What Would the World Look Like Without ptsd treatment los angeles?

[Eyman Lehto]

There is much debate about the causes of addiction. Because there are two components to addiction --the physical addiction and the psychological addiction-- it is likely that many factors create a risk for addiction. In the case of certain drugs such as methamphetamine or heroin, almost any individual who comes into contact will become addicted. On the other hand, addictive behaviors such as shopping or eating are used moderately by the majority of the population and only become addictions for some.

™

The following risk factors are involved in developing addictions:

Genetics: It is believed that addictions such as alcoholism may be inherited. Individuals from families with a history of alcoholism are more likely to develop the disease themselves. Also, individuals from families with a history of any kind of addiction are more likely to develop some other form of addiction. For example, someone from an alcoholic family may develop a problem with compulsive overeating or workaholism. While environmental factors can also have influence, individuals who have been removed from their alcoholic parents and raised by non addicted individuals still show a higher risk for developing an addiction themselves.

Environment: Children raised by alcoholic or drug addicted parents are more likely to view substance abuse or certain behaviors as acceptable, making them more likely to engage in the addiction themselves. Individuals from countries where use of a certain substance or engagement in an addictive behavior are frowned upon or hard to obtain show a much lower incidence of addiction, pointing to possible environmental factors.

Abuse: Individuals who experienced sexual, psychological, emotional or physical abuse are more likely to become addicts. The addiction becomes a coping mechanism, helping the addict to deal with strong negative emotions surrounding the abuse, feelings of severe low self-esteem, and possible flashbacks.

Emotional Disorders: Emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder often increase the risk of substance abuse and addictive behaviors, especially amongst those who are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Individuals often use drugs, alcohol, food, exercise, or work as a way to self-medicate and escape the symptoms of their primary disorder.

The Substance: Certain substances are more addictive than others, and risk of full-blown addiction is higher for drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine because of their ability to create dependence after just a few uses.

Low Frustration Tolerance: One common factor found amongst addicts of all types is a low frustration tolerance. Addicts are highly susceptible to the negative effects what is acceptance of stress, often experiencing distress at a relatively low level of frustration. They become easily upset over everyday stress factors, creating a need for escape. They find this escape in their addiction.

These are all contributing factors as to why addiction occurs. Overall, there is no absolute solution when dissecting the causes behind addiction. Today, there are many options available to the alcoholic or drug addict who wishes to stop and stay stopped.

Addiction begins because we seek balance in our lives. Picture a man in rural India bringing water from a nearby river. He has a bucket on the end of a pole and the pole over his shoulder. He finds it impossible to keep the water steady and in the bucket while walking back to the village because the bucket is weighing him down on one side, he is not in balance. The solution is to attach an equal size bucket to the other end of the pole creating balance.

In the same way, we seek emotional balance. If we experience some trauma, pain or wound, we naturally seek some positive emotion that is equal in intensity to the negative emotion of the trauma or pain. We may find that positive feeling in experimenting with drugs, drinking alcohol, throwing ourselves into work, eating ice cream, going on a shopping spree or acting out sexually. The source of our positive emotion will depend on what is available to us, what is a part of our world at the time and what is easily accessible.

The power of the addiction finds its source in our need to solution focused brief therapy be in balance emotionally. The pain that we have experienced drives us toward pleasure. Once we experience the pleasure, we attach ourselves to it. Whenever we are triggered by pain, we seek the positive feeling of our addiction. Very soon the pattern becomes almost involuntary and our attachment to the positive feeling keeps us going back for more. We have now developed an addiction.

It is important to mention here that this pattern is often driven chemically as well as emotionally. Because our emotions are affected by outpatient mental health our hormones, the presence of alcohol, drugs or the adrenaline of a pleasurable experience can help us turn the corner from feeling depressed and down to feeling joyful and happy. We quickly learn what we must do to trigger this chemically induced "high".

Since this attachment is the beginning of addiction, it is also the key to overcoming addiction. Some people attack their addiction by using accountability or "tough love" to help them stop whatever the addictive activity is. The problem with this approach is that it does not address what drives the addiction; the pain. In fact, the pain of giving up our addictive pattern usually makes our desire for our attachment even stronger. One of two things usually happens; either we go back to the addiction or we simply change to another attachment. I have seen alcoholics become chain smokers, chain smokers become over-eaters and over-eaters become gym rats!

True freedom from an addictive pattern can only be found when we effectively deal with the pain which lead to the initial attachment. Finding healing and resolution for our pain through therapy, forgiveness, and positive relationships can reduce the inner drive for the attachment to the source of our pleasure. We cannot change the events of our past which led to our pain, but we can learn to release the power of that pain so that it no longer drives us toward addiction. Going back to the picture of the man from India, if we can take some water out of the first bucket, we can reduce the need for the second bucket. This is true recovery.