These are some of the basic facts about addiction you need to know when starting the discussion with yourself or a loved one.
Addiction Lives In The Brain And The Body
- Addiction is often referred to through the neurobiological model in which drugs and alcohol “hijack” the brain by way of dopamine production and the reward system. However, addiction isn’t isolated to the brain. The brain, of course, is the operations control center for the entire body. When addiction interacts with the brain, it also interacts with the body.
- Likewise, drugs and alcohol take an effect on the body physically by damaging veins, lungs, livers, kidneys, and hearts. Separating the brain from the body in addiction minimizes the holistic toll addiction has. Healing both the mind and the body is essential for full recovery from addiction.
Relapse Prevention Is Stress Prevention
- Stress of any kind is a trigger for addictive behaviors. Emotional stress, mental stress, work stress, physical stress, spiritual stress- all kinds of stress activate the brain’s stress response systems which thereby activate addictive behaviors. In addition to chemical dependency, addiction is a system of behavioral patterns which are learned over time.
- One of the primary lessons learned is that drugs and alcohol produce high amounts of dopamine which produces high amounts of pleasurable sensations. Drugs and alcohol, by default, are an answer to stress. When the brain comes across stress, it automatically thinks of drugs and alcohol to reverse the negative effects of stress and instead create pleasure to avoid stress.
Mental Health And Addiction Go Hand In Hand
- “Substance Use Disorder” and “Alcohol Use Disorder” are the technical terms for addiction and alcoholism used in the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, the resource for making a diagnosis. Addictions are mental health issues. Talking about addiction warrants discussion about mental health. Additionally, addiction is often co-occurring with mental health disorders. Likewise, a prevalence of one or more mental health disorders puts people at a higher risk for developing an addiction.
Addiction And Mental Health Are Genetic
- Parents with mental health issues create a four to five times higher likelihood that their offspring will develop a mental health disorder of their own. Research has started probing the idea that even circumstantial mental health disorders like PTSD might be passed on, so as to say that trauma might be genetic.
- The way that addiction and mental health issues change the brain
Lakehouse Recovery Center offers private residential treatment for men and women seeking recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Our beautiful home sits on the serene Lake Sherwood in some of Southern California’s most iconic hills. For information on our detox and treatment programs, call us today at 877.762.3707.