Addictive behavior is usually perceived as a borderline state between the norm and dependence. In the situation with teenagers, this line is especially thin. In a more general sense, addiction is understood as various ways of escaping reality - through games, psychoactive substances, obsessive actions, and other types of activities that bring vivid emotions. The natural ability to adapt and overcome difficult life circumstances in such adolescents is reduced.

“Any types of addictive behavior in children are a “cry for help”, a signal of the need for urgent intervention to keep the child a full-fledged member of society.”

Conditions for the emergence of addictions

It is impossible to identify clear causes of addictive behavior. To develop this type of response, a combination of personal characteristics and an unfavorable environment is necessary.

Typically, the following personality traits are identified that provoke addictive behavior in adolescents:

• Active demonstration of superiority against the background of an inferiority complex.
• Tendency to lie.
• Comfort in difficult, crisis situations combined with depression and discomfort in the normal routine of life.
• Deep fear of persistent emotional contacts with others, combined with actively demonstrated sociality.
• Avoidance of responsibility.
• The desire to blame innocent others for the harm caused.
• High anxiety, dependent behavior.
• The presence of stable patterns and stereotypes of behavior.

Addictive behavior in adolescence develops when the listed features are combined with the following conditions:

1. Unfavorable social environment (parental neglect of the child, alcoholism, family quarrels, neglect of the child and his problems).
2. The teenager's inability to tolerate any discomfort in the relationship.
3. Low adaptation to school conditions.
4. Instability, immaturity of personality.
5. The inability of a teenager to independently cope with addiction.

• The desire to be special, to stand out from the gray mass of ordinary people.
• Gambling, desire for thrills.
• Personal immaturity.
• Low psychological stability or mental immaturity.
• Difficulties with self-identity and self-expression.
• Feeling of loneliness, defenselessness.
• Perceiving your everyday circumstances as difficult.
• Emotional scarcity.

The role of the family in the formation of addictive behavior

The main source of addictive behavior in adolescents is the family. Diagnosis and treatment of addictions outside the family environment are ineffective and pointless. At the same time, the opposite is also true - the presence of an addictive personality in a family (no matter a child or an adult) causes its gradual degradation and transition to a destructive category. Destructive families are characterized by:

• Special ways of self-expression based on compensating for one’s negative emotions on family members or self-affirmation at their expense.
• Specific ways to solve problems that arise in the process of life and communication.
• There must be dependencies and codependencies, in which any problems, illnesses, tensions lead to the destruction of the fragile balance in the relationships of family members.

A relationship has been established between the presence of addictions or codependency in parents and addictive behavior in their children. This connection can manifest itself even across generations, leading to the development of addictions in the grandchildren of people with alcoholism or drug addiction. Many people with addictions developed them as a consequence of codependency in themselves or their parents.

The following types of dysfunctional families contribute to the formation of the soil for the development of addictive behavior in adolescents:

• Single-parent family.
• An immoral family characterized by alcoholism, sexual promiscuity or violence.
• A criminal family whose members have criminal records or are associated with the criminal world.
• Pseudo-prosperous families that do not have visible defects in structure and dependencies, but in such a family unacceptable methods of education are used.
• Problematic families in which constant conflicts occur.

Family problems become especially obvious once a child reaches adolescence. The requirements and rules established by parents cause protest and a desire to leave care. Gaining independence and getting rid of parental control are among the leading goals of adolescents. The psychology of addictive behavior states that in the process of “escape” from the family, a group of authoritative peers takes the place of parents. This group becomes a new source of life rules, norms of behavior, moral guidelines and life goals.

Adaptation to living conditions or self-regulation to increase the emotional background and richness of life is the main goal pursued by addictive behavior. Types of addictions include the following ways to achieve these goals:

• Eating disorders (anorexia, starvation).
• Chemical dependencies (drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism, smoking).
• Ludomania or gambling is an addiction to games (gambling and computer addiction are usually separated).
• Religious fanaticism, sectarianism.

The first three of these types of addictions provide an easy and quick way to get bright positive emotions. The fourth type of addictive behavior helps the addict feel involved in something significant, to receive some kind of analogue of a family that fully approves and supports him.

