Addiction is when we are aware that something, or someone, is not doing us any good, yet we can’t stay away from it. Addicted people tend to feel ashamed and to blame themselves for their failures, therefore they often refuse to seek for help. We have a different idea about addiction: we do not judge our patients for their behaviour, but we will want to understand the need behind such behaviour so to find more functional ways to fulfil that.
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When we think about addiction, we may think it’s mainly related to substances, such as alcohol, drugs and medication, but other forms of addiction are much more common, such as: love addiction and all the, so called “new addictions”: smartphone, social medias and porn.
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​Love addiction is a dependency relationship in which you can’t detach from someone who is limiting your happiness and the possibility of reaching your personal goals. People who are at risk of developing this dependency, usually do not have much of self-esteem and they feel the need of a significant other to define themselves as individuals. Therefore, on the one hand the relationship triggers feelings of sadness, pain and frustration, on the other hand they can’t see their life without this toxic relationship.
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New addictions are so widely spread across the population, that they usually go under-noticed. Most people are unaware of the frequency they check their smartphone and of the time spent on social media, videogaming and binge watching. All these devices might lead to the unhealthy habit of not being fully present to the reality and the need for constant distraction from activities and social interactions.