Addiction

We all have habits in our daily lives, but a habit becomes a problem when it turns into addiction, when you no longer can have control over it on your own. Addiction puts you in a state when you feel pleased and satisfied, and not having your addiction tool whether it is psychological or physical, would make you anxious and not in your normal state. We all are addicted to something a way or another, and there is no such a thing as healthy addiction. Addiction is always environmental, it is whether a behavior of escaping reality, distracting yourself from real pain, or just fitting in your surrounding community. A crucial problem of addiction is that you don’t realize it most of the time; your brain doesn’t get alarmed by it because it has become a usual activity. And as long as we aren’t alarmed by anybody about it, we’ll keep doing it most likely. Even if you realized it, you’d be in a self-denial. Addiction isn’t only about drugs and alcohol; people can be addicted to food, gambling, technology, video games, etc.

One of the most common types of addiction nowadays is technology addiction. Technology has become almost a basic factor in our lives. Everything is mostly based on technology. And the more it gets easier, the more it gets addictive. We naturally tend to do what makes our lives feel better. Having technology around us all the time makes us used to it that at a certain point we couldn’t imagine our lives in its absence. Some of us would panic if they were unplugged from technology for a short time period. Try to imagine a life without technology, this is definitely going to be harsh! Technology exists to please us and satisfy our needs. For example, Television is an entertainment tool that pleases us anytime we want. Cell phones make it easy for you to communicate with people. Computers help you manage your documents. Air Conditioners, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and many other inventions just for our pleasure’s sake. We created technology so we can control our lives, we should not let control us. Cell phone addiction is one of the most common addictions at the current time, especially with its rapid development every day. Its users is in a rapid growth, waiting for the new smart phones with their broad variety of applications. The cell phone now is a multitasking tool. It saves a lot of time and it helps you communicate with people much easier. For this generation, cell phone is a necessity. It is very easy to become a cell phone addict as it is always in hand and it is accessible anytime anywhere. Some cell phone users show withdrawal symptoms of drug addicts like anxiety and stress, short temper, and losing focus. Cell phones are so entertaining to many people that they use it to cheer them up. Actually, with all these interesting options in one device, from games and movies and music and so many other options, why would someone ignore all this fun?! Therefore, not having a cell phone around these people would make them anxious and panicked. If it was lost or the battery has died it would feel for them like losing a baby. Being too attached to cell phone is quite unhealthy, and we should be aware of the disadvantages of this piece of technology. To be honest, we all spend time using the cell phone more than we should, so we should try as individuals to control our phone usage. Overusing it could isolate us from the real world. Besides, it leads to insomnia which causes sleep deprivation. Cell phone addiction leads to stress, anxiety, and sometimes depression, because the cell phone user is always on his/her nerves waiting for a reply or a call.
It’s harmful for one’s mental health. Some of cell phone addicts are aware of their addiction and yet they are too afraid to treat. There is a kind of phobia called “Nomophobia” which is the fear of being out of cell phone contact, and it’s probably common in most of cell phone users. Sometimes knowing that there is a way to contact people anytime gets people attracted to this device. We are sociable by nature, and nobody likes to feel lonely. One of the common disadvantages is being in debt because of the phone bills. The cell phone addicts cannot stay from their cell phone, which means more calls, more texts, and more network access, and the phone bills get huge all over their heads, and the usage keeps going. We should try to manage our usage, I’m not saying stop using it because after all it’s a utility tool, it’s a wonderful device, but the problem lies in overusing it. We need to help each other out control our phone usage to live a healthier life, but after all, each person need to start by themselves, because these negative impacts is affecting you before anyone else.