The degree to which an addict is involved in addictions can vary greatly from rare episodes that do not affect daily life, to the point of severe dependence, completely subjugating the subject. Therefore, sometimes there are different degrees of addiction severity, the mildest of which is a bad habit, and the most severe is biological dependence, accompanied by changes in mental and physical state.

Diagnosing addictive behavior in adolescents is not difficult. Problems at school, smoking, drinking alcohol are obvious signs that require immediate active intervention. It is much more effective and important to identify and eliminate risk factors and conditions that contribute to the emergence of addictions.

Treatment of addictive behavior

The main method of treating addictive behavior is psychotherapy. When treating adolescents with severe addictions, hospitalization with a course of detoxification may be required to remove accumulated psychoactive substances from the body.

Most schools of psychotherapy view addictive behavior in adolescents as a symptom of general family dysfunction. Therefore, the main target of treatment is the family as a whole. Without family involvement, even a successfully completed course of treatment does not guarantee complete well-being in the future - after all, the teenager returns to the same family that caused the addictive behavior to develop.

General goals when working with an addict's family are:

• To identify factors contributing to adolescent substance use.
• To make parents aware that addictive behavior is a family problem.
• Convince them of the need for joint treatment.
• Change dysfunctional parenting patterns.
• Restore the influence of parents on a teenager.
• Normalize relationships between family members.
• Eliminate parental problems that support the child’s addiction, including various addictions in the family.
• Develop an individual approach to treatment.

Strategic family psychotherapy

This approach involves identifying discrepancies between the family hierarchy and the traditional one and its subsequent correction. In ordinary families, parents control their children. In families where a teenager develops an addiction, he begins to control his parents, remaining dependent on them financially and emotionally. In the process of psychotherapy, the doctor helps to establish relationships in the family in which parents occupy the highest level of the family hierarchy. Communication between parents and children, in addition to the emotional component, includes clearly defined expectations for the child’s behavior, the rules of his behavior and the measures that will be applied in case of violation of these rules. After the normal hierarchy is restored, the teenager cannot control his parents, due to which constructive behavior is restored.

Functional family psychotherapy

This type of therapy includes a number of standard steps, which are modified individually in each case. At the beginning of treatment, the therapist reviews their expectations for treatment and helps them formulate positive goals for all family members. Next, he determines which family relationships need modification. During the treatment process, family members’ negative perception of the teenager’s addiction decreases, the family atmosphere improves, and behavior patterns change.

Structural family psychotherapy

This approach considers the family as a whole as the patient. The goal of treatment is to create a balanced, favorable family structure and improve its functioning. Activities for this are selected individually depending on the type family relations. It is important to coordinate changes with the pace of life of the family and the expectations of its members.

Prevention of addictive behavior

Traditionally, all prevention measures are divided into primary, secondary and tertiary depending on the time of intervention.

Primary prevention of addictive behavior in adolescents involves preventing children from becoming involved in any type of addiction. It is aimed at working with a population that is completely unfamiliar or insufficiently aware of the effects of psychoactive substances. This type of prevention includes informing about the consequences of addictions, introducing teenagers to work, involving them in active activities, popularizing sports sections, art schools, and tourist organizations. It is also important to inform parents and teachers about the early signs of addiction in a teenager.

Secondary prevention is aimed at early detection of adolescents who have started using psychoactive substances and helping them to prevent physical dependence.

The objectives of tertiary prevention are the rehabilitation of people with addictions, their return to active life and the prevention of relapse.

Childhood mental trauma and addictive behavior

Addictive behavior resembles a rejection of the surrounding world, in which the individual isolates himself from society, using any kind of entertainment in the form of Internet entertainment, sex, gambling, and excessive spending of money. This problem occurs not only in adults, but also in adolescents.

Causes of addictive behavior

The basis for alienation from reality is the lack of interaction or disruption of communication in the environment in which the child grows up. Hormonal changes that develop in adolescents lead to a surge of emotions and the appearance of aggressiveness (see). They are influenced by parents, friends, classmates, with whom the child often cannot find a common language.

