Understanding Addiction | Arizona Center For Marriage & Family Therapy

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Awareness Month.

It goes without saying that addiction has devastating effects not only on the individual but also for anyone who loves them. In its simplest form, “a person with an addiction uses a substance, or engages in a behavior, for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeat the activity, despite detrimental consequences” (psychologytoday.com, 2024). Many of us will be touched by addiction, one way or another, at some point in our lives. Today we want to learn more about addiction, how it affects the body and ways we can overcome addiction.

What is addiction?

Addiction is a chronic disease and not a lack of will power, as it is often misunderstood. When we engage in addictive behaviors or substances, the chemistry in our brain is altered, creating a dependency on the substance or behavior, making it incredibly difficult to overcome. We commonly associate addiction with substance abuse such as alcohol or drugs, but it can also include behaviors such as pornography use, gambling or even video games. With pornography, and other behavior addictions, an unnatural amount of dopamine is released into the brain, the rewards system shrinks and the individual will then need more stimuli to feel pleasure thus resulting in an addiction (maxplanckneuroscience.org, 2014). It is important to note that your genetics, mental health and environmental factors will play a strong role in addiction too. For those reasons, knowing your family history, managing stress and avoiding addictive behaviors and substances can significantly decrease your likelihood of addiction.

How does addiction affect the body?

When we take part in behaviors or use substances that release unnatural amounts of dopamine it desensitizes the rewards center in the brain and can lead to a dopamine overstimulation. Dopamine is a chemical that is released in the brain associated with “pleasure, reward, motivation, and motor control” (simplypsychology.org, 2024). Short term symptoms of dopamine overload can include: inability to focus, mood swings, impulsivity, insomnia, anxiety and a decrease in motivation. Long term symptoms include: change in the neuroplasticity in the brain, addiction, relationship problems and poor work performance (neurolaunch.com, 2024). When an individual has decided to address their addiction and strive for sobriety, withdrawal symptoms are often a significant deterrent to getting and staying clean. Withdrawal symptoms from substance use addictions can include: tremors, shakes, hallucinations, heart palpitations and seizures (americanaddictionscenter.org, 2024). While withdrawal symptoms are concerning in the beginning of a recovery journey, addiction can cause so many other life long health issues such as cancer, infections, diseases, stroke, severe dental problems, nerve cell damage and mental health problems (nih.gov, 2024).

How does addiction affect our relationships?

According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), couples where one of the partners is experiencing addiction are more unhappy than those that are not experiencing addiction but are still seeking out relationship counseling or support. The AAMFT also describes a cyclical situation when addiction has become the main source of conflict in a relationship, “the conflict leads to more substance use as a way of reducing tension, conflict about the substance use escalates, more drinking or drug use occurs, and so on” (aamft.org).

Addiction can create a series of issues in any relationship. It can cause issues in marriage, between parent and child, siblings and even friendships. These problems can look different in each relationship but can include:

Money or employment issues
Trust issues, such as lying and staying out late
Inequities in division of labor at home
Anxiety and depression
Violence
Isolation

All of these problems can compound and result in the demise of any relationship in an addict’s life.

How do you overcome addiction?

One of the first steps to overcoming addiction is acknowledging the addiction and its negative impacts in your life. Some questions to consider when determining if you are battling an addiction are:

Are you unable to stop the behavior or substance use?
Are you experiencing an increased tolerance of the substance or behavior? Or finding you need more to feel satisfied?
Do you experience an intense focus on the suspected addiction?
Do you find yourself experiencing withdrawals when you’ve gone an extended period of time without the substance or acting on the behavior?
Are you experiencing new health or personal problems that could be related to the suspected addiction?

If you’ve considered your symptoms and determined that you may be suffering from an addiction, the next step is to see a drug counselor, therapist or psychiatrist that will diagnose your addiction and help counsel you to recovery. Treatments may include: hospital management, medications, rehab, continued therapy and support groups (clevelandclicnic.org, 2023). Your addiction team may suggest other ways to support your sobriety: keep a daily routine, build healthy relationships, manage stress and engage in meaningful activities that provide natural dopamine surges (simplypsychology.org, 2024).

As always, we are here to support you in any area of your mental health or addiction journey. Please reach out to our office today to schedule with one of our therapists if you find yourself struggling. We are here to help and there is support available to you.