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All About Addiction

What is Addiction?

First, let’s break down addiction by its definitionAddiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors.

Addiction is characterized by various symptoms including:

Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission.Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death.

If you have an addiction, you don’t have control over what you are doing, taking or using. When addicted to something, you are unable to control how you use it and become dependent on it to cope with daily life.

What is the difference between a habit and an addiction?

Sometimes, a habit may eventually develop into an addiction.  Here is the difference between the two:

To put it simply, when you have a habit, you are in control of your choices. With an addiction, you aren’t in control of your choices.

An addiction to a substance or activities may lead to serious problems at home, work, school and your daily life. The different causes of addiction vary and are often not fully understood.  An addiction may be caused by a combination of physical, mental, emotional and circumstantial factors.

2nd Chance Treatment Center offers an integrated treatment approach to help you overcome addition and return to the life you love. There is treatment for your addiction that will help you with a lasting recovery, with the lowest chance of relapses through the following methods:

Click here to find out how putting an end to addiction is just the beginning, and the steps you can take to move forward in getting your life back—now!

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