Notes from Brattleboro

[Charon]

This post is about one way to look at addiction and where it comes from:

Syndrome Model of Addiction:

Syndrome: cluster of signs & symptoms related to an abnormal underlying condition.

Multiple Opportunistic Expression: not all symptoms always present and some may be unique to the individual (outside normal cluster).

Three areas involved in causing syndrome:
1. biochemical/physiological/genetic - nature
2. psychosocial - nurture (mostly family)
3. cultural/peer - nurture (mostly society)

Affect Regulation: changing how we feel.

Affect Dysregulation: poor affect regulation – easily compensated for with mood altering substances – involves associative learning and dopamine pathway (see article - Why is it so Damn Hard to Change? « Rebecca Skloot ).

Deal with by changing internal/external stress (proximity – move away from physically or mentally or emotionally).

Stress management:
1. coping skills
2. emotion focus
3. problem focus

Repair of affect regulation
1. psychotherapy
2. 12 step
3. spirituality

Abstinence:
1. clean & sober lifestyle
2. craving management
3. recovery network