If you’re being totally honest with yourself, you must admit that you’re an addict - we all are. You don’t smoke or drink alcohol? Oh, well, you must be addicted to something else: your family, your partner, your kids, love or religion - the list goes on. The truth is no of us are free from addictions. So let’s see what your weakness is

1. The outlaws

Outlaws are people who secretly enjoy breaking the law: they enjoy letting the steam off with illegal substances every now and again. Recreational drug use is not that dangerous after all, right? Who wouldn’t want to enjoy a little somethin’ somethin’ after a long day at work, just to get the party started… Of curse, outlaws are not addicts, they could stop any time they wanted to. But you know... All that adrenalin rush that comes with using and getting your hands on that next dose just makes it even more exciting. Outlaws live in denial and they have excuses for everything. They usually have very few friends due to their hobbies and the friends they have just make it even worse. Is there a way out? Maybe, maybe not… People who tend to ignore laws and regulations and believe that they know better will always find a way to justify their actions.

2. The chainsmokers

The tobacco industry is still going strong, it is the most successful business to this day. Despite becoming increasingly restricted, smoking is still widely popular and people seem to always have the means to purchase cigarettes. Just look around when you walk through a crowded area and you’ll see that even members of the lower social classes do smoke a lot, not to mention all those youngsters smoking in front of those hip pubs - they smoke for smoking is cool. But you can barely make your way to the entrance of huge companies for businessmen are no better, they just go for more expensive products and look at cigarettes as status symbols. Everyone smokes: men, women, the rich, the poor, the young and the elderly and, even though there are no known health benefits to smoking, prohibiting it would be impossible. It’s a displacement activity, a conversation starter, a stress reliever, it’s sexy, it’s cool, it’s bohemian - who could resist?

3. The drinkers

According to the World Health Organization, as of 2o1o there were 2o8 million people dealing with alcoholism worldwide and the this number has been increasing ever since then. But do we really consider a person alcoholic if they drink every single day? What about those who, though do not drink daily, like to get drunk occasionally (even 3 or 4 times a week) and might consume more alcohol than those who start their day with a shot or two? Young adults seem to be the most hard core players, they tend to drink until they drop - but who can blame them? A party is a party, after all. And having fun is good, amiright? You really need to be tough to keep up: the night starts with a shopping trip to the liquor store then continues at someone’s apartment or at the park and once you’re out of booze, you go to a pub ( a bit more expensive but at least there are other people around) and then you find a club (but you must be drunk enough already for it’s very costly to get drunk in a bar). Then you somehow find your way home in the morning and you spend the next day with the worst hangover ever… Sounds familiar? Well, let’s be honest, most of us have been there… But how is it different from sitting in a local pub all day in some little village in the middle of nowhere?

4. The codependents

Relationships are always complicated and so is our relationship with our family. Our family is our refuge. Even if they are a bit crazy, disorganized or loud, we would not exist without them so we usually respect and love our parents, grandparents, siblings and other relatives. And that’s the way it should be. But when it comes to boundaries and emotional blackmail, we might find that dealing with family is a tricky business. A lot of women struggle with their partner’s disturbingly close relationship with his parents but I’m sure it’s true vice versa. My personal opinion is that people who find it hard to be independent usually have trouble trusting their partners - and the root of that is self-doubt. Our family usually loves and accepts us the way we are, we don’t feel like we need to change in order to be loved unconditionally and they are always there for us. But couldn’t it be true for our partner? Maybe…

5. The lovers

Love addicts have two types: there are those who suffer from severe relationship addiction and those who are addicted to adventures. Relationship addicts are people who only feel good if they are in a relationship with somebody - even if it’s not a particularly good relationship. They are devoted and loving caretakers who would do anything for the idea of love. Adventurers desire love and acceptance just the same but they are fine with temporary solutions. They go from person to person, they conquer and leave many. Surprisingly enough, there are more and more women suffering from this. And as alcoholics dread the day after, adventurers dread going to bed alone. Society is quite quick to judge these people but if you really think about it, there are huge walls around them keeping them from emotional intimacy. But it’s like any other addiction and there’s a way out.

6. The believers

There’s a never ending list of all the addictions out there but the last one I wanted to discuss was zealous believers who find refuge in religion in order to hide from the facts. Their faith in God and their religious community provides them with a kind of security they couldn’t find themselves. They believe in the idea of a better future and it helps them go through life. They don’t believe in themselves but they choose to believe in somebody who will take care of them forever so they live peacefully and in harmony. So what’s wrong with being a believer? Often times believers do not believe in themselves and in their own abilities to achieve things and when tragedy strikes, instead of dealing with things as they are, they hope in resurrection. But can we escape from reality? Can we avoid taking responsibility and facing the facts forever?

This list was put together with the intention of giving you, my dear reader, the chance to see yourself clearly and change for the better. For you are worth it.

• addicts addtiction health

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