Have you ever craved something so strongly that your palms sweat at the thought of having it? Your heart races every time you think about it? You would do almost anything to get it? When you are unable to get it you feel sick or sad? This.. my friends.. is how I feel about SEAFOOD. I love it. I can eat crab legs and shrimp everyday of the week! Seafood is my addiction. What is yours? We all have a few.
On a serious note, food addiction is a real disorder. In many situations, it occurs as a reaction to stressful or traumatic events. Foods that are consumed are usually unhealthy. The craving or need for food is often correlated with the release of dopamine (“feel good” chemical messenger released by our bodies that evokes pleasure). Individuals receive some form of relief from the stress when dopamine is released. This in turn causes the behavior to continue, which leads to addiction.
Addiction to drugs works almost the same way. What makes an addiction to drugs different than food? One of the major differences is potency. Side effects or repercussions from excessive drug use can be life threatening. An example of this is withdrawals. These symptoms can occur physically and cognitively as a reactions to not receiving drugs. They can range from hallucinations and heart palpitations to more severe symptoms like seizures or heart anomalies.
Did you know that a large number of individuals with substance abuse issues also have other co-occurring mental illnesses? Approximately 7.9 million people in the U.S. have substance use disorders with another form of mental illness. Why does this occur? Many individuals turn to alcohol or other drug use as a form of self treatment for the initial mental illness. The thought is that drugs decrease the symptoms of mental illness. Drug use worsens symptoms. Substance use disorder combined with another mental illness is often difficult to treat. You have to provide care for both disorders without aggravating or elevating symptoms of the other. This is a challenge for both clinician and client.
Now that you understand some of the concrete reasons behind addiction, what can you do to be more supportive of others? How can we save someone from drowning or becoming completely overwhelmed by their addictions? Reach out to them. Let them know you are there. Help them to get the support they need. Ultimately, the decision to change has to be made by the individual. However, it can be much easier to make this step with a strong system of support.
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