Pandemic exposes us to addiction, experts warn
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Fear of COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the pandemic make people more vulnerable to all kinds of addiction, both to psychoactive substances and behavioural addictions, experts have warned.
Dr. Bartosz Kehl from the National Bureau for Drug Prevention said that the risk of infection, as well as the restrictions and isolation related to the pandemic, result in a disrupted sense of security, anxiety about the future and crises in the family. This, in turn, contributes to a greater risk of addiction.
He added, however, that such social life stoppage can also be used constructively, emphasising that it is an opportunity to re-prioritise.
Speaking at the 'Addictions 2020' online conference, Kehl warned that alcohol or psychoactive substances are not the only things you can get addicted to. Behavioural addictions such as gambling and computer games, workaholism and even gym use are equally dangerous. This includes all the activities, over which a person usually loses control without noticing it.
He said: “We are used to the fact that we often move around and interact with others. Meanwhile, we are forced to change our plans. Restrictions and isolation disrupt the sense of security, cause anxiety about the future and crises in the family.”
Fear of Covid-19 may, in turn, cause a person to start betting, for example, because it distracts them from thinking about the pandemic. Then there are more and more of these bets, the amounts get higher. Finally addiction to gambling and the associated risks occurs.
Other experts pointed out that behavioural addictions can be even more dangerous because they do not have negative social perceptions like alcoholism, drug addiction and nicotine addiction. They are seen more as frills than inappropriate behaviour.
Dr. Angelika Kleszczewska-Albińska from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Opole said: “They are also dangerous because it is often difficult for us to deal with them on our own. In addition, some of them cannot be excluded from everyday life, for example it is difficult to completely stop using a smartphone or the Internet. As a result, we cannot completely abandon some activities to which we have become addicted.”
Conference members noted that there are four stages in the formation of behavioural addictions. They often start with doing a certain activity every day or almost every day for pleasure. It might even be purchases for which there is a simple explanation: they are essential, or we do it for others.
According to the experts, the activities that give us pleasure during the night hours are a cause for concern, especially during the time which, until recently, was only spent on sleep. We talk about a loss of control when a person spends more and more time on an activity, for example spends at least four hours a day online.
This is the last signal to change your behaviour, and if you don't succeed, seek professional help. In the last stage of the development of behavioural addictions, people only feel the compulsion to perform a given activity to improve the mood, similar to the use of addictive substances.
Dr. Kleszczewska-Albińska said that those who are more prone to addiction tend to be impulsive people with low self-esteem and psychosocial deficits. (PAP)
Author: Zbigniew Wojtasiński
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