The Brainstem Model of Addiction

Patient, Friends, and Family Education Material about the basics of Addiction: (This is a Rough Draft) The basic mechanism of how our decision making process is overwhelmed by intense emotion is reviewed. Substance use and recovery changes the relative intensity of various drives and emotions. This can lead us to being overwhelmed by ideas and feelings of anxiety, anger, euphoria, and shame. The mechanism of cross addiction is reviewed. The mechanism by which addiction re-emerges rapidly if substance use is resumed is described. Disclaimer: this video is for education only and not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of any disease. The author makes no claims about the accuracy of this information. The author accepts no responsibility for how this material is used or misused. The information and material is to be used at your own risk.

Presenter: John Ewing, MD