Addiction

Living with addiction – whether it is yourself or someone you live with, work with, or a part of your friend group – is extremely difficult. It is also incredibly expensive in many ways: emotionally draining, worrying, stressful financially, time consuming , damaging to relationships, can cause job loss, etc.  When looking at all the negative impacts, one has to ask WHY would a person be addicted to anything that is so destructive to their life?

Addiction can be to anything – cats, food, shopping, shoes, sex, computer games, coffee, and even blogs and podcasts!  It is defined as a state of dependence produced either by the habitual taking of drugs or by regularly engaging in certain behaviors (e.g., gambling).  Addiction is a chronic dysfunction that involves the reward, motivation and memory systems in the brain.

Yes, there is brain science behind the compulsion to habitually do or be attracted to something which you know is damaging your life!  In fact, the American Society of Addiction Medicine defines it as a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences.

Fortunately, in my opinion, there has been a shift in understanding addiction from a Moral to a Medical model.  Instead of just assuming the addict is a “bad” person or “lacking in willpower”, the current understanding of the disease is much more multi-faceted.

If you want to learn more, listen to my conversation with Ross Hill, MFT and Advanced Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor. We discuss substance abuse’s heavy cost on society, self-medication as a coping tool, the very real impact of living with an addict and how to take care of yourself.