What is the difference between an addiction and a habit?

Answer 1

A COMPULSION is based upon the psychological principles of dependency, need and desire. Although compulsive behavior may have physiological aspects attached to it such as feelings of satiation, and psychological withdrawal, compulsion does not alter the brain the way addiction does. Compulsive behavior that is secondary to an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a neurobiologically acquired mental illness. ADDICTION on the other hand is a medical term that refers to a neurobiological process that in addition to compulsion, obsession, loss of control, and a continuation in spite of dangerous consequence, also must include as part of its definition, a progressive neuronal desensitization, and a brain-based neurochemical alteration. A good example that helps distinguish these terms from one another is that of drug addiction and sexual addiction. Many individuals use drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and/or alcohol on a recreational or social basis. These individuals are capable of stopping their ususage at any time with no lasting harmful physiological or cognitive consequence. Individuals addicted to a drug however, are not able to stop their behavior without significant brain-based physiological consequence such as seizures, gastroenterological disturbances, heart palpitations, changes in blood pressure, and cognitive disruptions in areas of memory, concentration, and decision-making. The same principles apply to a sexual compulsivity and a sexual addiction. With a sexual addiction, sexually ritualistic behaviors alter the neurochemistry of the brain not just during sex, but well before and well after the sexual act. Additionally, sexual addicts, just like drug addicts, experience a host of cognitive impairments generally specific to the executive functioning of the right prefrontal cortex such as decision-making, concentration, abstract thinking, attention, insight and judgment, conceptualization, and mental flexibility. Reference: Ullman, S. (2006). A Neuropsychological Examination of Neural Plastic Alteration in the Dorsolateral and Orbital Prefrontal Functions Secondary to Early Childhood Sexual Traumatic Eposure in Diagnosed Adult Male Sexual Addicts. Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest.

Answer 2

An addiction has a psychological/physical component resulting from someone who is unable control the aspects of the addiction without help because of the mental or physical conditions involved.

A habit is something that a person does by choice, but can stop if they choose to stop. It doesn't have a psychological/physical component like addiction.

What's the similarity between all habits and addictions? It can't just be that your body has become use to the substance you put into it and constantly needs more. Certainly that can be so for drugs and alcohol - but consider that the hardest addiction to overcome is gambling! You're not ingesting anything so what's the body craving?

The thing in common among all habits and addictions is the predictability of the experience!

The most powerful emotion we have is fear - andspecially the fear of the unknown. Ask any alcoholic, over-eater, gambler, drug addict, person with chronic anger to tell you about the next time they "use" or act out their behavior. They can tell you how it starts, what happens next, how it ends, and even how they'll feel the next morning.

Faced with a situation or strong emotion that's unpredictable or hard to deal with and a person will use their "habit" - it gives them some space in time to totally predict what will happen. Therefore lessening or eliminating the fear or other emotion that was the original problem.

Make sense?