Originally the  substitute beverage in place of wine in spiritual practices where wine was forbidden. Most a.m. coffee drinkers don't realize it, but their morning cups of coffee set their bodies up for a rollercoaster day of highs and lows, only to bottom out at the point of exhaustion. Just a few hours after consumption, when the artificial high dies down, many people may reach for more coffee or something sugary to get another lift, leading to daily fluctuations in energy and alertness, and possibly to eventual chronic adrenal exhaustion. fore more info

Gambling addiction is a progressive disease. In most people, it begins slowly and grows until the victim's life becomes progressively unmanageable. Current estimates suggest that three percent of the adult population will experience a serious problem with gambling that will result in significant debt, family disruption, job losses, criminal activity or suicide.  fore more info

People who "shop 'till they drop" and run their credit cards up to the limit often have a shopping addiction. They believe that if they shop they will feel better. Compulsive shopping and spending generally makes a person feel worse. They go out and buy, to get a high, or get a "rush" just like a drug or alcohol addict. Shopping addiction tends to affect more women than men. They often buy things they do not need. Holiday seasons can trigger shopping binges among those who are not compulsive the rest of the year. Many shopping addicts go on binges all year long and may be compulisve about buying certain items, such as shoes, kitchen items or clothing; some will buy anything.. for more info

Originally made as a satirical hoax by Ivan Goldberg, M.D., in 1995 it has since been promoted as a real condition by some supporters. As the web became a part of mainstream life, some mental health professionals have noted that a percentage of people using the web do so in a compulsive and out-of-control manner. This phenomena of compulsive Internet use has been termed 'Internet Addiction' based on its superficial similarity to common addictions such as smoking, drinking, and gambling. Internet Addiction has even been championed as an actual disorder, notably by psychologists Kimberly Young, Ph.D and David Greenfield, Ph.D.. However, at this time the true nature of Internet Addiction is not yet determined.  for more info

For most people, eating is a pleasurable experience. It's a biological necessity that most cultures have elevated to a high social status. But for some, eating is a compulsion. Men and women of all ages force themselves to eat too much or too little, and suffer tremendous psychological pain when they do. Eating, body weight and image become an obsession that damages relationships and has serious medical consequences. for more info

Sexual addiction is a term used to describe the behavior of a person who has an unusually intense sex drive or obsession and addiction with sex. The nomenclature of "addiction" is contested strongly by some members of the scientific community. Those who use this term have described sex addicts as people who, possibly out of fear of any truly intimate relationship, repeatedly and compulsively try to connect with others through highly impersonal nonintimate behaviors: masturbation, empty affairs, frequent visits to prostitutes, voyeurism, and the like. Sex addicts—numbering in the millions, both men and women, young and old, of all races and religions—become mesmerized with the thrill and rush of adrenaline that they can achieve only through their obsessive, highly ritualized patterns of sexual behavior.  for more info

Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions. In common and historic usage, alcoholism refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite the health problems and negative social consequences it causes. Medical definitions describe alcoholism as a disease which results in a persistent use of alcohol despite negative consequences. Every year, more money is spent promoting the use of alcohol than any other product. Nearly 14 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders. for more info

Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin. Heroin can be injected, snorted/sniffed, or smoked—routes of administration that rapidly deliver the drug to the brain. Heroin enters the brain, where it is converted to morphine and binds to receptors known as opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain (and in the body), especially those involved in the perception of pain and in reward. Opioid receptors are also located in the brain stem—important for automatic processes critical for life, such as breathing, blood pressure, and arousal. Heroin overdoses frequently involve a suppression of respiration. After an intravenous injection of heroin, users report feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by dry mouth, a warm flushing of the skin, and a heaviness of the extremities. With regular heroin use, tolerance develops. This means the abuser must use more heroin to achieve the same intensity of effect. Eventually, chemical changes in the brain can lead to addiction. for more info

While many would debate that marijauana can lead to any type of addiction, simply put it is an uncontrollable urge to possess and use the drug. Those with marijuana addiction are not able to stop using the drug even if they wish. Often a person with marijuana addiction will make continuous excuses about why now is not a good time to stop using the drug defined as chronically making the firm decision not to use marijaunaa followed shortly by a relapse  due to experiencing overwhelming compulsive urges to us despite the firm decision not to... this contradiction is characteristic of an addicton problem. More than 150,000 people each year seek treatment for marijauna addiction a year.  for more info

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants , predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant , Tobacco use kills nearly half a million Americans each year, with one in every six U.S. deaths the result of smoking. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causing many diseases and compromising smokers’ health in general. Nicotine, a component of tobacco, is the primary reason that tobacco is addictive, although cigarette smoke contains many other dangerous chemicals, including tar, carbon monoxide, acetaldehyde, nitrosamines, and more. Nearly 35 million people  want to quit each year. Unfortunately, only about 6 percent of people who try to quit are successful for more than a month. for more info