When someone is addicted to a behavior, it means that they love engaging in activities that produce chemicals like dopamine and endorphins in the brain. The moment these chemicals are activated in the brain, the person begins to feel “high”.
Therefore, they are likely to keep engaging in these activities because they want to sustain that “high” feeling. If you think that someone around you is behaving in a way that is not typical of them and you think they might be addicted to a behavior, here are some signs to guide you.
Reduced socialization
You can be sure that someone is struggling with behavioral addiction when they reduce their socialization. The person might lose interest when it comes to staying around people.
They would rather prefer to remain in their space and might set strict boundaries that would prevent people from infringing on them. Similarly, they might be less concerned about the relationships in their lives because they are more focused on their addiction.
Lack of control
Another way to tell when someone is addicted to behavior is when they lack self-control. They will find it hard to refrain from that behavior because they are hooked on it.
When they don’t have the chance to engage in their addiction, they might experience some withdrawal symptoms. Sometimes, these withdrawal symptoms are similar to what people struggling with substance addiction will experience.
Loss of interest in other activities
When someone is addicted to a behavior, they might not be interested in other activities that they used to enjoy. They are likely to reduce their involvement in those activities probably because they don’t feel the thrill that comes with them anymore.
Also, they might show less participation in work, school, home, or any other place where they were fully involved.
Defensiveness
People struggling with behavioral addiction tend to be defensive whenever the topic of addiction is brought up. Even if you’re not referring to them, their reaction or response to the conversation could give the impression that they have an addiction problem.