The treatment industry is always trying to find new ways to fight against addiction. New recovery strategies are developed, new medications are researched to help deal with cravings, and so on. In general, our scientists and medical professionals are doing what they can to help reduce addiction and help addicts to find recovery.
However, some addictions are probably only going to get worse as time goes on. One thing that I noticed as I put this article together is that most addictions that are going to get worse in the future are due to simple economics. In almost all cases, the driver of future addictions in our world are based on companies making money due to new types of addictions.
As a business model, it is pretty hard to beat addiction. Just look at the enormous wealth of tobacco companies. Recurring income based on addiction is very powerful from an economic standpoint.
Just something to keep in mind when we examine the potential future addictions of the world. Money tends to be the driver in most (if not all) cases.
1. Social media / Facebook addiction
Why is it going to get worse?
Right now there are approximately 350 million people who are potentially addicted to Facebook and use it so much that it is negatively impacting their lives. Think about how great of a change this is in comparison to the way the world existed only 10 years ago.
There are a couple of other reasons why social media addiction is probably set to get worse before it gets better:
* New social networks being developed are going to be targeted at younger and younger people to help insure long term growth and sustainability.
* Technology is enabling increased “screen time” and things like ipods and smartphones are enabling people to be constantly connected and “plugged in.”
* Social network companies (such as Facebook) are learning how better to increase on-site time and repeat visits by setting up better reward systems to better keep users addicted to their services. In an ad supported world, having millions of users spend a few extra minutes on your website each day can translate into millions of dollars per year in revenue. So they are constantly learning and testing new methods of keeping people hooked on their site.
2. Electronic gadget addiction / screen time
photo credit: xdxd_vs_xdxd
Why is it going to get worse?
Miniaturization of technology is the main driver of many “future addictions.” Most people in the modern world already spend over 8 hours every day in front of a screen of some sort. Again, compare this to a decade ago, or two decades ago, etc.
Not only is it advancing technology that will drive this increase in screen time, but it is also cost. A smartphone that can text and browse the web now costs half of what it did only 8 months ago. So it is not just advancing technology that is driving this, but cheaper and more accessible technology.
People are more wired, connected, plugged in, and glued to their screens of all sizes more than ever before. And it seems to be getting worse, cheaper, and more accessible. Laptops used to cost a thousand dollars and weigh over 5 pounds. In a few years, could we not expect grade school children to have sub-100 dollar laptops that weigh less than 2 pounds? Why not?
Right now, 3 year olds can navigate an Apple iPad just as well as senior citizens can. We are training an army of infant screen tappers to embrace technology before they can even ride a bike.
It is hard to predict the long range effects of something like this. Take children and even infants who are averaging 8 hours per day in front of electronic screens and let them grow up while maintaining or even increasing that 8 hours of screen time. “Addiction” may turn out to be a bit of an understatement….
3. Video game addiction
photo credit: Tom Raftery
Why is it going to get worse?
Addictions to video games are going to get worse because the people who profit from game players are still learning how to maximize their profits and make more money. The industry is still quite young and they are only now getting to the point where they are starting to master basic reward systems.
People play video games for the rewards. They don’t do it for nothing, they want to have fun. They want to be rewarded for playing the game. And game manufacturers are still learning how best to devise systems of rewards that keep people coming back for more.
Consider a game like World of Warcraft, where millions of players worldwide pay a 15 dollar subscription fee each month in order to keep playing an addictive game. The owners of that business have a strong economic incentive to create a more addictive game.
The video game industry is quite young. We are only seeing the start of potential gaming addiction. As game makers get better at drip feeding rewards to gamers, we are going to see an increase in gaming addiction over time.
4. Junk food addiction
Why is it going to get worse?
Addiction to junk food is going to get worse simply as a function of technology. History has shown us that food manufacturers will sacrifice health and nutritional value in order to increase taste and shelf life (which ultimately increases profits). Perhaps the best example of this is the development of trans fats. If you have ever sat down and started eating a can of iced frosting with a spoon, then you know how delicious trans fats actually taste. Couple that with a near infinite shelf life, and you have a very profitable product.
Major food corporations like Kraft food spend millions each year on research and development. If they tend to favor products that are addictive in nature this will only increase their bottom line. They are constantly testing and refining in order to develop the best taste, texture, and so on. New research combined with new technologies will only help to perfect this process over time.
5. Marijuana addiction
photo credit: Christine Jump
Why is it going to get worse?
OK, calm down everybody! Go over here if you want to argue about it.
My belief is that marijuana is a behavioral addiction rather than a physical drug dependency. But that still makes it an addiction, and I believe that it will get worse in the future due to a few reasons:
* Legalization. It’s only a matter of time now, and the widespread use and accessibility of the drug will increase.
