Addiction does not surface instantly, it usually starts off as an abuse. The two broad categories of abuse give rise to the two categories of addiction that we are familiar with. They are substance and behavioral abuse.

Substance abuse has to do with an individual who regularly intakes chemical substances for the purpose of achieving a particular level of “High”.

For instance, when an individual sustains an injury and opiates are given as the prescription, there is a likeliness for an abuse to set in. If the individual continues to use opiates without the prescription of the doctor for any little reason, then an abuse is in place.

Also, opiates give a high feeling and there are some patients who love to experience this. So, what they do is take more opiates so that they can feel high.

In the long run, an addiction sets in and they would not be able to control themselves. When an addiction is in motion, it is difficult for the individual to put a stop to it.  

The same applies to behavioral abuse. This form of abuse comes in various forms like internet abuse, video gaming abuse, sex abuse and a host of others.

Behavioral abuse becomes an addiction when the individual becomes obsessively and compulsively linked to carrying out the activity. At this point, they do not mind the detrimental effects attached to it.

A good number of times when an addiction is developing, people do not really pay much attention to it. It is when the addiction is in full-play that they realize that great damage has been done.

An individual who is addicted has a lot to lose starting from the onset of his or her addiction. He or she stands the chance of causing damage to his or her health especially if it is substance addiction.

For behavioral addiction, one of the major losses is decline in productivity, failed relationships and a host of others.

People who are addicted take great risks and they are oblivious to the damage they cause themselves.