Lesson 5 Addictions (smoke, alcohol, caffeine, drug abuse)
What is an addiction?
According to the Cambridge dictionary addiction is:
“An inability to stop doing or using something, especially something harmful.”
This means that, even though you might know that certain behaviour is harmful to you, you are unable to stop doing it completely.
For example, you might say: “I know this is bad for me, it is just that I do not want to quit it!” Well, even this common statement is indicative of addiction.
Smoking can increase your chance of developing:
- Coronary heart disease or stroke → 2 to 4 times
- Lung cancer → 25 times
Smoking can cause
- Cancer in almost all parts of the body
- Infertility in both men and women, as well as harm to an unborn baby.
Passive smoking has similar effects to smoking!
You may say: “I know smoking is harmful, but it is impossible to quit it!”
Well, if you try quitting smoking on your own, it will surely be hard. However, if this effort is organized and monitored by professionals, the chance of quitting skyrockets.
Picture this: out of 100 people, only 4 to 7 will stop smoking without the assistance of a professional. By combining pharmacological and behavioural treatment, up to 45 will quit smoking in the short term.
There are multiple smoking cessation programs freely available near you. Find the one that best suits your needs!!!
What is the harm in drinking?
- Alcohol can be safely consumed in moderation.
- Most EU countries recommend up 2 servings of alcohol per day for men and 1 for women.
Excessive drinking (meaning, more than the recommended amount) is considered over drinking. This includes binge drinking, where a large amount of alcohol is consumed in a short amount of time, regardless of how much someone was drinking before.
- One in ten deaths worldwide is attributed to alcohol. Every day, 2500 people die from alcohol-attributed causes.
Excessive alcohol can lead to injuries, violent acts and alcohol poisoning. In the long term, it can cause cancer, a weak immune system, mental problems, and cardiovascular diseases.
As with most addictions, there are services publicly available to help you get rid of an alcohol addiction.
- Abusing prescribed or over-the-counter drugs can be detrimental to your health.
- It can lead to chronic diseases, mental health problems, injuries and financial constraints.
- Taking illegal drugs can have similar effects on your health.
- If you find yourself addicted to a drug, please consult your physician or visit rehabilitation services near you. It might be a hard step for you to take, but it will surely be beneficial to you and your loved ones.