Unwanted habits and addictions are a huge subject I could very easily fill this newspaper with, which of course is not an option.

Using the space I have, I am covering this subject over two weeks. This week we are going to look at the difference between the two and how they can happen.

It’s important to know the difference between the two. An unwanted habit is something that we may wish to stop doing. We may struggle to control it or break the habit, but it doesn’t control or take over our lives.

Nail biting or twiddling with your hair are two that spring to mind. Watching internet porn for three hours every night is another. These are bad habits we may pick up they are things we may do subconsciously, without thinking.

An addiction is something that can take over a person’s life. Something they have no control over. Alcohol, drugs and gambling are perhaps the three things which can cause the most harm.

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Sometimes we may find it easy to judge someone in the grip of addiction. It is important to realise that when people are in the grip of addiction they have no control over it.

For someone hooked on gambling it will begin to control their every waking moment, as they continually chase their losses, finding themselves getting deeper into debt all the time. Hiding the fact they have serious money problems from loved ones.

Highly addictive drugs such as crack cocaine can take over a person’s life in a very short period of time. Taking it a couple of times to feel ‘high’ can soon result in needing it to get through the day just to function.

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Someone can soon find themselves needing more and more money to buy the drugs, yet at the same time they are no longer performing properly at work, and their relationships suffer and worse.

In contrast, a dependence on alcohol can creep up over a period of time. Someone may start by regularly downing a glass or two of wine to unwind after work, then find they need one in the middle of the day to last them until they get home. A couple of glasses in the evening soon become a bottle or two.

Other people may never drink at all through the week but binge for two or three nights regularly at the weekend. For some people, before they know it they need alcohol through the day and evening every day and they too fall into the grip of addiction.

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Some addictions to alcohol and drugs become so serious that it is actually dangerous to stop completely without expert medical help because they risk a physical seizure or other serious effects. This is known as a physical addiction.

Next week I will be covering how habits and addictions can be helped.

If you feel you are in a mental health crisis or emergency and may be in danger of causing harm to yourself or others then please contact your GP, Samaritans on 116 123 or attend A&E.