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alcohol & smoking

Ever done something and then wondered why on earth you did it? You are not alone, as every kind of pleasurable behaviour is potentially addictive, and some activities and substances can generate such powerful feelings that it seems life could not be worth living without them. Why is it so hard to leave addictive behaviours behind? The answer lies in the chemical reward mechanisms that the human brain uses to motivate itself to act and learn.

The excitement we get when we are keen to do something is produced by dopamine, a natural brain chemical, very like cocaine in its effect, that raises our emotional level so we want to take action. And the warm feelings of satisfaction we get after doing something — eating, laughing, having sex, or achieving some new understanding or skill — are produced by endorphin, another natural substance (which is similar to heroin).

In a well-balanced life, a reasonable amount of natural reward is felt by the human every day, but in a life where essential emotional needs are not met and abilities are not stretched, the rewards do not come and life feels flat and meaningless.
This kind of life is rich territory for addictions to target, as every addictive substance or behaviour either stimulates a reward mechanism or provides a chemical reward directly.

To get away from addictive behaviour it is necessary to understand two things: the way these reward mechanisms work, and the way life should be constructed in order to receive the natural rewards that make addictive activities less attractive.
Our aim is to help people realise where real rewards lie, and help them find the strength to hold out for these rewards during the (usually quite short) time it takes for the demands of the addictive behaviour to subside.