The psyche of adolescents is not fully formed, and young people themselves are not sufficiently adapted to adult life. Addiction is also associated with the use of various psychotropic drugs. For some, addiction is almost invisible, for others it is combined with normal behavior and only rarely appears. Sometimes there is a violation of demeanor, expressed to the point of extremes. A high degree of severity can lead to the development of psychosomatic diseases.

There are many forms of addictions that can be combined and move from one to another. For example, having given up drinking alcohol, a teenager begins to smoke, and having given up computer games, he begins to engage in extreme sports, developing a new addiction.

Read about for diseases of a neurological and psychiatric nature.

Learn about typical symptoms and treatment.

Types of addiction

Addiction that occurs in adolescents is similar to adult addiction. There are chemical and non-chemical. The first is associated with the use of substances that affect the nervous system, causing saturation of pleasure centers. Such means include:

• alcohol (see);
• substance abuse;
• cigarettes;
• hookah smoking;
• medications.

Non-chemical addiction consists of any activity that leads to the destruction of mental health. This includes:

• gaming addiction;
• gluttony;
• workaholism;
• sectarianism;
• sexual behavior;
• masochism;
• listening to specific music.

The emergence of addiction can lead to the development of asocialization, as well as to the emergence in a teenager of:

• bipolar associative disorder ();
• psychosomatic pathologies;
• homicidal or suicidal tendencies;
• paranoid schizophrenia;
• degradation;
• sociopathy.

Provoking factors

There are certain points that cause a teenager to become prone to addictions. In this regard, consultations with psychologists who can determine his personality type and psychological portrait are important.

Children at risk include:

• vulnerable;
• often sick;
• susceptible to criticism;
• victims of domestic violence;
• with a strict upbringing.

According to psychological research, there are 4 main reasons:

• economic;
• social;
• biological;
• individual.

The formation of the human body and the formation of personality lies in the development of mental health and stability of the body. A teenager begins to behave more confidently after taking psychotic drugs (abuse of energy drinks, caffeine, alcohol).

The disorders that these substances lead to begin to develop in adolescence, and the acquired consequences are more often identified in adulthood. Thus, fear of the dark turns into fear of looking in the mirror, and loneliness transforms into persecution mania. In addition, deviant behavior (not corresponding to social norms) is added.

Prerequisites for the development of addiction can also be head injuries: concussions, bruises, increased intracranial pressure, and mental retardation. There are the following personality types in teenagers:

1. Hyperthymic. They have a non-standard appearance and speed of thinking; intellectual activity, creativity and creativity predominate in their lives. They stand out among others with their leadership qualities.
2. Hyperexcitable. Teenagers are too impulsive and emotionally overexcited. They are unable to control their behavior and desires, are restless, irritable and impatient. They cannot calmly deal with criticism addressed to them and take everything with hostility. The development of addiction is typical for preschool children.
3. Hysterical. It is manifested by thirst and desire to become noticed and recognized. They talk demonstratively, exaggerate certain events, trying to impress others, sometimes even with fictitious stories. They are also capable of lying, slandering themselves, or attributing incurable illnesses and suffering.
4. Epileptoid. Adolescents experience personality changes reminiscent of epileptic disorders. They are in an aggressive state and constantly come into conflict.
5. The unstable type is characterized by weakness of will and apathy. Teenagers are disobedient, do not follow the usual rules of behavior, and require constant supervision. But they are afraid to obey other people. At school, such children are lazy and constantly run away from lessons. Capable of committing petty crimes such as hooliganism and theft.

These personality types sometimes do not occur independently, but are combined with each other, leading to the development of addiction. Psychologists or psychotherapists must diagnose addictive disorder. A test for addictive behavior is carried out in order to find out the neglect of a particular addiction (alcohol, nicotine, gaming), as well as to identify its effect on the body. Not only teenagers, but also their parents should take the tests.

Helping teenagers with addictive behavior

Depending on the severity of the addictive disorder, treatment is carried out by specialists in psychotherapeutic sessions or in a psychiatric clinic. In cases of mild impairment, special techniques are used to help a teenager get rid of addiction to games, overeating, and shopaholism.

