Addiction & Substance use

Addiction refers to compulsive engagement with substances or behaviors, lack of control over usage, persistent harmful consequences, and chronic relapse cycles that explore brain reward circuitry on a biochemical level. Addiction impacts lives through bad health, relationship issues, career instability, mental distress, financial hardship and more.
Substances commonly abused include alcohol, illicit drugs like cocaine or heroin, misused prescription medications, and nicotine. Additional behavioral addictions like gambling, gaming, pornography, exercise, eating, shopping, use the same mechanisms in the brain driving compulsion despite negative results.
At Mindagon, we view addiction as a treatable, chronic disease of the brain requiring a personalized recovery plan including psychotherapy, mindfulness practices building distress tolerance, lifestyle changes, support groups, and potentially medical interventions for those dependent on drugs or alcohol.