Behavioural addiction treatments
Behavioural addictions can be described as those that refer to a loss of control over a behaviour or conduct. Find out more and achieve addiction-free behaviour with the help of CITA Clinics.
Addictions we treat in CITA rehabs clinics
Behavioural addictions
Our specialists also provide solutions for patients with behavioural disorders, such as addiction to gambling, video games, sex, shopping and the internet. On occasion, this may require admission to the rehab centre.
Frequently Asked Questions on behavioural addictions
Behavioural addiction treatment is necessary for people to be able to deal with a clinical problem such as this, which many people downplay. Contrary to what you may think, behavioural addictions can have serious consequences on the physical, mental and emotional health of those who suffer from them and their environment.
That is why detox centres such as CITA Clinics are important; they offer effective treatments to counteract negative behaviours of all kinds: sexual addictions, addictions to gambling, video games, shopping, internet or mobile phones. Find out more about how you can tackle these new addictions below.
What are behavioural addictions?
Before exploring what behavioural addictions are, it is important to define what a behaviour is. “Behaviour or conduct is, in terms of psychology, the set of responses, either by presence or absence, that a living being presents in relation to its environment or world of stimuli. It can be conscious or unconscious, voluntary or involuntary”.
Therefore, the term “behavioural addictions” refers to recurrent behaviours that a person has towards a specific activity, and which share characteristics with drug or alcohol addictions. In other words, they are habits that, although they do not have a direct negative effect on the individual’s health, have detrimental repercussions in other respects.
For example, behavioural addictions, as they are also known, negatively affect the mental and emotional aspect of the patient. In many cases they also have negative effects on social interaction, personal finances, among others.
What are the effects of behavioural addictions?
We could say that behavioural addictions have the same pattern as those addictions to chemical substances, i.e. increasingly frequent repetition of the behaviour in order to achieve an increasingly complicated satisfaction. And they produce dependence, withdrawal and tolerance.
What are the causes of this type of addiction?
The causes can be many, as many as the personal and social characteristics surrounding you, but there are usually three different factors that lead to addiction:
- Individual risk factors: those that affect the person without the external influence of the environment.
- Personal risk factors: aspects of the personality that can be influenced by the environment in which they are socialised.
- Influence of micro-groups and social contact: everything that is related to the social group.
The important thing to be aware of is that there is no single factor that triggers a behavioural addiction; there are several, and several of them must come together (or not) for a disorder to develop.
What types of behavioural addictions are there?
Some of the behavioural addictions that exist are:
- Pathological gambling
- Video games
- Sex
- Shopping
- Internet
- Mobile
- Social networks
All of them have one element in common, and that is the fact of satisfying needs that are seen as a priority, without being so; or even if they are, an obsession is reached quickly and obstructively.
What is behavioural addiction treatment?
Behavioural addiction treatments, like those used to treat drug addiction, do not have a single method. Depending on the type of addiction and the patient’s profile, the centre or professional in charge must develop a system that is effective. However, all treatments for behavioural addictions usually have a part focused on behavioural therapy and a part focused on the use of medication.
Initially, the most important thing is to start the detoxification process in which the patient will be deprived of the habits he or she is compulsively doing. Then comes the psychological treatment, which is usually the most commonly used to help the affected person to identify, avoid and cope with the patterns that may reactivate these new addictions.
The next part of behavioural addiction treatment involves medications; these act as reinforcers to neutralise effects or symptoms that may lead to relapse. They are generally used to control symptoms of anxiety, mood disturbances, high impulsivity, obsessive thoughts, among other effects.
What kind of drugs are used for the treatment of behavioural addictions?
Although there are no specific medications to treat these new addictions, centres and professionals employ certain drugs in the treatment of behavioural addictions. Naltrexone is one of them, this drug is commonly used to block opioid receptors, such as heroin or morphine, and also to help prevent relapse in cases of alcohol addictions.
This drug has been shown to be effective in the treatment of gambling addiction and kleptomania. Studies have also been published showing that naltrexone is a good ally against sexual addiction and excessive internet use. This is because opioid receptors behave in a similar way in behavioural addiction as they do when addicted to a psychoactive substance.
Other medications that have been shown to be effective in the treatment of behavioural addictions are those that alter activity in glutamatergic neurons. Topiramate or N-acetylcysteine help regulate dopamine levels in these neurons, which affects the reward system and helps overcome addiction. For internet addiction, studies have been conducted using antidepressants as part of the treatment of patients, but the results are inconclusive.
Considering that these are new addictions, it is not surprising that further advances in the development of therapeutic and pharmaceutical treatment options are still needed.
What is the best behavioural therapy for addictions?
Behavioural addiction treatment consists of behavioural therapies that can be either outpatient or inpatient. These therapies help to understand, cope with and control the conditioned stimuli that can trigger the return of addiction. The objectives of these therapies are:
- Control spending.
- Plan consumption habits to which the patient must adhere.
- Strengthen relationships with family and friends that do not encourage compulsive behaviour.
- Identify risk situations.
Underestimating behavioural addictions is a mistake that many people make. This pathology can lead to serious problems if it is not treated in time. Fortunately, CITA Clinics and its health professionals have developed behavioural addiction treatments that are effective.
Our services have the quality you would expect from a behavioural addiction treatment centre, and focus on treating addictions to video games, gambling, sex, shopping, internet, mobile phones and social media. Think you need help? Trust the experts at CITA Clinics and start living the life you deserve.
Let us help you take the first step
What do they think of us?
What do they think about our detox centre?
Mención especial a Marta cuchet que aún lucha conmigo por salvarme la vida de esta enfermedad. No hay palabras para describir lo que hace y ha hecho por mi.
Y también quería comentar la profesionalidad de Anaís y su ética a la hora de no cometer intrusismo como en otros centros.
Ya puede valorar gerencia los profesionales que tiene porque gente así hay poca.
Eternamente agradecido.
Denis y Mercedes.
Pero no puedo escribir esta reseña sin mencionar a las verdaderas guardianas del día a día: las chicas de recepción. Siempre con una sonrisa, un gesto amable o una palabra de ánimo cuando más lo necesitas. Y muy especialmente Pepi, que es luz pura. Gracias por tu calidez, por tu paciencia y por hacer que uno se sienta en casa desde el primer día.
También me llevo mucho de mis compañeros. Personas increíbles con las que he compartido risas, lágrimas y momentos de verdad. En CITA he aprendido que no estamos solos, y que pedir ayuda es un acto de valentía.
Gracias por acompañarme en este renacer. No olvidaré esta etapa ni a quienes la habéis hecho posible
Los profesionales y la comunidad han ayudado a mi hermano en todo el proceso de desintoxicación y ahora seguirá vía on line con su psicóloga.
Estoy súper agradecida de ♥️
Tengo de vuelta a mi verdadero hermano.
Magníficos profesionales que te ayudarán durante tu estancia y después de ella.
Un remanso de paz que irá apareciendo de forma más y más clara, si te comprometes contigo mismo.
Why CITA Clinics?
Addiction treatment in Barcelona and with the best collaborating detoxification centres in Spain and Europe.
Professionals with more than 40 years of experience
Coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
We apply the latest advances in neuroscience
All pets are welcome