For alcohol, drug or drug addiction, therapy is provided in a special department, carrying out detoxification of the body. Then they help the teenager regain mental health.

Preventive measures must be carried out in sanatorium-resort places to saturate the life of a teenager with new impressions. Addictive disorder in most cases is destructive in nature. The earlier bad habits are detected, the easier it is to get rid of them with timely complex therapy.

With the development of medicine and technology, one can notice that children do not progress, but begin to degrade. Addictive behavior of adolescents is a serious problem of epidemiological nature. It consists of the desire to gain pleasure, relaxation from a certain type of activity or the use of psychotropic substances. Without appropriate treatment, the addictive behavior of adolescents leads to personality decay and dementia.

Definition of disorder

Addictive behavior in adolescence is a serious problem. In a broad sense, addiction means dependence on something. The psyche of a teenager, like his body, undergoes a number of changes. At this age, even until recently, the child begins to recognize himself as a functional unit of society. He is in dire need of communication with peers and recognition. The main problem among teenagers is communication problems.

In an attempt to escape from the difficult reality, a teenager tries to drown out suffering through drugs, smoking, spending time on social networks, playing computer games, promiscuous sexual relationships, etc. Addiction can be either invisible or manifest itself in a severe form. Regular attempts to escape reality lead to persistent psychological and then physical dependence.

Speaking about pathological deviations in the behavior of adolescents, one can observe polymorphism - the use of several substances at once that help to relax. There are often signs of irregular addiction, which manifests itself under the influence social factors: The child smokes or uses drugs only in the company of certain people, but otherwise does not change.

The danger is the possibility of transition from one type of addiction to another. There are two types of addiction: chemical and non-chemical. The first is the use of various substances that have a stimulating effect on nerve cells. The second is any type of activity that leads to personality degradation.

Prevention

In adolescence, all problems are perceived more acutely, so timely prevention of addictive behavior is an important measure. It is important to understand that the addict himself is a disoriented person living in his own world.

He has low self-esteem, he is constantly under stress, which provokes disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system and the whole body. Preventive measures consist of psychological effects on individuals:

• A teenager needs to recognize the problem and understand what will help make him happy.
• Learn to position yourself in the world, among your peers, at home. A teenager must clearly understand who he is and what he wants to achieve, and understand which of the people nearby really care about him. Each conclusion is approached very carefully so that psychological defense does not work against you.
• We need to help the child change his lifestyle, find an activity that will have a beneficial effect on his state of mind.
• It is important to teach a child to solve his problems, and not to close himself off from them through addictive behavior. For this, various trainings and psychological exercises are used. It is important to teach your child to relax through meditation, visualization or any other method. Often addiction begins to manifest itself due to great mental and physical stress.
• The final stage of prevention involves the effective transfer of acquired skills and concepts into real life.

Main stages

Addiction develops faster in adolescents than in adults. A young body and an unstable psyche are all favorable factors for the development of mental pathology. From the moment of the first test until the formation of withdrawal syndrome when refusing a certain type of activity or substance, only 2 months can pass.

During adolescence, addictive disorder goes through 4 stages:

• The first stage is familiarization with “subject x”. The child rarely feels pleasure from his activities. This moment is a turning point, the individual violates an internal prohibition, destroys boundaries, and refuses to obey his conscience.
• The second stage is a feeling of satisfaction from what is happening. The dependence is not yet fully formed. The individual continues due to the fact that he does not have to make efforts to obtain pleasure, as well as to maintain his social status in a certain group of people.
• The third stage is the formation of mental dependence. At this stage, during chemical addiction, the active substance of the drug replaces neurotransmitters and independently conducts nerve impulses, gradually destroying brain cells. Non-chemical types of addiction involve obtaining certain sensations by performing actions that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure. A long break causes painful withdrawal states.
• The fourth stage is the formation of physical dependence. When trying to limit their actions, the individual begins to feel real withdrawal, which is accompanied by certain symptoms and can last from several days to several months.

Causes

Addictive behavior in adolescents is a serious problem that can be provoked by a number of factors: biological, mental, social.

