chemical imbalace does not always mean mental illness
when people hear chemical imbalance they right away assume that it means mental illness. well it doesn't. a chemical imbalance can come from stress, an over burdened schedule, or even worry. an underliing cause to most, if not all addictions seem to be a chemical imbalance in the brain. a chemical imbalance that leads to an unquiet mind. now anxiety can often lead to self medication through addiction. i view addiction sort of as a way for the mind to protect itself from the damages that stress can cause. alcohol, drug addiction, food addiction, gambling etc. may be an unhealthy reaction to stress and anxiety, but a continuing addiction does help alleviate the uneasy and unquiet stresses in the brain. unfortunatly too, addiction is quite damaging in that it refocuses the addicts time and attention away from the people, things and responsibilities that matter most in ones life. and when addiction involves substances such as drugs and alcohol, these substances can and usually do cause severe health problems. learning to calm the effects of chemical imbalances on the brain will help one steer away from getting caught up in the addiction process. mental illness has an effect on the seratonin and dopamine levels in the brain. and a good number of medications for mental illness are designed to control the levels of these brain chemicals. the part of the brain most responsible for addiction deal with the pleasure/reward centers of the brain and the persons ability to cope mentally with lifes traumas.
when people hear chemical imbalance they right away assume that it means mental illness. well it doesn't. a chemical imbalance can come from stress, an over burdened schedule, or even worry. an underliing cause to most, if not all addictions seem to be a chemical imbalance in the brain. a chemical imbalance that leads to an unquiet mind. now anxiety can often lead to self medication through addiction. i view addiction sort of as a way for the mind to protect itself from the damages that stress can cause. alcohol, drug addiction, food addiction, gambling etc. may be an unhealthy reaction to stress and anxiety, but a continuing addiction does help alleviate the uneasy and unquiet stresses in the brain. unfortunatly too, addiction is quite damaging in that it refocuses the addicts time and attention away from the people, things and responsibilities that matter most in ones life. and when addiction involves substances such as drugs and alcohol, these substances can and usually do cause severe health problems. learning to calm the effects of chemical imbalances on the brain will help one steer away from getting caught up in the addiction process. mental illness has an effect on the seratonin and dopamine levels in the brain. and a good number of medications for mental illness are designed to control the levels of these brain chemicals. the part of the brain most responsible for addiction deal with the pleasure/reward centers of the brain and the persons ability to cope mentally with lifes traumas.
If people could better understand how common place addiction is, and better know the reasons for it, i believe there would be much more tolerance in dealing with those addicts who are truly and deeply suffering from thier affliction.
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