You might see some signs in an addicted person but not others. These are signs which occur across many (but not necessarily all) addictions:
* Extreme mood changes – happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc * Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night * Changes in energy – unexpectedly and extremely tired or energetic * Weight loss or weight gain * Unexpected and persistent coughs or sniffles * Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times * Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual * Secretiveness * Lying * Stealing * Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times * Changes in social groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations * Repeated unexplained outings, often with a sense of urgency
These addictions are real, in that they follow the same pattern as substance-based addictions and they result in problems in many areas of the individual's life. They have similar effects on relationships, which are often neglected in favor of the addictive behavior, undermining trust and putting pressure on partners and other family members to cover up and make up for difficulties arising from the addiction.
There is increasing evidence that addiction to these behaviors involves similar brain mechanisms to substance-based addictions, although more research is needed to confirm and clarify how this happens.