• Biological factors represent a number of structural features of the human body. The lack of neurotransmitters that conduct nerve impulses is the main problem. Serotonin acts as a conductive element. Its deficiency makes a person depressed, always dissatisfied and forces him to look for a way to increase the content of adrenaline and dopamine. The fundamental factor is the predisposition and presence of mental disorders.
• Psychological factors. Puberty is a period of mental formation. An unformed object is easier to reconfigure and suppress. Mental and physical overload affects the state of the psyche.
• Social factors. The desire to be in the center of attention, to find like-minded people, to appear cooler than everyone else, to be understood in the family - the list of problems of puberty associated with society can be continued endlessly.

Role of the family

The main factor influencing the formation of addictive behavior in adolescents is the family situation. It is impossible to successfully treat addiction in a teenager without the participation of the family.

Distinctive features of the destructive family:

• self-expression occurs through humiliation of the weaker family member;
• non-standard methods of problem solving;
• dependencies that can manifest themselves regularly or at times when one of the family members begins to have a breakdown as a result of a violation of his fragile psychological defense.

Often, educational measures in families leave much to be desired. If in childhood a child is afraid to openly protest, then in adolescence he begins to openly rebel against the system. The teenager takes everything with hostility and believes that an immoral father and mother have no right to tell what to do. If the family does not listen to his opinion, he tries to show his protest in another way.

Manifestations

The main goal of addictive behavior is the desire to adapt to certain living conditions or improve the emotional background. May appear as:

• eating disorder;
• sexual games, orgies, etc.;
• addiction to gambling and computer games;
• addiction;
• alcoholism;
• sectarianism, military fanaticism, occultism.

The first three types of manifestations allow you to quickly achieve the desired effect. Alcoholism and drug addiction bring pleasure only in the second stage of addiction, because in the first, basically all individuals feel the side effects of consuming toxins.

Sectarianism and fanaticism of any kind allows a person to feel significant and involved in serious activities. The teenager has the feeling that he has a family that happily accepts him as he is and will never betray him.

The main signs of addiction:

• irritability;
• breakdown of social ties;
• sleep disorders;
• decline in school performance;
• smoking.

All these symptoms are a signal, a cry for help. If they are present, it is necessary to consult a doctor of the appropriate profile and undergo family therapy. Remember that only the family can help the child cope with his problems.

Treatment

The main method used in the treatment of adolescent addiction is psychotherapy. In advanced cases, children are hospitalized. If you have a chemical dependency, the first step is detoxification. Then they help survive withdrawal and restore the body. Then psychotherapy begins.

Classes with a psychologist, individually or in a group, help to understand the true cause of behavior. The addict is deeply unhappy, his psyche is fragile, so it needs to be strengthened in every possible way, to teach the person to live in such a way that every day does not seem like hell on earth.

Parents should think about their children’s relationships at school with their peers and consider the decision to transfer to another educational institution. Bullying among children often leads to addiction in victims.

Many psychological interventions involve treatment involving the family. Without the involvement of loved ones, treatment will never be successful. An individual must feel supported and understand that he is not alone in this world.

Conclusion

In adolescence, a person perceives everything that happens more acutely. His future life depends on how quickly he is able to adapt to society and resist temptations.

Often, teenagers, in order to improve their emotional state or escape from a frightening, oppressive reality, begin to consume various substances or become involved in activities that destroy the psyche.

The root cause of such deviations in behavior is the social factor: relationships in the family, school. The main goal of parents should be timely prevention of addiction and identification of problems in their child.

Addictiveness is beginning to take on a global scale. It manifests itself in deviations in behavioral norms. Addictive behavior is a habit that can destroy the human body. The person tries with all his might to escape from the reality that hurts the consciousness through the use of various psychotropic substances and certain activities.

The problem of addictive behavior of adolescents

Deviation Definition

Addictiveness or addictive behavior of adolescents belongs to the group of behavioral deviations (dependencies). The concept appeared not so long ago. The broad meaning of the word “dependency” implies placing hopes on someone or something in order to obtain satisfaction or adapt to environmental conditions.

