Does Stress Cause Addiction?

以往，瘾was thought of as resulting from the ingestion of an “addictive” substance, such as海洛因要么alcohol。这些物质被认为具有几乎是魔法的力量，无论用户都有诸如用户所经历的压力等环境和情况，使用户无能为力。该DSM-IV物质依赖的定义focused on the physiological effects of these substances, and the processes of tolerance and withdrawal as central to addiction.

However, since the 1970s, research has started to emerge that paints a different picture of stress and addiction. Not only has it become clear that some people taking “addictive” substances do not become addicted, but also that seemingly benign行为, not involving ingesting substances, have started to be recognized as addictive, including problemgambling,shopping瘾,food瘾,电脑瘾, and evensex瘾。And more and more, the设置和设置and other contextual issues, such as the stress being experienced by the individual taking the addictive substance or engaging in the addictive behavior, are being recognized as having an impact on whether or not people become addicts. These more recent discoveries are reflected in the第五版。

How Addiction Is Used to Deal With Stress

成瘾似乎是一种尝试以一种对个人来说不完全锻炼的方式处理压力。虽然你可能会通过你沉迷于沉迷的药物或行为来获得一些暂时的缓解，但是救济是短暂的，所以你需要更多的是继续应对压力。因为许多上瘾带来了他们进一步的压力，如withdrawal当药物磨损时，症状经历，需要更多的上瘾物质或行为来应对涉及的额外压力。

From this perspective, it is clear that some people are more vulnerable to addictions than others, simply by the amount of stress in their lives. For example, there is now a well-established link between childhood abuse, whether物理,emotional要么性虐待and later development of addictions to drugs and behaviors. Childhood abuse is extremely stressful for the child but continues to cause problems as that child matures into an adult, with consequential problems with relationships and自尊心。不是孩子作为孩子虐待的每个人都冒着成瘾，而不是虐待着瘾的人。

Using Stress Management to Overcome Addiction

Although stress, on its own, does not actually cause addiction — plenty of people are under stress and do not become an addiction — it certainly has a significant role for many people. Recognition of the role of stress in addiction developing, and of the importance of stress management in preventing and overcoming addiction, is crucial in helping people avoid the suffering that addiction can bring, both to those affected by addictions and their亲人。Our压力位点提供许多与装备有关应对压力的更健康方式的策略和工具，无论您是否开发了成瘾。

And it is never too early to teach children and young people good stress management skills, so they are less inclined to become addicted in the first place.