Do I have An Addiction

Defining the Problem Addiction a way of escaping.  Some common forms of escape include alcohol, drugs, sex, creating chaos or drama, gambling, gaming, shopping, exercise and eating. You can be addicted to any of these, or you may just use them to occasionally escape. ...

Who Develops Addictions

While we do not yet understand why some people develop addictions and others do not, we have identified several risk factors.    That is, if you have these risk factors, you may be more vulnerable to developing an addiction.  Among them are genetics, an unstable...

What is Addiction

Addiction is the continued use of a person, activity or substance in order to escape from negative feelings, despite experiencing negative consequences as a result of use.  These behaviors develop as a last-ditch effort to survive unbearable misery or physical pain. ...

What is Diagnosis

Diagnosis is a shorthand that describes a cluster of symptoms that help providers more easily communicate, and gives them a starting point for identifying which symptoms you may be experiencing and what is causing them.  The flu is a physical diagnosis.  If you tell...

The Big 6 Neurotransmiters

Your nervous system looks roughly like a road map.  Nerves carry information from the body to the brain and vice versa. The brain is composed of roughly 86 Billion neurons.  Chemical messengers called neurotransmitters carry messages between neurons to help the brain...

How Do We Learn (to be afraid)?

When you start a new job you are given a manual with all of the policies and procedures that help you, in general, function from day to day.  When you are born, your brain is basically like those policy and procedure manuals.  You have the basics down like breathing,...