Addiction is a physical and psychological craving and inability to refrain from certain chemicals, drugs, activities, or substances, despite detrimental consequences. Tolerance to the chemical, drug, or behavior increases as your body adapts to its presence. The Latin root of the word is to be “enslaved by” or “bound to.”

Recovery can be a long process that requires more than willpower alone. Self-care, medication, and psychotherapy are three strategies used simultaneously to change the brain structure and function and release the grip that addiction has. There is no single treatment that will work unanimously for those suffering through addiction. We will work with your individual needs to improve your problem-solving abilities and replace your choices with constructive and rewarding behaviors.

Another form of addiction involves an inability to stop engaging in detrimental activities. This includes gambling, over-eating, or excessive working. In these instances, a person would be described as having a behavioral addiction.

Addiction can also be described as a chronic disease. This sometimes begins with taking a prescribed medication, and then results in a dependence on that same medication. Currently in the United States there is an overuse of prescribed opioid painkillers. This has been found to cause an average of up to 115 deaths daily in the United States.

When a person develops an addiction, they are not able to control the use of a substance, or to stop an activity. They have become dependent on the activity or substance to cope with life.

Every year, addiction to alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription opioids costs the United States economy approximately $740 billion in treatment and rehabilitation. This also would include time lost from work, and possible criminal behavior. Most people begin using drugs voluntarily. However, with some people, the drug or behavior takes over, and addiction is the result.

What Is Internet Addiction?

These are some of the questions that need to be asked: Does the adult or child play video games on the Internet constantly? Is someone in the home compulsively shopping online? Is there someone that cannot seem to physically disconnect from Facebook? Is this compulsive behavior interfering with daily life – relationships, work, or school? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, this person may be unaware that they have a form of Internet Addiction Disorder. This is, also frequently referred to as Compulsive Internet Use (CIU), or Problematic Internet Use (PIU), or iDisorder.

Chronic Relapse

Chronic relapse occurs when a person has been treated for drug, alcohol or eating addiction but returns to the negative behavior. This is frustrating, sometimes painful, and can even be dangerous. Addiction is considered a chronic illness, therefore, relapse is common. Relapse can be treated and/or prevented with long-term, individualized therapy. This is a lengthy procedure that combines treatment, group support, support from family members, and treatment for other conditions. Chronic relapse also requires lifestyle changes, and avoiding situations that result in a return to negative behavior.