What is addiction?

Addiction, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is a mental health disorder and a behavioral disorder characterized by the compulsive need to consume both legal and illegal substances as well as various harmful behaviors such as: gambling, food, work, shopping, sex, new technologies, etc.

The possibility of an individual developing an addiction is difficult to detect, since the human personality is very particular and diverse. According to science, several risk factors influence the addiction and feed back into each other, for example: genetic predisposition, personal or psychological factors and sociocultural factors - those that have to do with the surrounding environment in which the person moves (family factors and social pressure factors).

Addiction is a disease in which, without forgetting the appropriate counselling, the action of the affected person is necessary for his recovery. Now, as with any other disease, the addict needs the help of a professional.

Let's say a person who has low blood sugar and is beginning to develop diabetes; isn't it logical that they go to a health centre to have a professional diagnose the disease they are suffering from? In the same way, and since addiction is a condition, people who suffer from it need the support, advice and help of a professional to be treated. Only in this way can this disease be combated, which becomes unstoppable if left untreated.