Yes, there are surprising addictions too besides the commonly known addictions like gambling and alcohol. The word “addiction” generally indicates binge drinking, heavy smoking and regular abuse of recreational drugs. But surprisingly there are various other habits, activities, behaviors, and even beauty products that can result in addictions.
Anything that can significantly alter your mood can become an addiction. It generally begins as a self-medication to let you easily forget something or someone or even managing pain. These addictions become something you believe you can’t really live without and may make you indulge in them quite often. Read on to know 15 surprising addictions, that may tickle your brain and make you keep wondering about them. There are chances you may have one or more of these surprising addictions too.
15 Surprising Activities That You Didn’t Think Were Actually Addictive
Certain day to day activities, behaviors or activities may seem normal to you but these may become addictions when indulged in repeatedly. Well, all of these surprising addictions also partly have a considerable effect on your life. Let’s talk about these surprising addictions and know if you have any of these addictions.
#1 Video Games:
Video game addiction (VGA) is now considered a behavioral addiction that is characterized by compulsive or excessive use of video or computer games such that it starts interfering with a person’s life. Video game addiction might involve social isolation, compulsive gaming, mood swings, reduced imagination, and too much focus on their game scores and achievements.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently considered Video game addiction as an official mental disorder. [1]
#2 Moisturizers:
If you moisturize your skin more than two times a day, you should quit it. Turns out, frequent moisturization is actually counterintuitive, and might make your skin addicted to the moisturizers. By applying a false protective barrier from the environment, your skin might not work as hard as it normally should to maintain the sufficient hydration levels. If you take off the moisturizer rather soon, your skin may become dry and eventually inflamed.
#3 Plastic surgery:
Plastic surgery is one of the surprising addictions. People often come to get Botox and then notice how well the wrinkles and fine lines have smoothened out. They then go on asking for any plastic surgery to remove minute lines due to expressions. This ends up in series of successive plastic surgeries or antiaging techniques. Other surprising addictions include facial fillers, particularly in the cheeks, lips and liposuction.
#4 Shopping:
If you are always ready for some retail therapy, take this warning seriously. Turns out that multiple reasons can make you become addicted to shopping. Few shopping addicts indulge in shopping specially to feel better about themselves or to feel bit more secure. Shopping also significantly helps in soothing oneself, to feel lot more in control or to fill out an internal void. Well, shopping is so good, it is very difficult not to shop for those heels or that beautiful watch.
#5 Tattoos:
Around 45 million U.S. citizens have minimum one tattoo. Out of these people, around 32 % accept that they are actually addicted to getting inked. Well here, how somebody thinks about his or her body affects your body. If a person believes that tattoos can possibly people’s perception regarding them, or people will be impressed, boost their self-esteem; they will get themselves inked. Undeniably, this is one of the most surprising addictions.
#6 Tanning:
Tanning addiction is becoming increasingly common, especially among young people aged between 18 and 30. A latest study has concluded that almost one in every five young white woman who used a tanning bed in last one year has showed significant signs of developing dependency on that. Let’s learn how bad is this artificial tanning? More than a staggering 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. every year are associated with indoor tanning, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. [2]. Extremes of addictions, isn’t it?
#7 Online Dating:
Like it is easy to find out a suitable date by swiping left or right, it is also easy to learn how online dating can also be addictive. People become addicted to the online dating as most of us have fantasies of finding out a perfect mate who will rescue, change or considerably improve our lives. As per a report, people keep checking for their potential matches, in hope of finding that ever lasting love for more than 20 times each day.
#8 Smartphones:
Your smartphone is your world and you know this too. You keep your phone with you all the time and make sure to check it in a few minutes. You never keep it away while you are awake because you can’t miss what it has to offer. You might unknowingly ignore the people you are around, just to catch that text or an amazing post from someone who lives miles away. Indeed, one of the most common yet surprising addictions.
#9 Caffeine:
Do you want your coffee first thing in the morning, for that jolt of caffeine? Now this is not an addiction, but if ever you try to eliminate it from your life may and that leaves you anxious or a serious headache. That is known as caffiene withdrawal. All these can’t live without coffee feels, may indicate that you are really addicted to caffeine.
#10 Exercise:
A great workout could really help in getting over various addictions, unless you don’t get hooked onto exercising itself. Exercise generally speeds up your recovery. But you must be able to say “no” the activity if you are sick or injured. Few people get addicted to exercise itself and can’t say no to this runner’s high ever. For them, a day without moderate to extreme exercise is a day lost.
#11 Social Media:
Do you check out your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter account multiple times in just a few hours or between every free time you get from work? Recent studies have revealed that you may be among those 10% of the total social media users who are really hooked. Somehow the social posts affect your brain in a similar manner as that the cocaine does. Sharing your personal details with others leads to a rush of positive feelings making you want more of this.
#12 Sex:
Do you find yourself wondering about sex, indulging in sex or watching porn? Doing sex more often, enjoying less, and taking too much risks to get it? Might be you have a rather strong sexual drive. But yes, there may be more going on here. Now sexual compulsive sexual behavior is now an official disorder. And, this could seriously have an impact on your relationships, work and various other aspects of life.
#13 Chocolate and Sweets:
Sometimes you feel like having something sweet. And you might not be able to stop this urge without gorging something sweet. Foods that are high in carbohydrates, calories, fats and sugar may affect your brain similarly as drugs do. Costuming milkshake occasionally doesn’t indicate that you are hooked. But craving for sweets all the time, may get rather out of control and result in various health problems.
#14 Teeth Whitening:
You may use whitening strips regularly to get rid of those pesky red wine and tea stains. But if you are doing in to the extreme limits, you might be addicted to teeth whitening. Bleachorexia indicates that you are addicted to bleaching your teeth. Overuse of various teeth whitening products like strips, lasers, rinses, gels or pastes may lead to noticeable tooth pain, sensitivity, gum irritation, and in certain cases, weakened enamel. In worst cases, these products strip off the tooth enamel causing significantly transparent teeth. Not a great addiction to have, seriously.
#15 Chapstick or Lip Balm:
If you have ever been with a friend who has applied and then reapplied lipbalm or a chapstick repeatedly, he or she might be addicted to the chapstick. Well, literally! Ingredients in some beauty products might end up being extremely drying, that makes you feel like reapplying it in a vicious cycle. The person may have become habitual to that textural feeling on their lips and that might have made them addicted to it. Whenever they don’t have this product on, they would definitely feel that something is missing.
Conclusion
There are certain surprising addictions that you might not be aware of. If you or your loved one has an addiction, there are several ways out with proper medical intervention. You must talk to your doctor or therapist if you have any of these above-mentioned addictions.
Did you enjoy reading our article? Do you have any of these surprising addictions. Leave your recommendations, advices and feedback in the comments section below. We look forward to sharing more information on surprising addictions with you very soon. Keep checking this space out for more on these addictions.
