Ants that become monsters

Mention addiction to anyone and they immediately assume you are talking about drugs. But as Gihan Shahine found out, addiction is very much a personal thing and the possibilities are endless
It was all very gradual. Ahmed started using the Internet last year, first spending a couple of hours daily exploring the web. He then proceeded to spend four hours, then six, eight or an entire evening glued to the screen. Today, Ahmed has no time to call friends (he would rather e-mail them), go out, receive guests, or do anything in his leisure time other than "browsing, browsing and even more browsing." He stays up late at night and sacrifices his weekends, sitting at his computer, chatting, playing games and exploring new Web sites.
"It started when I was in the United States and since then, I have been hooked on the net. I just cannot quit." What does he call this growing fascination? "Addiction, perhaps," Ahmed answers jokingly.
It is no joke, though. "Addiction is not only about substance-abuse," cautions Jawad Fatayer, social psychology lecturer at American University in Cairo and consultant on behaviour disorders. Anything from drugs and alcohol to food, work, sex, gambling, smoking and the Internet can be addictive, Fatayer says.
Fatayer defines addiction as "a pathological dependent passion between a human being and an addictive object, be it an event or a tangible thing." But what makes an event or a thing addictive? Dr Adel Sadeq, professor of psychiatry at Ain Shams University, puts it this way: "Whatever is pleasurable can be addictive, because [pleasure] induces the secretion of endorphins in the brain."
"It is an individual variation," Sadeq explains. "It depends on who that person is and what he needs and likes. It could also be linked to a certain deprivation in childhood or a hormonal imbalance. Anyone, though, is a potential addict: we as humans are inclined to seek pleasure and happiness."
Traditionally, addiction centres on either addictive or non-addictive substances. According to Dr Ahmed Okasha, professor of psychiatry at Ain Shams University and president of the Egyptian Psychiatric Association, addictive substances include alcohol, opium, heroine, cocaine, hypnotics, tranquilisers, hashish, marijuana, nicotine (cigarettes) and caffeine (tea, coffee and cola). People can also develop a physical dependency on non-addictive substances such as vitamins, laxatives and anti-rheumatic drugs.
Recently, psychiatrists and experts on behaviour disorders have become acquainted with what they call "behavioural addiction."
"Aerobics, for instance, has been proven addictive," Okasha says. "Exercising increases the relaxing neuro-transmitters in the brain, elevating the mood. Those addicted to aerobics feel depressed, irritable and unable to function if they do not exercise. In the States, cardiac patients [still addicted to aerobics] continue to exercise, jogging behind their wives' backs, despite the health hazard."
How, then, can the Internet be addictive and when do we know that we have crossed the line from average net users to hard-core net addicts? The few studies examining Internet addiction disagree on a single definition for this problem and vary widely on how many hours online constitutes addiction.
According to Okasha, people spending two to three hours a day browsing the net are potential addicts. Internet addicts can be nervous, sometimes violent, when away from their computers. And the hours they spend browsing increase over time, gradually absorbing them completely and dissociating them from society. It is therefore not recommended to use the Internet for more than a couple of hours daily, Okasha warns.
Many psychologists argue that computers and the Internet have recently become a new way to escape the pressures of life, to release stress and anger, or share intimate feelings and establish "friendships" with faceless strangers.
In his Insider's Guide to Mental Health Resources, John M Grohol, a psychologist, online expert and researcher, explains: "What most people online who think they are addicted are probably suffering from is the desire to not want to deal with other problems in their lives. Those problems may be mental disorder (depression, anxiety, etc), a serious health problem or disability or a relationship problem. It is no different than turning on the TV so you won't have to talk to your spouse, or going 'out with the boys' for a few drinks so you don't have to spend time at home."
"This is not to say that all Internet use is bad," Fatayer notes. "But those suffering emotional or relationship problems, or those too shy, socially unskilled, insecure and unconfident, can fall into the trap of preferring virtual to real interaction." Students, Fatayer adds, spend entire nights chatting and playing games when they should be studying; a husband spends more time online with chat-room acquaintances than with his wife and a woman no longer feels the need to see her friends.
But again, Grohol argues, should we characterise any time spent in the real world with friends as "addicting"? Teenagers, Grohol explains, talk on the phone for hours on end everyday. Are they addicted to the telephone? People lose hours at a time immersed in a book, ignoring friends and family, and often not picking up the phone when it rings. Are they addicted to the book? For Grohol the answer is "Of course not."
Fatayer disagrees. In his book A Life in Crisis, Fatayer classifies addiction into three categories: the first (A) includes tobacco and food and works only on the body. This type of addiction can lead to problems such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, hypertension or hyperactivity. The second type (B), that of alcohol and drugs, works on both the body and the mind. The third (C) works only on the mind: work; sex or pornography; computer games, the Internet or television; spending money, stealing and gambling all fall into this category. There are no physical withdrawal symptoms here, but mental effects such as tension, aggression and depression.
Type C addictions tend to be the least discussed and the least likely to come to light. They are the most difficult to detect and measure, as they do not have the easily observed symptoms and typical consequences of the other two types.
"Most experts focus on substance abuse as the only type of addiction, which is a major mistake," Fatayer laments. "All types of addiction can be equally dangerous and destructive."
The latter argument, however, is far from universal in the scientific community. "There has been no scientific evidence as to the damage behavioural addiction can cause," Okasha says, pointing out that "nobody, for example, would steal to browse the Internet, as is the case with substance abuse."
Fatayer insists that all types of addiction can ruin the lives of addicts and their loved ones. The gambler, he says, acts the same way as a heroine addict -- either one is capable of selling his or her house to support their addiction. Workaholics, Fatayer explains, work at the cost of everything else in their lives: family, friends and their own health. Does that mean we should not devote ourselves to work, sport or any other hobby?
"Devotion to a good habit entails mainly positive consequences and a balanced state, but addiction to sports means a person could lose his job for the sake of working out," Fatayer points out.
Food addiction can be equally destructive to substance abuse, according to Fatayer. Bulimia and anorexia can be fatal, while someone addicted to sweets is unable to quit eating chocolate even though he or she is diabetic or obese. Food addicts have withdrawal symptoms when quitting their favourite foods.
"Addiction is indeed very powerful: it's like an ant that crawls gradually into our lives and grows into a monster," Fatayer maintains. "It is an attempt to reach happiness, control and harmony within oneself and the world through artificial means, a passion that kills."
Addicts seek what they see as harmony -- the high, moments of joy produced by the addictive cycle -- but end up in chaos. "Addiction is very costly," Fatayer says. Addiction consumes both time and money. Addicts sacrifice their savings, their entire family, their loved ones, their future and prestige, whatever they own, for the sake of their addiction. And there are those who die daily around the world from overdoses or accidents related to addiction, according to Fatayer. The health consequences are enormous, especially in terms of mental health. The person's mental capacity is put on hold. The addict does not feel right or think straight, suffering worries, anxiety, pain and depression -- as do his or her loved ones. The addict often loses relationships with others, the sources of love, support and friendship.
"Those suffering from depression or anxiety should seek professional help rather than rely on an artificial leg to walk on," Fatayer says. "Addiction is a crisis in life and a life in crisis."
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