Behavioral Addictions & Ibogaine

When we think of addiction and people struggling with addiction, most of us think of substance use disorder and addictions to specific substances first and foremost. Addictions to drugs and alcohol are common in our country and all over the world today. These types of addictions cause much suffering and take many lives, and there are always people who are working to overcome these types of dependencies. Fortunately, many succeed in breaking free from patterns of substance abuse thanks to the support of others and programs that help them to achieve these important, often lifesaving goals.

However, substance-based addictions are only one type of addiction. Behavioral addictions also negatively affect the lives of those who struggle with them. Often, people don’t take behavioral addictions as seriously as substance addictions because they are not life-threatening or because they only become life-threatening in very severe cases, but behavioral addictions can cause immense suffering for those who are afflicted with them. They can ruin people’s relationships and futures just as easily as an addiction to drugs or alcohol can.

Fortunately, with help, it’s possible to break free from behavioral addictions, too. Read on to learn more.

What Are Behavioral Addictions?

There are many things that people can become addicted to besides drugs or alcohol. Behavioral addictions, also known as process addictions, are common in our society today as well. Although individuals who struggle with behavioral addictions are not physically dependent on a particular substance, they find themselves repeating behaviors over and over. Doing so can negatively affect their lives in vast and immense ways. When repetitive behaviors begin to keep you from other things that you are responsible for or from things you enjoy, then you may have a problem. Problems like these can grow and grow and can become out of control quickly.

It’s likely that you know someone with a behavioral addiction or that you may even struggle with one yourself. You might not even realize that you or your loved one has an addiction because you may not see obvious signs of these behaviors nor see the ways that they are negatively affecting your life or the life of someone you love. In some cases, you may not even think a change is necessary or you may just think of behavioral addiction behaviors as bad habits or acceptable character flaws. But, as anyone who has recovered from a behavioral addiction can tell you, breaking free from these types of repetitive behaviors can improve one’s life immensely. If you think you or someone you love struggles with a behavioral addiction, it may be time to seek help.

Examples of Behavioral Addictions

There are a number of common behavioral addictions; chances are that you know someone struggling with one or more of them, but you might not even know it. As with substance addictions, people can be quite secretive about behavioral addictions as well. Only people very close to them may be aware of the issue, and in many cases, certain behavioral addictions may be a secret that is kept from everyone except the individual struggling.

  Perhaps the most common behavioral addictions today are screen and technology related. We all know someone who is addicted to his or her phone, social media, gaming, or to the internet in general. Many people today seem to have their faces buried in their phone or computer at all times, even when they are not working or studying. Although this type of addiction is not directly life-threatening, it can cause many problems. People who are addicted to screens may avoid their responsibilities. They may neglect their friends, loved ones, children, and social lives. In extreme cases, they may suffer from malnutrition, lack of physical activity, insomnia, and more — all due to their behavioral addiction to a screen.

Although addiction to technology is the most common behavioral addiction, it’s not the only one. Other behavioral addictions can be related to things like gambling, pornography, sex, shopping, work, or even exercise. None of these things are overly dangerous in moderation, and some of them are even things that are good for us or are necessary to survive and live a healthy life. However, too much of anything can become a problem. 

People who gamble or shop compulsively can lose their life savings and can put themselves in danger when they owe people money. People who are addicted to pornography or sex may put themselves in risky situations to meet their needs. Individuals who are addicted to working might spend all their time on their work, thereby ignoring other important aspects of their lives — leading to broken relationships or depression. And, although people who are addicted to exercise may feel that they are living the healthiest lives that they can, they may actually overexert themselves causing long-term physical injuries.

Again, none of these behavioral addictions will directly lead to loss of life. But, as you can see, they absolutely can negatively affect the lives of those who struggle with them if no intervention occurs.

How to Treat Behavioral Addictions

Any addiction can be treated and any addiction can be overcome. Some people have success breaking free from behavioral addictions on their own with focus, effort, and perseverance by consciously changing their habits over time. However, if the addiction is severe, more and outside help may be needed. As with any addiction, people trying to overcome behavioral addiction will find more success in overcoming their addictions with help. Many therapists specialize in certain behavioral addictions can offer strategies to help their patients to change their behaviors in both the short and long term. Support groups and group therapy can also be quite helpful; people who struggle with behavior addictions who participate in support groups and group therapy are reminded that they are not alone in facing challenges, can learn what worked for others, and can celebrate small and large victories with a community that truly understands.

However, if these types of interventions are not successful, people struggling with behavioral addictions may need to take their treatment a few steps further. Although inpatient care for behavioral addictions is not common, in severe cases it may be a great help. 

Further, an ibogaine experience can be helpful. A medically supervised ibogaine experience gives people the opportunity to venture deep inside their own minds to discover the root cause of their behavioral addiction. Behavioral addictions may be caused by any number of things, and the experience in your life that triggered yours may be long forgotten. With the help of ibogaine, you may be able to learn what happened in your life that resulted in your addiction, and then you can more easily face it and overcome it. 

You can overcome any type of addiction if you are equipped with the right information, the right motivation, and the right support systems. If you think you might have a problem with a behavioral addiction or with a substance use disorder, you can create the proper environment to break free from these struggles once and for all. 

At Ibogaine.Club, we want to help you do exactly that. If you or a loved one is suffering from a substance abuse disorder, our information can help him or her to take the first steps along a much healthier path.