Could Your Overeating Be a Way to Soothe Childhood Pain?
If you’ve battled overeating—or food in general—you’ve likely chastised yourself more often than you can count. Perhaps you’ve referred to yourself as undisciplined, weak, out of control.Maybe you’ve attempted to remedy it with calorie counting, meal plans, and diets… or shame.Perhaps none of it has had long-term effectiveness. There’s a reason for that. For many, […]
The Impact of Addiction: How It Reaches Every Corner of Life
Many times described as a ripple effect, addiction begins with one individual but affects their health, relationships, job, and income among other areas. Addiction impacts a person’s physical and mental health, their family relationships, and their general quality of life; it doesn’t just change their daily behavior. Using hypothetical cases to demonstrate just how far-reaching […]
Addiction Isn’t Just About Substances: It’s a Pattern of Behavior
Most people immediately imagine a certain substance—alcohol, narcotics, maybe even cigarettes—when they hear the word “addiction.” It’s really not all that surprising. Addiction is often defined by society’s attachment to a specific substance, hence many conversations about recovery center on that drug—getting clean from alcohol, stopping narcotics, giving up smoking. But suppose I told you […]
Causes of Addiction: How and Why It Happens
Addiction is a difficult problem with no single clear origin. Rather, it typically emerges from a combination of elements. These include genetic, environmental, social, psychological, and even spiritual—that all come together in unique ways for every person. Understanding addiction requires looking not only at how it happens, but also why it happens. In this post […]
The Science of Addiction: What’s Going on in Your Brain?
Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, gambling, or even spending hours on social media, everyone has heard about how addiction ruins people’s lives. But when you start to get hooked, what’s actually occurring within your brain? Though you know something is unhealthy for you, why does stopping feel so difficult? In this essay we’ll explore the science […]
What is Addiction? Understanding the Basics
When we hear the word addiction, we often think of someone who is struggling with drugs or alcohol. But the reality is far more complex – and more common. Addiction includes hobbies such as gambling, gaming, and even something as simple as checking your phone; it’s not limited to just substances. The core issue is […]
Understanding Addiction: More Than Just a Physical Disease
Alcoholism, or addiction, is like a disease that just shows up out of nowhere. So you may have heard in Alcoholics Anonymous or other recovery circles. Everything’s fine one day; then, you’re fighting an overwhelming need to drink or use. It seems to be some sort of invisible force sneaking up on you. Although this […]