Oniomania, or a shopping addiction, is a problem for around six percent of Americans today. Many times people begin having issues with excessive shopping when they struggle with depression, anxiety and stress.  This is what makes this an addiction.  When a person is relieving stress with some sort of outside thing, it can soon become too much to control and eventually hurt their finances and even ruin relationships.  Keep in mind that this is not buying what you need or looking for good shopping deals.  This is when stress is released when an item is purchased.  It literally takes the buyer away from the problems they are struggling with and brings relief just as drugs do for a substance addict.

There are many reasons as to why someone may begin to have a shopping addiction.  The first reason is that shopping fills the hole of being emotionally deprived.  This can include loneliness and emptiness and shopping helps the addict cope and feel as though they are taking control back in their life. Shopping also helps the addict become distracted from issues that they are facing in their life as well as a little bit of danger.  Danger comes from spending too much and not having the finances to compensate for the amount spent. No matter what the reason is to why the addict needs to shop, generally the person wants to feel as though they are needed and accepted into society.

There is treatment for a shopping addiction.  At the beginning, the addict will have to come to grips with exactly how much money they are spending and what type of damage that is being caused by their addiction.  Then, the addict will need to realize who in their life in enabling them and remove those people and resources from their life.  Mostly therapy is needed and this way, the addict can not only stop the spending but see what the emotional reasoning is to why they started being and addict to shopping.

Overall, just as with any addiction, when it comes to a shopping addiction, if you can recognize that there is a problem early on in the addiction, there is more hope to be able to stop it.  Also, since this addiction involves shopping, when the warning signs are recognized by friends and family, there is going to be less monetary consequence in the end.  As with all addictions, now is the time to start treatment and get back to life.

Around 5 percent of the United States population deals with sex addiction.  However, this number is only known because of those people who ask for help with their addiction.  Many people who deal with an addiction to sex do it in secrecy.  If a person is addicted to sex, they cannot get their cravings for sex under control.  Many times, it begins slowly and then escalates to damaging behaviors and even ruined relationships with family and friends.  Keep in mind, this addiction is not considered a disease and is treated by learning to control impulses and desires.  There is really no lasting effects or negative withdrawal experienced when a person is recovering from an addiction to sex.

There are many ways that a person can be seen as having a sex addiction.  Being so enthralled in sexual activity with no boundaries and no fear of consequences can definitely be a part of an addiction to sex.  Also, having continuous phone sex, cybersex, compulsively masturbating and an addiction to pornography is considered having an addiction to sex when done in excess.  There are even times when this addiction becomes illegal.  When an addict begins to show signs of voyeurism and exhibitionism as well as stalking and rape or molesting a child, there are serious problems with an addiction to sex.

In many cases, if not dealt with, sex addiction can become a real issue and ruin a person’s life.  Of those who are sex offenders that have been convicted, more than fifty percent are addicted to sex.  Also, when it comes to child molesters, over seventy percent of them are addicted to sex.  However, there are those addicts that simply want help so that they no longer have to suffer the relational consequences of their actions.  Many addicts deal with bad relationships or even commit adultery and have ruined marriages.  Getting treatment for this addiction is difficult but necessary to get out of the lifestyle of sexual activity.

With the right treatment of sex addiction, a person can find their self worth again and realize they that can control their constant need for sex.  With sex being a basic human want and need, it is important to realize that sex is okay at the right time and with the right person. Since there are over twenty nine million hits on pornography websites every day, this problem with addictions to sex may be more of an issue than the statistics tell, now is the time to deal with the problem.

With the term process addictions, we can understand the addictions that take place which are not associated with substances.  Most commonly with this type of addiction, the person will be addicted to the behavior of a process.  This type of addiction has not been labeled for very long.  Only since the beginning for the 20^th century have doctors and psychiatrists recognized this type of addiction as a problem. Many times, those with addictions to processes can be just as addicted and debilitated as those who are addicted to substances.  When it comes to behaviors that are addictive, family and friends tend to have a difficult time trying to understand and work with the person who has the addiction.  This is because for a person without an addiction to processes, the behavior should be fairly simple to stop.