* Potency. It is a behavioral addiction, but it is still driven by an active chemical called THC. As volume increases with legalization, refinement of the drug will only increase the potency over time. This has already happened from an historical perspective (marijuana of today is much stronger than from decades before).
Will we see a marijuana epidemic? No. Will it be reefer madness? Of course not. This is mostly a behavioral addiction, similar to gambling or sex addiction in terms of “dependency.” But it can still cause problems, and I think we will see a general increase in these problems over time.
6. Painkiller addiction
photo credit: Charles Williams
Why is it going to get worse?
It is already getting worse, starting with young people. Prescription painkillers are the hot new drug of choice among young people, and some estimates even put them above marijuana and alcohol as the new gateway drug of choice. Some communities have seen “epidemics” of heroin addiction among teens, many of which started out by experimenting with painkillers.
New drugs don’t seem to be addressing this problem. The makers of Oxycontin tried to say that their medication was less addictive than other opiate based drugs. They were wrong, and lost a major lawsuit over it.
But the major reason that painkiller addiction is set to get worse in the future before it gets better is based on a shift in attitude. Young adults and children of today have an expectation that their pain can be completely eradicated. This probably has to do with our perception of new technology and medical advances. We do not expect to have to be in pain anymore. This sense of entitlement to a pain-free existence is going to continue to drive opiate based addictions.
7. Spending addiction
photo credit: Will Merydith
Why is it going to get worse?
Spending addiction is going to get worse as technology changes the way we spend money.
We have already seen evidence of this with credit card spending. Remove the physical handling of cash from the equation, and people spend more money. Simple as that.
It is not hard to envision a future where money turns into virtual credit that we acquire digitally rather than physical tokens that we have to carry around. More and more, governments, companies, and agencies push us to use secure forms of credit rather than physical cash. There are lots of problems, and costs, with using a physical cash system for money.
The more credit and virtual currencies are used, the worse spending addictions will become.
Heck, most people don’t even get a paycheck anymore. Their money just magically appears in their checking account these days. We have almost completely removed the acquiring of the money from the process of work. This is bad for compulsive shoppers.
If you were only paid in cash at the end of each work day, and could not use any forms of credit in your life, you would be much less susceptible to impulse buying and frivolous spending. But the world (and technology) is pushing us in the other direction.
8. Texting addiction
photo credit: garryknight
Why is it going to get worse?
The average teen already sends and receives an average of over 100 text messages per day.
Texting is quite a new phenomenon. This is probably the tip of the iceberg. The general increase in screen time pointed out earlier is not helping this either.
Some research has been done. Apparently the brain lights up when you receive a text message, in much the same way that an addict’s brain will react when they are about to inject themselves with heroin. This is rather disturbing.
Cell phone use is nearly completely ubiquitous, especially among teens. I would hate to be in high school right now and not own a cell phone….I think I would probably feel like a complete outcast. The trend is still towards being more wired, more inter-connectedness, and more of the constant drip-feeding ourselves with constant messaging and social interaction. Each message is like a tiny little buzz for your brain.
What can we do about these potential addictions?
The solution is a 2 step process: awareness and moderation.
Awareness is key. In all cases, simply being aware of the potential problem is a necessary first step. Without the initial awareness, you do not have any chance of preventing such an addiction from overtaking your life.
The second thing is to strive for balance and an holistic approach to your health. If you exercise every day that will automatically reduce your screen time, which factors into many of these addictions. Exercise can also help a great deal with both food and spending addiction.
But there are other solutions as well. Exercise alone is not the answer. An holistic approach that includes exercise is the best path.
Strive for balance, health, and stability in your life. You can be cautious of marketing and technology without being paranoid or negative about it.
