Many people find addiction baffling. Why do individuals suffering from this illness continue to use, even when they know it is destroying their lives and harming others? Addiction challenges our common-sense notion that if something hurts, we won’t do it. The answer to the mystery of addiction lies in neurobiology. Addiction develops as a dysregulation of the brain’s drive-reward system. What follows is a description of the neurobiological basis of addiction, which will hopefully shed some light on this complex disease.

Addiction is a complex illness with multiple contributing factors. It can be thought of as pain management gone awry. Almost always, more than one factor is involved. In this free ebook, you’ll learn about these factors:

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• Biological or genetic

• Psychological

• Social and environmental

• Interpersonal

• Cultural

• Existential or spiritual

Is addiction a disease? People disagree about whether addiction is a brain disease or simply a maladaptive behavior. This book explains that the answer depends on how you define “addiction.”

Choosing recovery involves three steps:

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• Recognizing the reality and pain of your addiction

• Developing the hope that recovery is a better solution than addiction

• Removing roadblocks to change, including asking for help

This free e-publication explains these steps in more detail and offers advice for overcoming episodes of relapse. It reminds readers that successful recovery from addiction requires patience and perseverance, while inspiring them to have faith in themselves and the recovery process.

Joy is our true nature. You only need to watch children playing in a park to witness our joyful essence expressed. We all have the capacity to experience peace and joy. But joy is not something to be pursued; if you try to pursue it, it will evade your grasp. Like happiness, joy is something to be accessed, not pursued.

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How do we access the joy of life? How do we realize joy amid what often seems mundane or difficult? This free e-publication answers those questions and offers intentional practices for cultivating joy.