Process addictions normally start slowly and the person does not believe that they are losing control of their life.  Yet, this addiction is very multifaceted and many different factors of a person’s life will determine the addiction.  Many times, an experience the person had as a child will determine the addiction or even a person’s social status, genetics or mental state.  Also, a person may become an addicted of processes due to the high amount of gratification they receive as well. For some, having a physical reward or social reward is what causes them to become addicted and dependant on the process.

Some process addictions may be eating, working, cleaning, religion, exercise, dieting or religion. Basically, any process that causes a person’s life to be interfered with frequently can become and addiction.  Normally, the addiction begins with something small and progressively gets worse.  Some of the addictions can even be hurtful to family and friends and even harmful.  Gambling can cause a family to become bankrupt and eating addictions can bring death.

When it comes to treating process addictions, it is important for the person who is struggling with the addiction to realize that they have a problem. Each person is different when it comes to the way that they will deal with the addiction but overall, it is good to get them therapy as well as other treatments.  The most success comes from those who are ready to face the addiction and remove it from their life. As always, be sure to be considerate of a person who has an addiction to processes since they are just as addicted as someone who would be addicted to substances.

The gaming addiction has been around since 1970.  Even when arcades were just becoming popular, people would spend hour upon hour inside the dark buildings and comminute to play until they beat the game, they were obsessed.  People, who suffer with this type of addiction, truly do experience the craving, compulsion and withdrawal that those who suffer from substance addict do.  It is becoming a reality that more and more youth in America who are between the ages of eight and eighteen are quickly becoming addicted to video games. Now that the internet and home gaming units are available for gaming, many are no longer leaving their homes to go to an arcade but simply staying inside of their home.

Just as with computer addiction, gamin addiction causes the addicted to remove themselves from reality and soon lose friends, have no relationship and begin reducing the amount of care they take for themselves.  It is common to find an addicted gamer who has bad personal hygiene and is slowing becoming a recluse.  Gamers tend to feel as though the friends and relationships that they have with their gamer friends are more of a reality than those who they have in real life.  With role playing games and the high quality of technology today, gamers can even see their new friends online and feel as though they truly together in person.

When someone has a gaming addiction, their reality has become skewed.  The time spent on the gaming goes from a few hours day to day to an endless amount of time spent on the game.  The social destruction they are causing on their life can sometimes be immeasurable and in many ways difficult to reverse if it has been too long since real life interaction.  A person who is addicted to gaming can be classified as a person who spends more than twenty-four hours a week playing games.

Many times, especially if the gamer is young, they will have a system or computer in their bedroom which allows them to have endless amounts of time on the system.  It is found that you can tell when a youth is becoming addicted to gaming because their grades will begin to fall, their friends will begin to diminish and become angry about being confronted about their gaming activity.  If this sounds familiar about you or someone you love, now is the time to get help to stop the addiction to gaming.

Just as any other addiction, when it comes to a gambling addiction, the person needs to determine that they truly do have a problem.  With any addict, denying that they have a problem is the biggest hurdle to jump over so that the recovery process can begin. When it comes to gambling, it is difficult to reason with them since winning big can continually be justified as a reason to continue gambling.  Encouraging the addict and proving to them that their addiction is real can be difficult, but once they see it, you are on your way to helping them get a complete recovery.

With two common ways to treat a person with a gambling addiction, there is sure to be a way to get them to realize that they have a problem and begin treatment.  Most commonly, just as an alcoholic would, a person who struggles with gambling can attend a meeting that has other gamblers working on stopping the addiction.  Normally, the program will include twelve steps and involve being accountable to the others who are in the group. The atmosphere is always one that is supportive as well as welcoming and open to hear problems that attendees are struggling with.

The other common treatment option is therapy that is cognitive-behavioral.  With this treatment the person who has the gambling addiction will look deep into their situation and recognize the problem that they are dealing with.  The addict will also look into why they continue to rationalize the reasoning behind the gambling.  The behavior is actually altered in order to rid it from the addict’s life.  This type of treatment is personal for the addict and looks deeper than simply surface level as to why they have chosen this addiction for their life.

If you or someone in your life has a gambling addiction, it is important to make sure that you do not find or allow yourself to be an enabler.  Many times an addict will place in their life people who, in the case of gambling, provide them with an endless amount of money to fulfill their needs.  They will also find friends and people to have relationships that do not require much time or will even take them to the gambling venue. Now is the time to stop gambling and get your life back and start being in control of your emotions and even your future.

