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Habitual behavior can be natural, for instance, looking out before stepping into the road, but when the behavior loses rationality and affects our daily lives and normal functional ability, it can be called compulsive. What is compulsive behavior? Compulsive actions afford relief from inappropriate anxieties. The compulsive action nullifies the anxiety. The urge to alleviate and avoid anxiety, stress and fear is the root cause of the compulsive action. This anxiety can spring from obsessive thoughts: for example, perpetual fear of bacteria and germs manifests itself in repetitive, compulsive hand-washing. Compulsions may even come about unintentionally like when you’re biting your nails without realizing it. Compulsions that are commonplace include counting, cleaning, rearranging and examining things a second time to ensure peace of mind. If these actions are exaggerated like when you make sure the gate is properly closed numerous times when leaving the house, the behavior becomes time-consuming, disrupts normal daily routine, and may be a symptom of an anxiety disorder. What is an obsession? Obsessions are the misgivings and fears that result in anxiety. Obsessions generate the impulse for compulsions. The compulsive actions ease the anxious thoughts temporarily and then they reappear and have to be relieved again. To give an example, it may be that my obsession is working out every day, but if I'm training to perform in a sporting event, my going to train stems from a sound thought process. If my incentive for attending the gym is emotionally driven, to alleviate uncomfortable emotions, and I'm always thinking about working out and feel anxious and distressed if I cannot get to the gym, then I probably have an obsession. This obsession can only be relieved by going to the gym, which is now a compulsion. The compulsive act is the culmination of the obsessive fixation, resulting in an interval of relief from the anxiety or emotional stress. What is an addiction? Addiction characteristically relates to a substance-related disorder demonstrated by difficulty in quitting despite physiological damage. Tolerance to the substance and withdrawal symptoms are both manifestations of addiction. Addiction can be seen as a psychological and/or physical compulsion typically driven by pleasure-seeking. In fact, neurologists maintain that any process that turns on the brain's pleasure centers can be termed addictive. For this reason, addiction embraces psychological dependence on overeating and over-exercising. Though not traditionally regarded as addictions, and also defined as impulse disorders, withdrawal effects can arise when impulsive habit cannot be carried out. Compulsive behaviors and addictive behavior have something in common since they all involve wrong usage of the pleasure systems of the physical brain. The impulsive habits are shortcuts to alleviating the buildup of tension. Each of us is susceptible to addiction that may be set off by social and psychological influences. Treatment providers treat affected individuals in various ways, but to be effective the therapy needs to address the basic roots of the anxiety that is giving rise to the impulsive behavior.
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Tom Coghill has written several books on health, nutrition, and fasting. For more information see: Fasting , Fasting Stories and Testimonies , Freedom From Compulsive Eating Ref:COMPULSION&05
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