THE CARING CENTER

The Disease

Alcohol and all addictive drugs produce a reward system in the brain. Using addictive drugs gives us a feeling of well-being and alleviates bad feelings leading to addiction. The powerful disruptive effect of addiction in all areas of patient’s lives leads to addictive beliefs, defensiveness, guilt, shame, anger and hopelessness manifested in patients suffering from the disease of addiction. As the disease progresses, patients have difficulty managing their feelings, thinking, and controlling their behavior. They also may drink or do drugs to cope with feelings of depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. This amounts to chasing relief with a response that leads to distress. Over time, individuals lose control and their behavior becomes increasingly impulsive and unpredictable.

Treatment Philosophy

Counseling Inc believes that addiction is a complex brain disease that disrupts the way critical brain structures interact to control judgment, decision-making and behavior. It is a very misunderstood disease because it is primarily manifested in behavior rather than through physical symptoms associated with other diseases. The inability to regulate behavior is a key feature of the disease that is very hard to understand and accept, because that is what most people do. The behaviors that are often seen in people who abuse drugs and alcohol are often misperceived as strictly that person’s choice rather than a disease where people have great difficulty regulating their behavior because of the disruption of critical brain structures.  Sadly, 21 million of the 22 million people suffering from drug and alcohol dependence do not receive treatment. This is unthinkable for a disease that ravages this country and destroys lives, families and communities the way that addiction does. This country and the medical profession would not tolerate this lack of treatment for any other disease of this magnitude. Counseling Inc believes this is in large part due to the lack of understanding of drug addiction as a disease that “erodes a person’s self-control and ability to make sound decisions, while sending intense impulses to take drugs or alcohol”. (NIDA - National Institutes of Drug Abuse)