How online counseling can help with addiction

The word “addiction” refers to a person’s dependence on a certain activity or substance. Addiction is very different from habit. An addiction cannot be controlled without professional help. It is a compulsive need by the body, to do something or have something and when that is not provided to the body, the body goes into withdrawal and affects the brain horribly. It is one of the most important and complex topics under mental health, and its treatment is highly stressed upon.

Addiction and abuse are of many kinds, but the addiction that we are stressing upon right now is that of substance abuse. Substance abuse includes drug abuse as well as alcohol abuse. Drug abuse entails to a dependence on a drug – legal or illegal – to the point that it becomes unhealthy. It usually starts off voluntarily, when people start taking drugs, just for fun, in social circumstances or to get rid of stress or pain. Continued intake leads to the brain becoming used to these substances and that triggers a change in the brain. This change lowers the person’s ability to function properly without the drug and therefore causes dependence. In more advance stages of addiction, if the cravings are not satisfied for a while, the addict goes into withdrawal and traps him or herself in a cycle of negativity, which in turn causes him or her to harm their own selves, as well as their loved ones. For most people, even this danger is not enough to quit because their brain does not allow them to.

Alcohol abuse has pretty much the same effect as drug abuse. It begins with social drinking going overboard, due to either stress of other factors, and letting your brain to become dependent on the said substance. Apart from ruining your relationships like drug abuse does, alcohol addiction can also create a lot of legal problems for you like driving under the influence charges. Sometimes alcoholism – which is the name given to the psychological disorder of abusing alcohol – is caused by genetic factors. Either way, it is essential to identify the problem and to curtail it by seeking help.

If you feel that going to see a therapist is very expensive and that you cannot take time out for it, you may seek online addiction counseling at www.StartTalking.io, which is an online counseling forum where you will find both, drug addiction counseling as well as alcohol addiction counseling at your service from the comfort of your home. These therapists will hear you out, and help your recovery process by giving you achievable and empowering goals in the short term. You will have to work with them together, to accept and take responsibility, to mend your relationships and to kick your addiction for good.