Dopamine is known as the feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that ferries information between neurons. The brain releases it when we eat food that we crave or while we have sex, contributing to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction as part of the reward system. This important neurochemical boosts mood, motivation, and attention, and helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses.| Psychology Today
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. Addiction may involve the use of substances such as alcohol, inhalants, opioids, cocaine, and nicotine, or behaviors such as gambling.| Psychology Today
Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy or usually just "therapy," is a form of treatment aimed at relieving emotional distress and mental health problems. Provided by any of a variety of trained professionals—psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, or licensed counselors—it involves examining and gaining insight into life choices and difficulties faced by individuals, couples, or families. Therapy sessions refer to structured meetings between a licensed provider and a client with a...| Psychology Today
We are in the midst of a speedballing crisis. The fourth and current wave of the drug overdose crisis is comprised of the use of fentanyl (an opioid) with cocaine or methamphetamine, both stimulants. (This combination use is often referred to as "speedballing.") For the first time, according to a report from Millennium Health, methamphetamine and cocaine have overtaken heroin or prescription opioids in nearly every state’s fentanyl combination. In addition, the increase in overdose deaths f...| Bridges to Recovery
Some people depend on opioids or methamphetamine (or both), while far greater numbers of individuals in the United States and worldwide depend on sugar and highly processed foods to feel better or even normal. We’ve known about food addiction for some time; for example, in July 2007, Yale University brought together 40 experts on nutrition, obesity, and addiction to discuss the addictive potential of foods.| Bridges to Recovery
Substance use disorder often includes co-occurring disorders that take a toll on celebrities and regular folk alike. Many people have a substance use disorder (SUD) and serious psychiatric issue at the same time. Experts and the public have struggled with whether drugs caused psychiatric illness or vice versa.| Bridges to Recovery
Stress generally refers to two things: the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the body's response to it, on the other, which involves multiple systems, from metabolism to muscles to memory. Some stress is necessary for all living systems; it is the means by which they encounter and respond to the challenges and uncertainties of existence. The perception of danger sets off an automatic response system, known as the fight-or-flight response, that, activated through hormo...| Psychology Today