Many people hardly make distinctions between habits and addiction. For one, both develop from repeated behaviors or actions. An introspective look at habit vs addiction shows that these two concepts are worlds apart. Also, there is a significant difference between making a verbal mistake vs a diagnostic one. Mistaking an addiction for a habit is disastrous because the outcomes of addiction are usually fatal.
Foremost, a habit is either good or bad. We repeat habits, good or bad because they offer some emotional or biological benefit—a reward. More on this later. Dr. Wayne Dyer, ❲1940–2015 ❳ lived recklessly for a significant portion of his life: drinking, debauchery, and drugs. He did not care what he ate and lived a sedentary life, and therefore Dyer was overweight. Even he did not bother much about his appearance—bad habits.
If you have heard of Dyer, you know he made a massive impact on many people worldwide. He was an internationally renowned author; he wrote over forty books. Most of these books became best sellers. Dyer was also a fantastic orator. He remains, posthumous, one of the world’s most outstanding spiritual teachers, speakers on self-development and spiritual growth, and emotional healers. What does this have to do with habit vs addiction?
Here is the connection: Dyer stopped his bad habits and built good habits. He started a rigorous exercise regime, including a five-kilometer run, daily from 1976 until his demise. Dyer perfected the art of meditation, wrote motivational and self-help books, ate healthily, and prayed. The good doctor maintained these habits, touching millions through his public lectures, books, and PBS series until he died in 2015.
Habits are versatile
Regular habits may include taking a cup of coffee after lunch or taking a nap, a siesta in the afternoon. Of course, moderate caffeine consumption may increase your alertness or boost your mood. There is nothing wrong with these activities as long as they are not done in excess. Think about it, taking gallons of coffee is not a good idea. Excess caffeine consumption disrupts your sleep at night though this differs from person to person.
In others, the caffeine component in coffee brings on the jitters or causes bouts of anxiety. Once in a while, you may hear someone comment, “I love my coffee, but I have to watch my intake. I don’t take more than three cups.” Altering a habit isn’t strenuous, and it takes minimal effort as the user recognizes the repercussions of overindulgence. They have two options: to reduce their intake of coffee or give up the habit.
Likewise, if you turn your afternoon nap into sleeping extensive hours, you may neglect some of your obligations. You’re likely to tread on people’s toes. Or you will not be at peace because of your negligence, and it may eat at you. If you continue, you’re likely to struggle with a troublesome habit. Most people break bad habits because they are detrimental. In the case of habit vs addiction, is it easier to break a habit than it is an addiction? We can answer this question as we move along.
Many arguments exist on how long it takes to form a habit or unlearn one. Habits are created and broken over time, sometimes quickly, and sometimes it takes time. Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business provides some helpful insights on the subject. However, most authorities agree that if you are breaking a habit, it helps to replace it with another. And, it’s pointless to stop a good habit, especially if it is beneficial to “self” or others.
Habit vs addictions: moderation
Observing habit vs addiction reveals that both are built on repetitive behaviors. You can nurture and train yourself on both. Importantly, habits are either good or bad, beneficial or destructive. Bad habits are dangerous because they can also evolve into addictions. Mark you, the more you indulge a bad habit the harder it becomes to shake off. Remember you have behaviors like brushing your teeth, showering, walking, and eating: these belong to another category, namely routines.
However, the distinction between habit versus addiction is not that straightforward. Some people habit taking a glass of wine with their meals with no problem. For others, the problem drinkers, drinking a glass of wine is disastrous. Why does alcohol have different effects on people? Equally puzzling is why one gambler knows his limit and another gambles his life away. Alcohol and casinos are the constant, but the partakers are different.
Here are some questions we ask? Is drinking a bad habit? Or is drinking a glass of wine with your meal a bad habit. Is gaming a bad habit? We have heard it said so many times; moderation is key in everything we involve ourselves. Here is where the issue of defining an addiction begins. An addiction is an indication of an unhealthy dependence on something or someone.
An addiction breaks the principle of moderation. Any addiction is detrimental because it reflects an unhealthy attachment to things, people, and places. Addiction begins as a learned behavior similar to a habit. However, unlike a habit, the user continues to partake of the substance or behavior despite adverse consequences. In contrast, most people, when they realize the rewards from a habit are negative, drop the habit and develop another.
Mechanisms of substance & behavioral addictions
In their book, Principles of Addiction Medicine, researchers Miller et al. explain the process of addiction. They claim that the partaking of addictive substances produces pleasant effects in users. It engenders actions to seek and experience more of the substance. Based on this theory, we can examine drug and alcohol consumption. Initially, the consumption of these substances produces a significant positive reinforcement. It causes the user to want to reexperience the substance.
With the continued consumption of the substance (drug or alcohol), the degree of reinforcement decreases. The user will increase their intake to reach the previous level of pleasure or reward. And, it leads to repetitive behavior, like a habit but with a ritualistic element. Drug and alcohol addiction is a learned behavior that is dysfunctional and maladaptive. Once it is learned, it is hard to reverse. Here lies the threat of what happens when you fail to get rid of a bad habit
Drugs and alcohol disrupt the natural reward pathways. The midbrain learns to dispense enhanced levels of dopamine–a neurotransmitter that influences your emotions and moods–a feel-good hormone. In the absence of alcohol or drugs, the neurons are not as responsive/sensitive as they ought. Because of an acquired chemical dependency. Sometimes this status lasts for long periods causing a strengthen in the urge to drink or use. Hence as addiction develops it alters the brain system.
Addiction is not limited to substance abuse: alcohol, nicotine, and heroin. Behavioral addictions such as gambling, overeating, excessive exercising, shopping, sex, compulsive criminal activity, and the internet are rising. Authorities on the subject of addictions agree that the obsessive patterns and misguided reward system are the same for both behavioral and substance addictions.
The users highlight compulsive traits and continue consumption even at the expense of their health. Behavioral addictions stress some core indicators present in substance addiction. Any addiction is detrimental and problematic.
Habit vs. addiction: can a habit become an addiction?
When your habit becomes an obligation, it turns into an addiction. Any source, whether a substance or an activity–passive or active–offers the user stimulation: It can be addictive. A passive activity such as compulsive television may start as a habit and become an addiction. However, there are ways in which you can detect a habit.
Habits hardly stir the individual from rational decision-making. The control element is within the person’s grasp, and they can decide to stop a bad habit or reinforce or develop a good one. In contrast, addiction is difficult to give up. It takes external intervention such as treatment and therapy to control an addiction. One conspicuous characteristic of an addiction is the individual loses control and suffers irrational decision-making in many instances.
A person indulging in a bad habit will most likely take ownership and responsibility. On the other hand, denial makes up a significant part of addiction. The user refuses to acknowledge the repetitive adverse outcomes in their lives. They continue to use the substance or indulge in a behavior despite the negative consequences.
An addiction will create conflict in your life. In particular, it will ruin your close relationships and you may have difficulty managing your finances. Other indicators may include a decreased performance at work/school, poor health, and even run-ins with the law. You start asking yourself questions such as “Is my drinking a bad habit vs an addiction?”
Habits are good or bad, but addictions always cause problems. Bad habits can evolve into addictions. And, good habits such as exercising and dedication to work if done in excess become addictions. A habit becomes an addiction when the individual has no control over consumption, ❲frequency, and amount❳. The person refuses to acknowledge the harmful effects of its consumption, and develops craving, and becomes a compulsive user.
Overall, it is acceptable to ask “habit or addiction what is the difference?” Has your “habit” become monstrous or out of control? Would you like to find out if you are suffering from addiction? Here is help.
