The types of addiction varies from the drugs used like cocaine and alcohol to behaviors such as eating and gambling. Some of the known types of addiction are identified in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) while some types have been identified by addiction professionals.
Addiction is both behavioral and psychological and are characterized by lifestyle dysfunction because of drug dependency, cravings, inability to stop using the substance or behavior, and compulsion. No matter the type of addiction, it all equates to the harmful effects it has to the individual.
Substance Addiction
Substance addiction is a relapsing and progressive condition that is distinguished by the compulsive use of alcohol or drugs despite the negative impacts on the health of the user. An individual who has developed tolerance to any substance will need continuously increasing doses of a substance to feel the feelings he or she craves. This pattern of abusive substance use speeds up the substance dependency.
When a user becomes dependent on a substance, he or she needs to continuously take a dose of the drug or alcohol to function normally on a daily basis. When use of the substance is cut back or stopped, the user will experience symptoms of withdrawal which then triggers them to have a dose.
Behavioral Addiction
With this type of addiction, substance abuse is not involved. A behavioral addiction can be any impulse control disorder as described in the DSM-IV-TR or as identified by a professional.
Sometimes referred to as process addiction, behavioral addiction is somehow similar to substance addiction, where a person becomes dependent on a pleasurable feeling that some behaviors bring about. Once dependent, the person begins to uncontrollably act out the behavior to feel the pleasurable feelings he or she desires.
An individual may be diagnosed with behavioral addiction if he or she loss self-control over that specific behavior and continues to do the behavior even if it is negatively affecting his or her social relationships.
Impulse Control Disorder
A person who has impulse control disorder has a condition in which he or she has trouble controlling behaviors or emotions. These behaviors often results in violating the rights of other people or in conflicting accepted societal laws and norms. Some studies show that men are more slightly prone to impulse control disorders than women, and these disorders may usually co-occur with other mental health issues or with substance addiction.
These impulse control disorders include intermittent explosive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, kleptomania, conduct disorder, and pyromania.