Myths of Addiction

This is a recent talk I presented at the South African College of Applied Psychology Festival of Learning and at the University of Cape Town Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health addictions forum.

In it I dispel the myths that: 

• Addiction is caused by drugs, 
• once an addict always an addict, 
• addiction is progressive 
• abstinence is required to initiate treatment or for remission.

I feel strongly that if we allow these myths to continue, we will not develop practical and helpful treatment modalities or public policies. At the end of the talk I made some suggestions regarding treatment. Comments and criticisms are welcome!

Mind & Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

The Mind & Life Institute is an initiative that aims to alleviate suffering and promote human flourishing. They aim to bring together scientists, contemplatives and scholars to deepen our understanding of the causes of suffering.

Part of their strategy is to hold dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This years dialogue focused on craving, desire and addiction. A group of scholars from the fields of neuroscience, Buddhism, Christianity, psychology, psychiatry and the social sciences gathered at Dharamsala to share their ideas and gain a deeper understanding of addiction.

The speakers were: Marc Lewis, Kent Berridge, Thupten Jinpa, Nora Volkow, Vibeke Asmussen Frank, Matthieu Ricard, Wendy Farley and Sarah Bowen. Brief biographies and their topics, as well as the program, can be downloaded here.

I have watched each of the talks and summarised them. None of this is my original work, but rather was done so that I can have a reference for myself, and I have made this available to you simply to help you choose which talks you may wish to watch in full and for academic purposes. All the videos are available in their entirety here. My summaries can be seen by clicking on the days below:

Day One
Marc Lewis - Craving, Dopamine and the Cycle of Addictive Behaviour 

Day Two
Kent Berridge - Brain Generators of Intense Wanting and Liking

Thupten Jinpa - Psychology of Desire: A Buddhist Perspective

 

Day Three
Nora Volkow -The Role of Dopamine in the Addicted Human Brain  

Vibeke Asmussen Frank - Beyond the Individual: The Role of Society and Culture in Addiction.

Day Four
Matthieu Ricard - From Craving to Freedom and Flourishing: Buddhist Perspectives on Desire 

Wendy Farley  - Contemplative Christianity, Desire and Addiction.  

Day Five
Sarah Bowen - Application of Contemplative Practices in Treatment of Addiction 

An Overview of Bipolar Disorders

A brief overview of bipolar disorders for addictions counsellors
PDF Version

“Compared to bipolar's magic, reality seems a raw deal. It's not just the boredom that makes recovery so difficult, it's the slow dawning pain that comes with sanity - the realization of illnesss, the humiliating scenes, the blown money and friendships and confidence. Depression seems almost inevitable. The pendulum swings back from transcendence in shards, a bloody, dangerous mess. Crazy high is better than crazy low. So we gamble, dump the pills, and stick it to the control freaks and doctors. They don't understand, we say. They just don't get it. They'll never be artists.”

-David Lovelace, Scattershot: My Bipolar Family

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

A brief overview of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for addictions counsellors

PDF Version
When you attempt to eliminate risk from your life, you eliminate along with it, your ability to function.

- Fred Penzel

I once watched a man attempt to cross Belgravia Road. He approached the traffic light, turned away. He approached it again, and again he turned away. He repeated this process at least six times. Eventually he reached out to touch the button that would activate the pedestrian crossing light. Then he withdrew his hand, wiped it vigorously on his shirt and attempted to do it again. Again he withdrew. The next time he covered his figure with his shirt, but still he could not touch the button. The car behind me hooted, and I was forced to pull off. I was not convinced that this man would ever make it across the road. Such is the nature of OCD – obsessive, compulsive and utterly debilitating.