Food addiction or eating disorders are no respecter of person.  This means that no matter what age, gender or race that you are, you can suffer with an addiction of food. There are three major eating disorders that thousands and even millions of other American suffer with.  Anorexia, binging and bulimia are all common among people and no one is eliminated from those who may be affected with these self destroying diseases.  It is important to know what type of eating disorder or addiction to food a person has so that they can get the right treatment.  If they do not receive treatment, a person can suffer with depression, medical issues, substance addictions and even death.

The first of the major food addictions is actually an addiction to stay away from food known as anorexia. A person with anorexia generally starts off having a construed image of their body and determines that they need to go on a diet. After the person begins losing weight and feels as though they are in control and have accomplished something, they soon become obsessed with becoming thinner and thinner.  Moreover, they have a fear of gaining weight now and are addicted to reducing the amount of food they eat and many times begin exercising excessively and using substances such as diet pills to make sure that they are not hungry.

The second major food addiction is binging.  This is the continual act of overeating.  Once the person overeats, they feel as though they should have shame.  Many times a person with this addiction will try to diet or eat regularly for a period of time but then they go back to habitually overeating. This eating disorder has quickly become the addiction that is the most common.  Yet, it is not truly considered as a psychiatric disorder.  In America, over 3 percent of women and 2 percent of men suffer with this addiction and need treatment.

Finally, bulimia is the third food addiction when it comes to eating disorders.  Bulimia is an eating disorder when a person binge eats and then removes the food from their body in order to lose the weight they believe they just gained.  Many times bulimics struggle with the want to eat large amounts of food, but do not want to gain weight.  Once the over 4,000 calories are consumed in one sitting, a bulimic will purge by vomiting to remove the food or they will use laxatives and diuretics to remove the food.  There are even times that bulimics will be addicted to exercise as well.  All three addictions cause the person to feel out of control.

If you or a loved one is not living a healthy lifestyle, they may have an addiction.  One type of addiction is drug addiction.  This is actually a serious disease.  All drug addicts are different, but the drugs definitely affect their brain and eventually their ability to function in day to day life.  Of course, every person is different in the way that their body is affected by drugs.  It may take one person months or even years to become addicted and others it may only take the first hit or injection to change their life forever.  If you or loved one is an addict, this means that you do not care what affect or damage the drugs have on your body, your family, your job or your relationships.  When you are addicted, you want nothing else than to have those drugs to make you feel as though you are normal.

Some people may take drugs of any kind to simply feel better or have a high.  This is the person who is classified as a user.  They tend to only take the drugs with friends or at parties.  Even though it is wrong and definitely harmful to their body, they are not necessarily categorized as having a drug addiction.  When the drug use goes from being a choice and abusing the drug to being a way of life and the person literally become powerless to the drug, they are now and addict.  Everything in the person’s life consists of finding ways to get the drug they need, using the drug and not think about anything until they can get the drug again when they are an addict.

Many with drug addiction are literally trying to survive.  The drug is walking, talking, sleeping and living for the person.  When a person is addicted to drugs, they will do anything to get what they need.  This even includes things they would never do in their life such as steal money from friends, family and strangers as well as sell their body.

However, a person with a drug addiction can get out of it.  The process is hard and many times painful, but the end result will be a new person.  This medical disorder can be removed, but it is first important to realize that it is you who has the problem and not everyone else.  With dedication and support a person can soon be on the road to living a life that is free of drugs.

With the increase of technology in the lives of humans, some are beginning to find that they have a computer addiction.  This includes various issues with using the computer too frequently.  Some may struggle with being obsessed with checking their email throughout the day while others may play games online for hours upon hours during the day.  Many times, people who are addicted to the computer will find that they enjoy having friends online more than they like friends in real life.  They will also notice that their work, family and personal care for themselves and their living space will suffer from their addiction.  Of course, this addiction is new to many and requires, just as all addictions, for the addicted to realize that they have a problem.

With computer addiction being so broad, we now know that there are various categories within this single term. The addiction to the computer is really about what is done on the computer not the actual component.  This includes internet games, pornography, instant messaging, reading online articles, continually checking social networking sites and emailing.  There are many reasons why people become addicted to the computer.  Some say that they struggle with being lonely and friends online do not judge them.  It begins as a real need to be on the computer and then becomes an obsession.

