Dubai
Are you a shopaholic? Are you unable to go a few minutes without checking your phone or a few hours without drinking a cup of coffee? If you answered yes, you may have an addiction.
Addiction can occur in many forms. According to the US-based American Addiction Centre, a person can experience behavioural addiction. Individuals may find the behaviour rewarding psychologically, but may later feel guilty for indulging.
Similar to drug or alcohol addictions, people with behavioural addictions are unable to stop engaging in the activity without intervention. They could struggle with mental or physical health issues as a consequence of the inability to stop.
Samama Reza, a student based in Ajman, has witnessed an extreme addiction in her own family. Her 13-year-old cousin, who lives in Bangladesh, cannot go even a few minutes without her tablet. When her mother tried to take it away, the pupil tried to kill herself.
Reza said: “The father lives and works in Dubai, while the mother also has a full-time job. My cousin is home alone most of the time, especially during the summer break. When her father gifted her a tablet, it became her only source of entertainment and she became addicted.”
According to a global study conducted by the US-based International Centre for Media and the Public Agenda, students addicted to technology can develop symptoms typically seen in smokers attempting to give up or someone trying to break a hard drug habit. The research, titled ‘The World Unplugged’, also found that they could experience emotions such as confusion, restlessness, panic, anger and even depression, if the device was taken away from them.
Such was the case with Reza’s cousin. One day, when she refused to put the tablet away, her mother snatched it. As a result, the young girl locked herself in her room and was planning to hang herself. In another instance, she refused to eat or drink anything until her tablet was returned to her. Her parents sought professional help and visited a psychiatrist, but the results weren’t very reassuring.
Reza said: “The doctor informed my aunt and uncle that she should be allowed to use the tablet. Taking it away suddenly would result in a negative reaction. The habit has to be broken slowly.”
With technology comes social media, and according to a study published in the US-based Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, many social media users experience addiction-like symptoms as a consequence of their excessive use.
Briti Sha, a public relations executive based in Dubai, lives with this form of addiction. She feels the need to check her social media accounts every five minutes. With at least 1,000 friends on her Facebook account alone, Sha wants to stay constantly updated about their lives.
She said: “I scroll through my timeline to see everyone’s updates. A lot does not change in five minutes, but I still have to check. My friends take my phone away when I’m out with them, because I will still be checking social media.”
When asked if she has tried to tackle her addiction, she laughed and admitted to trying to look for an app that would tell her how many times she checks her phone in a day. She said: “That would be helpful and may stop me from looking at it constantly.”
Felix Gitonga, a security personnel based in Dubai, is in a similar situation. But, he claims he is using social media to get updates about his home country, Kenya.
He said: “I follow many bloggers who write true stories about my country. But, some of them are false. And so, I end up spending a lot of time online trying to explain that to others.”
He has more than 4,500 friends on Facebook alone and he also continues to check social media while in the company of his friends.
He added: “From the time I wake up, to the time I sleep, I am online.”
Technology addiction isn’t always easy to recognise, as most of us are constantly connected, whether it is for work or personal reasons. But, this same technology has made shopping extremely accessible and convenient.
According to a study conducted by Norway-based University of Bergen, the symptoms of shopping addiction are also similar to those of drug addiction or alcoholism.
Nishi Sharma, a homemaker based in Dubai, refers to herself as an “informed addict”. Well aware of her addiction to shopping, Sharma says she doesn’t know how to stop.
She said: “I go shopping very often, at least thrice a week. If I like something, I will buy it without looking at the price. While I’m at a store, I will try on things just because I have to buy something — not because I need it.”
She blames her condition on the fact that she doesn’t have much to do. As the mum of a teenager, she says her responsibilities have reduced and to kill time, she shops.
She said: “Like any other addict, I find excuses to indulge. If my husband wants to eat out, I will skip the meal and tell him that I could use the money spent on food to buy something instead. Even in this heat, I walk to the mall nearby, so I can save on the taxi fare and shop with that money.”
She confesses to having tried to quit the habit many times, but has been unsuccessful.
Similar to technology and shopping, caffeine is chemically addictive. A study published in the US-based The Journal of the American Medical Association states that “caffeine addicts may try to give up their coffee, tea or cola habit but usually cannot, even when it threatens their health”.
Such was the case for Ghulam Rasool’s boss.
The sales manager, based in Dubai, told Gulf News: “He used to drink around 10 cups of espresso just at work. Perhaps he had more after he went home. But, the habit eventually threatened his health, to the extent where he had to undergo open-heart surgery in February this year.”
Even after undergoing treatment, he hasn’t been able to cut the caffeine addiction entirely. Now, he consumes around five cups of espresso in a day, despite his doctors telling him not to.
Rasool said: “I don’t know what is going on in his mind. Maybe he is under a lot of stress, especially to do with the business. So, he used to consume all that coffee and smoke a lot, too.”
While many people assume that an addiction is the dependence on harmful substances, such as drugs or alcohol, many international studies are now raising concern over excessive dependence or attachment to objects that are not seen as a threat. Do you have an addiction?