Teenagers are more likely than other age groups to become addicted. Their psyche is not yet fully formed, hormonal changes occur in the body, the individual learns to recognize himself as part of society, communicate, and adapts to adult life. Addictive behavior is very closely related to the abuse of psychotropic substances, communication with certain people, certain types of activities (sports, sex, gambling) and violations of rights and personal needs, which should make the rebel harmonious and happy.

Translated from English, the word addiction means “inclination, addiction.” If we turn to the Latin roots of the word, we get the translation “tied by debts.” When a person constantly tries to escape reality, a persistent psychological dependence arises. It is not as difficult to eliminate chemical factors as psychological ones.

Types of addictive behavior

Addiction among adolescents comes in varying degrees of severity. It can be almost imperceptible, similar to the individual’s normal behavior, or it can go to extremes. A high degree of addictiveness is accompanied by psychosomatic pathologies. Different forms of dependencies have the ability to combine and transform into one another. Having given up alcohol, a person begins to smoke a lot; Having given up drugs, many people come to religion, becoming fanatics and thus maintaining their psychological state at the same level as before.

Forms of addiction

Addictive behavior that manifests itself in adolescence is completely no different from that of an adult. There are 2 subspecies:

1. chemical;
2. non-chemical.

Chemical addiction consists of the use of any substances that can influence the central nervous system, activating pleasure centers (alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction, tobacco smoking, hookah smoking, smoking mixtures, medications, some types of poisons).

Non-chemical types of addiction include any activity that destroys the individual’s psyche. Until recently, such concepts as gambling addiction, nomophobia and social network addiction did not exist at all, but today they are also included in the list of non-chemical addictions. This also includes addictive sexual behavior, overeating, headaches, workaholism, prolonged listening to low-frequency music, participation in sects, extremist groups, manipulation of one’s mental state, masochism, etc. The list can be continued endlessly. Today, the problem of mental disorders in adolescent children is very acute.

Addictive behavior can lead to serious consequences in the future both for the individual and for others:

• manic syndrome;
• psychosomatic diseases;
• tendency toward homicide or suicide;
• a complete severance of ties with society;
• schizophrenia;
• personality degradation.

The main thing is to figure out what could be the reason for the desire to escape from reality and to show aggression towards the world around us.

Provoking factors

Any action performed by a person has its own background, a reason that prompted the individual. Based on the psychological portrait, the risk zone includes children who are too vulnerable, more susceptible than others, exposed to domestic violence, and brought up in strict conditions. The individual asks for help with all his behavior. And this cannot be ignored.

Psychologists identify 4 main reasons.

1. Socio-economic: global and traditional.
2. Constitutional-biological.
3. Social.
4. Individual.

Socio-economic

A global factor of a socio-economic nature is the country’s entry into the global economic market, which leads to the spread of new gadgets, drugs, alcoholic beverages, and affects teenagers’ perception of the world as a whole.

Prerequisites for addictive behavior in adolescents

Traditional causes are factors inherent in certain social groups within a country. This includes tolerance to alcohol, early marriage, tobacco smoking, and soft drugs (marijuana, hemp).

Constitutional-biological

The constitutional-biological factor lies in the peculiarities of the development of the individual’s psyche. Very often a person cannot position himself otherwise than through doping. Mental disorders often begin to appear during adolescence. Some of them are acquired during the process of growing up, while others are brought from childhood. Fear of the dark often develops in adolescence into a fear of mirrors, reluctance to be alone, persecution mania, etc. The concept of neuropsychic disabilities includes lesions of the brain of varying severity (trauma, concussion, hemorrhage, intracranial pressure), emotional-volitional underdevelopment, mental backwardness. A separate group includes mental disorders such as psychopathy and character accentuations.

The following types of character accentuations in adolescents are most closely associated with the need to consume psychoactive components:

• hyperthymic;
• hyperexcitable;
• hysterical;
• epileptoid;
• unstable.

The most common unstable type of character accentuation among adolescents. It is very difficult to immediately jump from negative to positive feelings. Teenagers try to do this using a method that does not require special effort and productive activity, which is easily accomplished with the help of psychoactive substances.

Social

Among the most dangerous social factors is the family. Next in degree is the success of adaptation in a certain environment, society, and the social environment as a whole. The media, the Internet and other sources have a huge influence on the emergence of addiction. But the family environment is the basis for the formation of a full-fledged personality.

