Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction: Preface

Loved ones sometimes develop unhelpful and unhealthy behaviors, but the idea that they have a codependency disorder is unscientific and harmful. It’s just another way society blames people who are only trying to help https://ecosoberhouse.com/ get someone well. Keep in mind that most people with addiction who experience a recurrence will return to recovery. When addiction takes hold, these changes in the brain erode a person’s self-control and ability to make good decisions, while sending highly intense impulses to take drugs.

Understanding the Complexity of Addiction

While detox is an essential first step in the recovery process for many, it is by no means a comprehensive solution to addiction. The truth is that relapse is a common part of the recovery process and should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than a failure. The idea that willpower alone can cure addiction is dangerous, as it can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and failure among those who struggle to maintain sobriety.

Myth: If your life is stable then you can’t be an addict.

In other cases, if a person is going through withdrawal and experiences more severe symptoms such as a seizure, they are in danger of serious injury or death if they attempt to face this alone. By acknowledging that addiction recovery is a complex myths about addiction and recovery and sometimes unpredictable journey, we can better support those in recovery and celebrate their progress, even when faced with setbacks. Armed with accurate information, we can better support those struggling with addiction and foster a more compassionate, informed society. So, let’s embark on a journey to challenge our preconceptions and deepen our understanding of this critical issue. These 10 misconceptions hinder effective treatment and contribute to stigma, deterring seeking help and staying in treatment long enough. Simply put, codependency is an unscientific theory that gained attention in the 1980s and unfortunately still dominates our society’s beliefs about families impacted by addiction.

• Successful relapse prevention plans involve the avoidance and/or management of risk factors.
• Scientists use this knowledge to develop effective prevention and treatment approaches that reduce the toll drug use takes on individuals, families, and communities.
• When a person takes a prescription medication in a larger dose or more often than intended or for a condition they do not have, it affects the same areas of the brain as illicit drugs and poses the same risk of addiction.

Common myths about addiction

In this, the Institute acts under both the Academy’s 1863 congressional charter responsibility to be an adviser to the federal government and its own initiative in identifying issues of medical care, research, and education. Research indicates that addiction alters the brain’s structure and functioning in significant ways. The following table highlights some of the key differences between a healthy brain and a brain affected by addiction. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. A PDF is a digital representation of the print book, so while it can be loaded into most e-reader programs, it doesn’t allow for resizable text or advanced, interactive functionality. The eBook is optimized for e-reader devices and apps, which means that it offers a much better digital reading experience than a PDF, including resizable text and interactive features (when available).

Still, the media perpetuates the myth that there is a right way and a wrong way to recover, and that treatment that is luxurious or comfortable is inherently bad. Peer support is also designed for you to meet people who are further along in their recovery journey. Listening to them share their stories and seeing how far they have come can provide encouragement and motivation on the tough days.