Addiction
Addiction is a term with a long history of reference to alcohol or drugs abuse arising from the
addictive effect that those substances have on the human body and brain. However, taking large
amounts of drugs or alcohol for a long period are not the only types of addiction (APA, 2001). People
can develop addictions not only towards substances, but also to specific behavioral patterns (APA,
2001). The positive reinforcement of a substance or action, the time between consumption or action,
and physiological response determines how addiction originates (Carbonell, Oberst, & Beranuy,
2013). Thus, when the positive reinforcement is strong, there is a short time between an action and a
corresponding physiological response; as a result, that action becomes more addictive.