The main driving factors and mistakes in education are:

• abuse of medications, alcohol and other substances in front of a child;
• mental disorders of parents;
• hyperprotection – increased care (the child grows up weak-willed), hypoprotection – lack of attention (the individual is left alone with his problems, the child is constantly left to his own devices);
• incongruence;
• unstable emotional state of one of the parents, when praise and reproach completely depend on the mood of the adult;
• misunderstanding, lack of care on the part of parents.

Incorrect upbringing of the hyperprotection type

Individual psychological

This includes the teenager’s desire to fit in with a socially significant group of peers or an older group of teenagers. Imitation of children who drink alcohol, psychotropics, the desire to show themselves as a full-fledged unit of society. Very often, by refusing to perform actions that are considered significant in a certain social group, a teenager becomes the subject of ridicule and child bullying. Therefore, a weak personality follows the lead of more influential people.

Personal distress is triggered by the presence of abnormal character traits (hedonism, decreased or increased self-esteem, mental instability, adventurism, increased conformity).

This group of factors includes protest reactions against pedagogical pressure from adults and peers, neutralization of negative emotions, and curiosity. In the process of personality development, addictive behavior can be influenced by any factor, both negative and positive. The causes of addiction in adolescents are very multifaceted and cannot be fundamental to the behavior of a particular individual.

The main role is given to the teenager’s experience of his personal “drama” - interpersonal conflict.

Formation of the syndrome

Addiction develops much faster in adolescents than in adults. From the moment of the first tests until the onset of withdrawal symptoms, only a couple of months pass. Addiction is formed in several stages:

• first samples;
• addictive rhythm;
• established addictive behavior;
• prevalence of addiction;
• addictive catastrophe.

The first symptoms of addiction are disorders of the nervous system. Teenagers become irritable, react aggressively to any attempts to talk, become depressed, there are obvious mood swings, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, and phobic disorders appear. As a result of constant overstimulation of the central nervous system, the individual often wakes up, has nightmares, and quickly loses energy. Due to constant fatigue and sleep disturbances, the brain begins to produce various scary pictures that are perceived as real. Teenagers think they see spiders, dead people, scary animals, otherworldly, fantastic creatures.

Symptoms of addiction formation

Teenagers reach the stage of mental degradation much faster than adults. The individual begins to lag far behind his peers in psychomotor development. The teenager cannot concentrate on a specific object, memory impairment is observed, and the skin acquires a grayish tint.

The prognosis for chemical dependence at any stage in adolescents will be unfavorable. Most children are completely unwilling to succumb to treatment, considering their behavior to be the norm.

Possible consequences

The consequences of chemical and non-chemical addiction for the teenage body and psyche are frightening. Any addictive behavior leads to the destruction of brain cells, and chemical behavior also disrupts the functioning of the entire body, up to the complete death of organs and their systems.

The psyche of addicts does not develop, the intellect stands still. The individual is not able to solve a basic problem. Addicts do not want to take on even the smallest responsibility and constantly lie. Objects of addiction bring pleasure only in the first 3 stages; later the individual has to look for new sources of satisfaction. For the most part, at the last stage of addiction development, the subject of addiction is used by the individual only to relieve withdrawal symptoms.

Treatment options

Psychological addiction in adolescents is difficult to treat. Complete healing is possible only in the initial stages of addiction. Unfortunately, at stages 4-5 of abstinence, treatment is already meaningless. Brain cells began to degrade and most of them were completely destroyed. With chemical dependencies, often at stage 5 internal organs are only half functioning.

The success of treatment will depend on the ability to understand and eliminate the cause that served as the starting point for the formation of addiction. The individual must clearly understand that through the use of psychotropics and the implementation of certain activities, his problem will not be solved. A teenager must understand what he needs to achieve harmony with himself and society.

