Ignore it (its not mine btw ) just so i can get free ppt 😂

1. Primer on Addiction
Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC, NCC
Executive Director AllCEUs

2. Objectives
 Define Addiction (Characteristics)
 Describe How Addiction Develops
 Compare Chemical and Behavioral Addictions
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3. Addiction Definition
 Substance, activity or person used to escape from negative
feeling states despite negative consequences
 Addictions can be chemical or behavioral
 They help people escape distress by providing a rush of
pleasure chemicals.
 Even though nothing about the person’s situation has
changed, the activity or substance causes a feeling of
euphoria making them forget (or not care) about their
distress
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4. Activity
 When you are angry/stressed/depressed, what do you do?
 For each behavior you identified, ask yourself:
How do I benefit from this?
How does this negatively impact me?
What alternatives are there?
How would I benefit from these alternatives?
What might be the drawbacks to the alternatives?
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5. Activity cont…
 Results
 Some of these behaviors are escape behaviors
Which can help you distract or escape for a time
Give you a chance to de-escalate and get out of your
emotional mind
 Other behaviors may help you
Change the situation
Change how you feel about the situation
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6. Activity: Identifying Escape Behaviors
 For each of the behaviors listed below which
you use to escape/distract yourself/get a rush…
 Give examples of what you do to engage in this behavior.
 What is the benefit of this behavior for just helping you
escape?
 What are the drawbacks for this behavior?
 How can I avoid using this behavior as an escape/substitute
addiction?
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7. Activity: Identifying Escape Behaviors
 Which of the behaviors listed below do you use
to escape/distract yourself/get a rush…
 Activities
Breaking the Law Creating Drama Drugs and/or Alcohol
Exercise Food/Eating Gambling
Internet Pornography Relationships
Risk Taking/Adrenaline Sex Shopping
Work
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8. Activity: Escape Behaviors cont…
 Using behaviors to escape or avoid dealing with things, or
to make yourself feel better may be a sign of
psychological relapse.
 Relapse starts long before you return to using your
addiction of choice.

9. Defining Addiction: Diagnostic Criteria
 Give at least one example of how that has applied to you over
the past 6 months.
 Explore why you may be doing each behavior
 Used more than intended, spent more money than intended or
spent more time than intended engaging in addictive behaviors.
 Been unsuccessful at stopping or significantly reducing my use of
addictive behaviors
 Tolerance increased? That is have you needed more of the same
substance or activity or needed to combine them
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10. Defining Addiction: Diagnostic Criteria
 Engaged in risky behaviors
 Spent more time than intended thinking about use, planning to
use, using or recovering from use?
 Spending more time engaging in addictive behaviors and less time
with friends, family, in work or school related activities or
pursuing hobbies, sports or other interests.
 In the past six months I have experienced emotional or physical
side effects as a result or using or withdrawing from use. (i.e.
depression, anxiety, nausea, headaches, shakes etc.)
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11. Summary
 Addiction is a way of escaping from distress
 People have a variety of escape behaviors
 Escape behaviors are useful unless they are used to the
exclusion of coping skills
 There are a variety of things that can make life
unmanageable
 Once addictions are used, it causes or worsens
neurochemical imbalances
 Recovery involves identifying and coping with the
physical, mental and situational causes of the distress