addiction
The realities of addition; the truth about living under, above and beyond the influence of drugs and alcohol.
How Forming Habits Happens in the Brain
Both good and bad habits can produce dopamine dumps in our brain. Bad habits are often easier and take less work but can deliver similar or higher amounts of dopamine to our brain. When we act on these bad habits, we create long-term potentiation in which we are training our brains to be more responsive to these things. The more we do them, the more we strengthen the connections between these neurons. Over time the desire for these neurons to release the neurotransmitters that give us pleasure grows to becomes so strong that these tiny little turd-buckets rule our lives. When this happens even small triggers like smells or taste or memories can excite the synapse, making us feel an inert need to act on that bad habit. Our brains, neurons, and synapses will ultimately end up where we have trained them to end up, and after a while they will lead us there too.
By Michael J. Heil5 years ago in Psyche
Heroin
I was born in 1981 to a mother who took drugs and drank alcohol, it was this very reason I had disowned her from my life from age 16 until my early 20's that was until she had another child a baby boy called Casey. During this time I had been told my Grandfather was dying of lung cancer and my current partner had been caught cheating with a lap dancer. This left me distraught so I had made the decision to try and reconnect with my mother as I believed she was clean of drugs. I went to my mothers and we put the past behind us and started our relationship again, she managed to keep up the act she was clean that was until I caught her burning heroin in the early hours of the morning one day when she was in bed. We had an argument and that was it she was back to taking drugs in front of me again. I was loosing weight and crying constantly with the pain of my Grandfather dying and what my partner was doing with his lap dancer, I really loved this guy and worshipped the ground he walked on and the thought of him with someone else broke me, I have been abused my entire life but this pain was different it cut deep.
By Michelle King5 years ago in Psyche
What addiction does to family relationships
Addiction is a harmful disease that affects a great deal not only a person itself but people they are surrounded by. It can cause a lot of unpleasant feelings including lack of attention, irritability, inability to concentrate on things, and so on. A person who is addicted to something usually can’t control his emotions, feelings, and desires because for him the object of the obsession is the only important thing on this planet. Therefore, the fact that addiction does affect family relationships is not surprising.
By Giorgi Mikhelidze5 years ago in Psyche
Addiction's Greatest Victim - Trust
Trust: firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something. There are many casualties of addiction. The brain makes a cruel association between the substance/activity and survival, and god help anything that stands in the way of securing that person’s life-blood*. Health, career, family — all become secondary to the quest for survival. Body, mind and spirit are ravaged by the toxic substances and neglect that comes with a sole preoccupation with the substance or activity. And relationships are destroyed from the lies, manipulation and disgusting behaviour that comes with loss of control.
By Belinda Tobin5 years ago in Psyche
5 Clues You are Living with an Addict
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. The fear that your child has a drug issue sometimes makes parents put their heads in the sand. The fact is, a 2017 study by the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics showed that 45% of male college students, and 43% of female college students, have used illicit drugs.
By Amy Cooney5 years ago in Psyche
