Sunbathing is also addictive

Sun worshipers who drifted south to avoid the winter cold or climb to the top of the mountain to enjoy the sun may have been as addicted to alcohol as strong as alcoholism.

The researchers applied a tool to detect people with SRD disorders, such as alcohol and tobacco, on college students and found that 18% of those who regularly sunbathe outdoors were actually be addicted.

Study author Robin L. Hornung at the University of Washington said the number is equivalent to the search results of studies on alcoholics and tobacco users. A study in the Midwest found 18% of regular drinking students also achieved positive SRD. A 2002 National Institutes of Health study found that 16% of college students who regularly smoke also have positive SRD.

In Hornung's study, positive SRD results (indicating addiction) were higher for those who went to regular sunbathing salons - 28%. And women are 3 times more likely to be addicted to sunbathing than men.

Scientists believe that excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays can be deadly. More than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year. However, sunbathers remain indifferent to warnings.

"If you are addicted to sunbathing, it explains why education is not enough to prevent this dangerous behavior, similar to messages against smoking and drinking still fail to change every behavior. ", Hornung said.

Nearly half of the sunbathing students said they just wanted to relax. That proves that sunbathing is also easy to be abused like other addictive activities.

MT