Are you engaging in a substance or behavior that you find hard to stop or reducing it?
 

Do you have cravings or strong desires for it? Are you have social problems because of it?  Are you depressed because you can’t stop?  Are you having problems at work, home or school because of it?  Do you experience physical or mood changes when you try to stay away from it? You've tried everything, you want to feel better, but just can't seem to get there and you wonder if things will ever change?

​

Addiction is a condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a need to repeatedly pursue the substance or behavior despite negative consequences. Addiction may involve the use of drugs and alcohol, or behaviors such as, shopping, video games, plastic surgery, food addiction, pornography, sex, or gambling.

​

The struggle with addictive behavior has an increased likelihood of being accompanied by mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety or other pre-existing problems. Over time, pursuit of the pleasurable effects of the substance or behavior may dominate an individual’s activities.

Although all addictions have the capacity to induce a sense of hopelessness and feelings of failure, as well as shame and guilt, research documents that recovery is the rule rather than the exception, and that there are many routes to recovery.

 

The road to recovery is seldom straight: relapse, or recurrence of indulgence, is common—but definitely not the end of the road.