&05