Interactions Therapy Center
Dr. Gail Gabbert, D. Min., LMFT, CRADC
Addictions
Click here for a message from Dr. Gabbert.
No one sets out to be an addict. No one says “I think I will jeopardize
my relationships,
career, financial security and my health through drugs, alcohol, gambling or porn.
If you’re ready for change, I’m ready to help
Do you know?
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction
is a chronic, relapsing
brain disease. It is considered a
brain disease because drugs change the brain – they change
its structure and how it works. It disrupts the normal, healthy functioning
of the underlying
organ, have serious harmful consequences, are preventable, treatable, and if left untreated,
can last a lifetime.
Long lasting brain changes can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in
people who abuse drugs.
Process addiction is a compulsive behavior which is related to an activity or process.
| • pornography • gambling |
| • compulsive spending • sex and love |
Process addictions sometimes are difficult to understand but people with process
addictions
face the same problems that people with substance addictions do and often can't just stop
the negative behavior. They require
psychological treatment.
Substance addiction requires the ingestion of a particular substance. Substance
addictions have been recognized for centuries; process addiction was less widely
accepted until the 20th century.
• Prescription
Drugs |
• Cocaine |
