Process Addictions

Process Addiction Statistics and Demographics

Process addictions are often thought of as less serious than other addictions like alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder, but this is not the case. Process addictions impact the lives of those affected in many negative ways.

What is a Process Addiction?

A process addiction is a behavioral addiction marked by compulsive behavior. Common behavioral addictions include food addiction, shopping addiction or compulsive buying, video game addiction, love addiction, problem gambling, exercise addiction, porn addiction, internet use addiction, social media addiction, sexual addiction, video game addiction, etc. All involve compulsive behaviors that are detrimental to one's well being and the well being of those around them. A person affected by process addiction is unable to stop the behavior despite negative consequences. Here are some statistics and demographics associated with different types of process addictions.

Gambling Addiction Statistics

  • The World Health Organization (WHO)reports that the prevalence of problematic gambling or a gambling addiction is as high as 6% of the global population.
  • According to theNational Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), up to 23% of college students gamble weekly.
  • Of this 23%, around 3% to 14% will develop a gambling addiction.
  • 23% to 37% of college students have reported using the internet to place a bet.
  • Young adults and college students have gambling addictions at higher rates compared to the rest of the population.
  • The National Comorbidity Survey Replication reports that 93% of chronic gamblers also met the criteria for one or more other mental health disorders.

Find out more about gambling addiction.

Relationship and Sex Addiction Statistics

  • 3-6% of the U.S. populationhas a sex or relationship disorder.
  • Nearly 90% of individuals with a sex or relationship disorder come from dysfunctional families.
  • More than 40% of people with a relationship/sex addiction also have a substance abuse or drug abuse problem.
  • A study published in JAMA Network Open revealed that as many as 7% of all women and 10.3% of all men experience significant distress or impairment in controlling sexual behaviors and urges.

Find out more about relationship addiction and sex addiction.

Video Game Addiction Statistics

  • A study in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction revealed the following:

    • 59% of Americans play video games.

    • 97% of Americans between 12 and 17 years of age play video games.

    • More males (62.7%) than females (37.3%) engage in video gaming.

    • Depression, suicidal ideation, and anxiety have been associated with video gaming.

  • According to Dr. Kanojia, an expert in video game addiction psychiatry, Iran has the highest rate of video game addiction in the world with 22.8% of the population having an issue with video gaming.

  • A study looking at the prevalence and predictors of video game addiction found that, of all video gamers, 1.4 % are addicted gamers; 7.3 % are problem gamers; 3.9 % are engaged gamers; and 87.4 % are normal gamers.

Find out more about video game use disorder.

Internet Addiction Statistics

Find out more about internet use disorder.

Process addictions are a type of addiction that is just as serious as alcohol abuse or other types of substance addiction, and they share similarities with those more common addictions in regards to risk factors, withdrawal symptoms, and treatment options. Process and behavioral addictions can result in serious consequences in a person’s life and in the lives of their loved ones, which is why it is important to get help for a process addiction as soon as possible.

Treatment for Process Addictions

Treatment for process addictions has been shown to be very effective. If you or a loved one are in need of help for addictive disorder, reach out to Caron. We treat various behavioral addictions including video gaming, gambling, sex/relationship addictions, internet addictions, and more. Recovery isn’t just possible; it’s probable. Call us today at 1-800-854-6023.

Caron Staff

Caron Staff

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