Acorn Counseling Center

Identifying a case of addiction can be difficult for a number of reasons. One reason is because addicts usually try to conceal their addictions and hide them away where the people in their lives cannot find them. Another reason is because the non-addicted person may not have a clear understanding of what addiction is and therefore not understand what they should be looking for or how they should interact with the addict. Addiction takes many forms, in both the range of things that one can be addicted to and how they affect that person’s behavior.

The two main different types of addictions are process addictions and substance addictions. A process addiction is when someone is addicted to a particular activity, such as sex, exercise or gambling. The person becomes obsessed with carrying out the activity in order to achieve a high from it. The other type of addiction is a substance addiction. This type of addiction relies on an ingested substance to initiate the high through altering the chemistry of the body and brain. Both produce the pleasure chemical dopamine within the brain which is the impetus for the repetitive addictive behavior.

Addiction creates some similar behavior patterns within people, but the way a person behaves under the influence of addiction is also very particular to that person. Some of the more common tells of an addict are as follows:

Posted On: June 10, 2015 @ 7:31 am

Trying to understand addiction when you are not an addict is impossible. The reason it is impossible is because not even addicts understand why they do what they do. In fact, trying to understand addiction is a waste of time because there is no logic to follow. There is no logic to addiction, only destruction.

Addicts use their addiction to feel good, just like non-addicts use pleasurable things to feel good. Non-addicts may even distinguish their favorite pleasurable things to use more than others. The difference between an addict and a non-addict is that a non-addict is equipped with the ability to moderate their usage of pleasurable things and keep their lives in balance. They are aware of when they are overusing a pleasurable thing and it is having negative side effects on their life somewhere. Most importantly, they are equipped with the ability to stop doing the thing that is having negative effects on their lives, or at least reduce how often they use it. An addict does not come with this self preservation mechanism.

Mental health experts believe the reason that addiction exists boils down to dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical the brain produces during a pleasurable experience. Dopamine is what we spend much of our lives in pursuit of, as it signifies desirability and comfort. The brains of addicts have been revealed to not produce as much dopamine. Experts are unsure at this point what causes this stunted dopamine production, but it would seem that those who cannot create enough dopamine through the simple pleasures that everyone encounters turn to addictive substances as a way of gaining that much craved rush of dopamine.

If you are a non-addict trying to understand how an addict operates, the best thing you can do to empathize with them is reach out for help. Addiction treatment specialists, support groups and counselors can offer you excellent information to help you empathize with the plight of the addict in your life, as well as show you how to interact with them in a healthy way. There are addiction treatment services Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal and in many more locations in North America.

Addictions that are characterized by acting out a process are called process addictions. Unlike a substance addiction, process addictions rely on carrying out a process step-by-step in order to achieve a euphoric state, where as substance addictions depend on the substance itself to do the work of creating a high. Process addictions award the addict the same rush of dopamine that one would get from an addictive substance. It is simply achieved through different means. Some of the most common process addictions are as follows:

A substance addiction is one of several types of addiction. When a person is addicted to ingesting a substance, it is referred to as a substance addiction. Substance addictions comes in many forms and produce many different effect. Several different types of substance addictions are as follows.

Posted On: June 9, 2015 @ 9:12 am

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Primary Focus of the Provider

• Substance Abuse Treatment Services

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Type of Care

• Substance abuse treatment
• Accepts clients on opioid medication

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Facility Type

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Treatment Approaches

• Cognitive/behavioral therapy
• Substance abuse counseling approach
• Rational emotive behavioral therapy

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Facility Smoking Policy

• Smoking permitted without restriction

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Service Setting (e.g., Outpatient, Residential, etc.)

• Outpatient
• Intensive outpatient treatment
• Regular outpatient treatment

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Facility Operation (e.g. Private, Public)

• Private organization
• State substance abuse agency
• State department of health

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Payment/Insurance Accepted

• Cash or self-payment
• Medicaid
• State financed health insurance plan other than Medicaid

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Emergency Mental Health Services

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Payment Assistance Available

• Sliding fee scale (fee is based on income and other factors)

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Language Services

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Special Programs/Groups Offered

• Adult women
• Adult men

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Ancillary Services

• Individual counseling offered
• Group counseling offered
• Family counseling offered
• Marital/couples counseling offered
• 12-step faciltitation approach
• Brief intervention approach
• Motivational interviewing
• Relapse prevention

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Age Groups Accepted

• Children/adolescents
• Young adults
• Adults

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Gender Accepted

• Female
• Male

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Exclusive Services

• DUI/DWI clients

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