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A person with an addiction uses a substance, or engages in a behavior, for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeat the activity, despite detrimental consequences. You may want to talk about anxiety, addiction or depression; you may be looking to cope with some life event such as a bereavement, divorce, redundancy or a relationship problem; or you might be feeling stuck in a rut and that you want more out of life.

Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives.

Our therapists have been trained in the UK and are registered members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy best addiction treatment center (BACP), the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or the College of Sexual & Relationship Therapists (COSRT).

The VTA supports learning and sensitization development and releases DA into the forebrain 123 These neurons also project and release DA into the nucleus accumbens, 124 through the mesolimbic pathway Virtually all drugs causing drug addiction increase the dopamine release in the mesolimbic pathway, 125 in addition to their specific effects.

For example, brain-imaging technologies have revealed that our brains respond similarly to different pleasurable experiences, whether derived from ingesting psychoactive substances, such as alcohol and other drugs, or engaging in behaviors, such as gambling, shopping, and sex.

There is evidence that addictive behaviors share key neurobiological features: They intensely involve brain pathways of reward and reinforcement, which involve the neurotransmitter dopamine And, in keeping with other highly motivated states, they lead to the pruning of synapses in the prefrontal cortex, home of the brain's highest functions, so that attention is highly focused on cues related to the target substance or activity.