Some addictions require complete abstinence, such as with drugs and alcohol. But for many of these addictions that are more behavioral in nature (cell phones, food, etc.) the key should be in balance and moderation.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
you have often written with great insight concerning alcoholism and drug addiction. please be conscious of the difference between obsessive/compulsive behaviour patterns and addiction. the common dictionary definition of “compuslive physiological and psychlogical need for a habit forming substance” is important. recovery for things that people actually become addicted to, until recently, meant chemicals of some sort….not including substances normally needed for life. the most effective recovery from these things was and to most experts still remains abstinance. food,sex,gambling, and the myriad other things frequently mentioned are in fact obsessive behaviors…for many of which abstinance is impossible. very often people have a demonstrable psychological problem that needs treating….other times they have become habituated to behaviors that society in general finds abnormal. a case in point: many brilliant musicians practice and play the majority of their waking hours with no judgement from society at large….but let it be video gaming and people see a problem. this is not to say that compulsive behavior of any kind can be a problem….let’s just keep in mind that often it is a matter of opinion and sometimes of prejudice. that’s one thing i’ve always loved about aa…you are the only one who can decide if you have a problem. i’ll never forget watching a panel discussion of eminent neuro-psychiatrists discussing bipolar disorder(several of them admitted to being bipolar themselves)……one thing they all agreed on was that there is no such thing as sex addiction…that most of what is characterized as such is undiagnosed features of bipolar disorder and that when it is treated the results are amazing. there are many people who have horribly damaging compulsive sexual behavior problems, but treating them using the addiction model is not kind nor is it correct. many people read only the “big book” of aa…..bill wilson, along with many of the early medical experts in diseases of addiction and psychiatry continued to research and write based on the information gained from the experience of people in aa. bill wilson himself suffered horribly for many years, in sobriety, from chronic depression…he also was a serial adulterer(in the words of his time)….many of the works of drs silkworth,thiebault, and jung on the subject of alcoholism and other drug addictions are as relevant today as they were in the middle of the twentieth century. i would encourage anyone interested to read the steps from “twelve steps and twelve traditions” and also the bits gleaned largley from mr.wilson’s personal correspondence in “as bill see’s it” or any of his grapevine writings…they are stunningly modern and not all the writings of a crack-pot religionist. according to aa’s own writings almost from the very start..from the spiritual experience, bb pgs 569-70….”spiritual experiance and spritual awakening are used many times in this book which upon careful reading shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alsoholism has manifested itself…in many differnet forms…..with few exceptions our members find that thay have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a power greater than ourselves….most of us think this awareness of a power greater than ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. our more religious members call it god-consciousness….we find no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. willingness,honest,and open mindedness are the sessentials of recovery….can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance and bellierent denial”
it is unfortunate that many aa groups have lost their way and as bil wilson once wrote,”wallowed in emotionalism and mistook it for true religious feeling” i am still an atheist if not believing in a diety makes me one. the difference is that i have thru the ususpected inner resource, supported by others in aa have managed to stay sober long enough to learn to live in the present, accepting life on life’s terms, and over a period of many years have been able through willingness to be relieved of the majority of the obsessive, damaging psychological problems(or defects of character in the archaic prose of the big book. all this is just to say that when we start with actual addictions, continue to work thru aa which is as i think jung referred to it, a program of moral psychology we will in the end come to balance regarding our other issues.
@ Calvin – thank you very much for your wisdom and insight!
You are right in that a clear line needs to be drawn between the chemical based addictions (drugs and alcohol) and the more behavioral addictions (like sex, food, etc.).
On the other hand, sometimes addicts benefit more when there is no line (at least in their minds). Or rather, some have told me as much. I do agree with your point though that the two types of addictions must be treated differently in some cases.
I think it is annoying, for example, that smokers borrowed the 12 step model for nicotine addiction and smoking. I tried it and it did not work (for me). Why not? Probably because cigarettes do not make my life unmanageable. So for me, the 12 steps were NOT sufficient to overcome nicotine addiction.
However, I was able to overcome it later using mostly an exercise-based approach.
Anyway I am rambling a bit but I think the separation that you bring up warrants further exploration. Thank you so much for your comment….
Well, I do not have the background or expertise in drug and alcohol addiction as yourself. However, based on the traits you recognise in that ara, I truly agree and believe there is a technology addiction amongst the younger generation that will become rampant. It exists with the internet, texting, video games, and any sort of chatting that the younger generation has confused for communicating. Ironically, where I work, there was a power outage the other week. Phone call after phone call about not being able to use the internet, what am I going to do? Unbelieveable…don’t get so dependent on a certain way of life everyonee, use your imagination, get creative, have fun without the lights on.
Patrick, I try my best to stay away from even using the term “addiction” at all. There is a lot of controversy about this term, and therefore people understand it differently, and use the term differently. It has become too broad to be really useful. For example the medical industry doesn’t even use the term; it uses the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) which defines the drug “repeat behaviors” phenomenon under Substance Abuse and Substance Dependence. (This is changing in the proposed DSM-V (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stanton-peele/war-over-addiction-evalua_b_456321.html)
It may simply be an issue focused on the English language. But we must have accurate language in order to understand concepts and communicate about them.
And then we can discuss “substance addictions” in comparison to “behavior addictions”. Perhaps one useful perspective is to use medical knowledge to determine the differences or commonality between these 2 categories. We know that many substance dependencies have physiological attributes and these are well documented especially with respect to brain chemistry. I haven’t seen anything yet about behavioral addictions that can be traced to characteristics of brain chemistry. This suggests that these 2 are really 2 different categories that could be described and understood differently.
@ Roland – thanks for your insight. I tend to agree with the idea that behavioral and chemical addictions can be split into 2 categories, and that it is unfortunate that we use the label of “addiction” to encompass all of them right now.
Excellent point. Thank you for that….
This is some great information. However I think you missed a major one – porn addiction ;)