Many people do not start wanting to have a computer addiction just as crack addicts do not intend on becoming addicted.  It is important to keep in mind that even though someone may use the computer often, this does not mean that they are an addict.  When the use of the computer actually gets in the way of life activities and the person cannot stop continually being on the computer no matter how many friends they lose or how big of a wall it builds between them and their family, this is when it is an addiction.

Just as there are treatments for substance addictions and sex addictions, there are treatments for computer addictions.  It is important to make sure the person begins by setting realistic goals and reducing the amount of time that is spent on the computer.  This may even include removing the computer from their home all together.  Having family members keep the person accountable and make sure that they are not spending too much time on the computer can also help.  Of course, the first step as stated before is to admit that there is a problem.

If you or your loved one has been habitually using alcohol and knowing that it is harming their body, this is known as alcoholism.  People with alcoholism or alcohol addiction, are not simply abusing alcohol but truly harming their body and destroying it from the inside out.   You can know and abuser from and alcoholic because an abuser will continually drink simply to get drunk and it is normally in situations that are social.  Also, more times than not, an abuser is being pushed to drink by peers and will stop drinking at different stages in their life or during times between parties. An alcoholic or one who is addicted alcohol drinks continually and must continue drinking in order not to have withdrawals.

It is important to keep in mind that there are those people with alcohol addiction or those alcoholics that can actually seem “normal” to those around them.  They are able to have jobs and friendships and look as though they have no problems at all.  These are the alcoholics who will continually deny the idea that they have an addiction to alcohol.  This is why it is so highly important to first get the person who is addicted to admit that they have this problem in their life.

Keep in mind; many people who suffer with alcohol addiction have seen it in their family.  This shows that alcoholism is a disease and that it very well can be determined as genetic.  Yet, not all alcoholics have a history of alcoholism in their family.  There can be other factors that play on their addiction such as standards, values and influences.  This disease can truly take over your life and cause great harm to you as well as your family and friends.

It is important to also realize that alcohol addiction can cause death. It is said that being an alcoholic can take 30 years off of your life.  If you or a loved one is an alcoholic, this means that just as someone who has a heart condition or even diabetes, you will need to have treatment for the rest of your life.  Almost half of the deaths caused by alcohol every year are from alcoholism.  You will find that as you or your loved one falls deeper and deeper into alcoholism, they will become consumed with the next drink and eventually be so dependent on the alcohol that they may even lose their life for it.

As shoplifting cases around the United States are increasing at a rate of 13% each year, the need to provide help for compulsive shoplifters becomes clear. Compulsive shoplifting or kleptomania is an addiction similar to gambling or chemical dependency.

The compulsion to steal is the repetitive, uncontrollable theft of items that are not really needed in most cases. It can be a disabling disorder that often goes unrecognized by both mental health professionals and law enforcement. Left unchecked, the behaviors associated with kleptomania can cause personal distress, legal problems, and social and marital dysfunctions as well.

Kleptomania is a true psychiatric disorder defined by three main features:

1. The failure to resist an impulse to steal unneeded objects.

2. Increased tension or arousal before committing a theft.

3. The experience of pleasure, gratification, or release at the time of the theft.

A kleptomaniac will usually steal objects of little value that they could have easily purchased instead. Compulsive stealing has not been found to be directly related to juvenile delinquency, mood disorders or sociopathic antisocial personality disorders. People who suffer from kleptomania usually will not plan thefts in advance or consider the chances of being caught and they most often steal things on their own without the help of others. However, kleptomania is an obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder that does bear similarities to both addictive and mood disorders.

Traditional treatment for kleptomania usually consists of therapy aimed at solving underlying psychological problems, but recent work has shown that cognitive-behavior therapy can also be effective. There are now also prescription medications available to treat the condition including fluvoxamine, paroxetine, lithium, valproate, buspirone, and naltrexone. Oddly enough, recent research has also shown that other medications like opioid antagonists and mood stabilizers may actually work in treating kleptomania too. Because the behaviors associated with kleptomania can wreak such havoc in a person’s life, it is important to recognize and treat the puzzling disorder as soon as it can be identified.