Addiction

There would presumably be a real advantage to a genetic profile that pinpointed those at special risk for alcoholism

Alcoholism has been around for nine or ten thousand years, but most of what science understands of brain function is less than eighty years old.

The way addicts and alcoholics themselves talk about their condition (“an emotional disease,” “a parasite the feeds on our emotions”, “an emotional cancer,” “a fear based disease”) is rarely considered in theories of addiction.

Few of us are ever as dedicated to a goal as the addict is to seeking an alternative to abstinence.

While it may have similarities to other disorders, the emotional dysregulation that characterizes addiction is not the same.

After years in the drug world, it may not be easy for someone new to recovery to fit comfortably into the larger society. It helps to find people such as yourself– who used to use drugs but no longer do– to relate to.

Craving has finally been added to the symptom list. I was never entirely clear on why it wasn’t included in DSM-IV, since there’s an impressive body of research on craving measurement.

It was never really about the job, or an article in Time, or anything except his own fervent desire to keep drinking and prove everyone else wrong.

In the early and middle stages of addiction, addicts may experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms without recognizing them.

Their targets often know or strongly suspect they’re being manipulated, but give in anyway because they can’t figure out how to avoid it.