1. In case of severe withdrawal symptoms, treatment takes place in a hospital setting, using drugs that relieve symptoms. In parallel, in advanced cases, restorative therapy is carried out for the whole body. Nootropic drugs are indicated that improve brain performance and relieve the effects of psychotropic substances.
2. Typically, difficult adolescents are treated in groups using cognitive behavioral moderation. In a group, individuals learn to solve their problems. At the initial stages, there is an acquaintance with the situations and problems that exist in the life of each participant. At first, teenagers only listen to each other, learn to communicate and analyze, without interrupting other participants or trying to advise them.
3. Various games and exercises are conducted in which children are asked to solve a certain problem without trying to escape reality. After successful adaptation work in the group, teenagers are given homework. If there is a problem with communication, the individual is asked to visit a crowded place and make acquaintance with the person. At the last stages, the group discusses issues of successful completion of therapy and problems that have not been solved during all this time: getting rid of aggression, etc. At this stage, all participants can offer their own options for solving an impossible task.

The success of treatment is determined by the ability of individuals undergoing therapy to apply the acquired skills in practice.

Final part

Addiction among adolescents today is an acute problem that leads to the degradation of society as a whole. The main tool in the fight against addiction should be prevention, carried out at the level of the family, educational institutions and the state. The country should have hotlines and anonymous psychologists that schoolchildren who do not have the opportunity to solve their problems in the family, school, or on the street will not be afraid to visit.

Promotion of alcohol and promiscuous sex should be prohibited. Adults must understand that the future of children depends on high-quality behavioral and psychological education.

Man is a social being and from birth society dictates how we should behave. Family, educators, teachers, bosses and the state teach us to observe socially acceptable standards of behavior. And of course, there are those who do not accept the rules and go against society. Such people are called addicts, and their behavior is addictive. The essence of addictive behavior is an escape from reality due to changes in mental state. The ways to achieve addiction are very diverse - from types of activities to the intake of substances.

The psychological essence of addictive behavior lies in a person’s withdrawal from a reality that does not satisfy him. The world around us influences the addict’s internal mental state and makes him want to get rid of discomfort. An attempt to isolate yourself from external influences manifests itself in the form of any activity or the use of chemical substances. Moreover, methods of getting rid of mental discomfort are painful for a person. This morbidity manifests itself in social maladaptation and a person’s uncontrollable desire to repeat the chosen method of behavior.

The psychology of addictive behavior distinguishes between chemical and non-chemical addictions. In general, these types of addictive behavior can be presented in the form of a classification:

1. Non-chemical addictions:

• gambling (craving for gambling);
• Internet addiction;
• sexual addiction;
• relationship addiction or codependency;
• shopping (addiction to spending money);
• workaholism.

2. Chemical addictions:

• alcoholism;
• addiction;
• substance abuse.

3. Intermediate group of addictions:

• addictive overeating;
• addictive fasting.

Addictive behavior of adolescents

In the last few years, the manifestation of addictive behavior has become more frequent among adolescents. This phenomenon has become a national problem. The root cause of this deviation of adolescents from reality is the disruption of the child’s interaction with the social microenvironment in which he grows and develops. Most often, teenagers are influenced by parents, peers and school. The period of adolescence is a difficult time, and if a teenager does not find support in the family, or the family climate cannot be called favorable, then the teenager’s search for truth can lead to disastrous consequences. According to a number of studies, minors aged 11 to 17 years are most often affected by addictions. 85% of teenagers have tried various intoxicants at least once. Moreover, the same percentage of respondents had acquaintances and friends as suppliers of narcotic drugs. The main reason for the occurrence of addictive behavior in adolescents, as well as addiction to psychotropic substances, is the erroneous opinion of adults that this problem should be solved by narcology. In fact, child and adolescent alcoholism and drug addiction are one whole, and the problem needs to be solved at the psychological and pedagogical level.

Prevention of addictive behavior

Before you begin to fight a person’s addictive behavior, it is worth remembering a number of nuances. An addict is a person who inadequately perceives reality, his self-esteem is impaired, he is not aware of his problems and almost constantly lives in stress. The unhealthy state of the addict’s psyche contributes to the development of asthma, headaches, tachycardia, arrhythmia, gastric ulcer and other somatic ailments. Psychological prevention of additive behavior should consist of a separate approach to each group of types of deviant behavior.

1. Prevention of drug addiction and alcoholism: