What are Addictive Behaviours?
Addictive behaviours are actions that individuals repeatedly engage in, despite negative consequences, and which they struggle to control or stop. These behaviours can be related to substance use (like drugs or alcohol) or be behavioral.
Types of Addictive Behaviours
Substance Use Disorders:
These involve the compulsive use of substances such as alcohol, nicotine, or drugs.
Behavioral Addictions (Process Addictions):
These involve compulsive engagement in activities that can be rewarding or reinforcing, but which individuals struggle to control.
Examples include:
- Gambling: Inability to stop gambling despite financial, social, or personal problems.
- Gaming: Excessive gaming that interferes with work, school, or relationships.
- Internet Use: Compulsive use of the internet that negatively impacts daily life.
- Sex/Pornography: Compulsive engagement in sexual activity or pornography use that causes problems in relationships or other areas.
- Eating: Compulsive eating patterns that lead to health problems.
- Shopping: Compulsive shopping behaviors that result in financial difficulties.
- Exercise: Excessive exercise that leads to injury or health problems.
Key Characteristics of Addictive Behaviours
A strong urge or compulsion to engage in the behavior, even when it's causing harm.
Difficulty stopping or reducing the behavior, even when the individual wants to.
The behavior leads to problems in various areas of life, such as relationships, work, or finances.
The individual spends a significant amount of time thinking about the behavior or planning when they can engage in it.
The need to engage in the behavior more frequently or intensely to achieve the same level of satisfaction.
Experiencing negative physical or psychological symptoms when the behavior is stopped.
Distinguishing Addiction from Problematic Behaviour
While many activities can be enjoyed in moderation, addictive behaviours are characterised by a compulsive and uncontrollable nature, leading to negative consequences that the individual struggles to address. It's important to seek help if you or someone you know is struggling with addictive behaviours.
Alcohol Harm Reduction
Alcohol acts as a depressant, slowing down brain activity and affecting judgment, behaviour, and self-control.
Drug Harm Reduction
Drugs are a substance that can affect your physical and mental state. People use drugs for a variety of reasons, including: to experience pleasure or euphoria, to cope with stress, pain, or trauma, to enhance performance, to fit in with a social group, or to self-medicate for mental health conditions. The reasons are complex and multifaceted, often involving a combination of factors.
Some drugs, like alcohol, cannabis, and MDMA, are used to create effects such as a feeling of euphoria or to enhance their social ability.
Drugs can be used to numb emotional pain, relieve stress, or escape difficult situations. This can include using drugs to deal with trauma, anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. This can feel like it’s helping you in the short term but can mask difficult emotions that you may need to overcome.
Peer pressure and the desire to fit in can lead people to experiment with drugs, particularly in social settings or among certain groups.
Some drugs, like stimulants, are used to improve focus, alertness, or physical performance.
Drugs are sometimes used to manage symptoms of mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD, without proper medical supervision. However it can cause the opposite effect and can often exacerbate negative symptoms.
In some cases, drug use can lead to addiction. It's important to note that drug use can have serious physical, psychological, and social consequences, and seeking professional help is crucial for those struggling with substance abuse.
Dublin City University (DCU) and DCU Students’ Union are committed to supporting the health, wellbeing and safety of all our students. This includes aiming to reduce harms associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs within our University Community.
The safest approach for individuals is to consume alcohol below the national weekly low-risk guidelines, and to not take illegal drugs, but we acknowledge that not all students will take this advice. The University has therefore adopted a harm reduction approach, rather than a zero-tolerance approach, while supporting students to reduce potential harms from alcohol and/or drug consumption. This approach encourages safe and confidential disclosure of concerns around substance use when seeking support in the University.
Our actions aim to:
- discourage the harmful use of alcohol and other drugs
- educate students on the effects and risks associated with them
- highlight the support available to students who are struggling with alcohol or drug use.
The harm reduction approach is in line with the HSE approach to drugs and alcohol use ‘Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery’ and encouraged internationally through bodies such as the World Health Organisation.
If you are concerned about your (or a fellow student’s) alcohol or drug use, or would like more information, please contact the Counselling & Personal Development Service or the Student Health Centre. Both services are confidential.
Read the full DCU Student Alcohol & Drugs Policy.
Other useful resources include:
Drug trend updates and warnings
National Drug and Alcohol Helpline: 1800 459 459 The helpline offers information, support and referrals to anyone with a concern or query relating to alcohol and drugs.
The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am and 5.30pm.
Drugs.ie - hosts Drug and Alcohol Information and Support and national support services. They also have a free, Confidential Live Chat.
Gaming and Social Media
Gaming addiction (also known as internet gaming disorder) and social media addiction are both behavioural addictions characterized by excessive and compulsive use of these platforms.
Gaming Addiction (Internet Gaming Disorder)
Gaming addiction is a condition where an individual experiences severely reduced control over their gaming habits. This can involve gaming on the internet or any electronic device, though online gaming is frequently associated with more significant issues.
Social Media Addiction
Social media addiction is a compulsive and uncontrollable need to be connected to social media platforms, leading to significant interference in a person's daily life and overall wellbeing.
Sex and Porn Addiction
Sex addiction, or compulsive sexual behaviour, is described as an excessive and uncontrollable engagement in sexual activities, thoughts, and urges, despite experiencing negative consequences.
Porn addiction refers to a pattern of compulsive and excessive viewing of pornography that significantly interferes with a person's daily life, relationships, and wellbeing.
If you require support please contact our DCU Counselling and Personal Development Service.
Alternatively Sexaholics Anonymous also provides support and resources.
Smoking & Vaping
DCU follows the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland programme 2022, which aims to reduce the number of people in Ireland who smoke. We understand that quitting smoking/vaping is no small task and requires a lot of will-power. We want to support you through this challenge so that you can ensure a healthier future for yourself.
Quit.ie - The quit website will give you the reasons to quit smoking, will provide you with useful advice to help you quit, and can recommend different nicotine replacements that you may need initially after quitting. If you would like to speak to someone about quitting, they have a team of advisors ready to help you.
Visit our Counselling and Personal Development Service to check counselling availability.
Addictive Behaviours DEVELOP Resources
Access resources for managing alcohol and nicotine usage.