The impact of addiction on the brain is both catastrophic and comprehensive. When the brain is damaged by an addicting chemical, its executive functions—including judgment, decision making, and ...

Addiction comes from the Latin word "addicere" meaning "to be awarded to another as a slave." Here I explain how this definition plays out in the brain in general terms, and the importance of ...

Why do so many people struggle to stop drinking, quit smoking, or resist endless scrolling on their phones? Addiction touches millions of lives, yet it's often misunderstood as a personal weakness or ...

As marathon running booms, researchers are uncovering why the sport can reshape the brain, build resilience and create a new ...

Consider someone addicted to alcohol, drugs, or a behavior like gambling. Why do they continue, even when they say they want to stop? It's a question that highlights a fundamental disconnect: the gap ...

Addiction can change the brain in ways that make it extremely difficult for a person to stop using a drug, even when that ...

“I’m passionate about popular education when it comes to generally increasing the understanding of addiction disorders to break the stigma,” says Markus Heilig, professor of psychiatry and director of ...

Cocaine addiction isn’t simply a failure of willpower — it’s the result of lasting biological changes in the brain. Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that repeated cocaine use ...

“GREG” was only 36 when the scales hit 180 kilograms. “I was an eater,” he says. “I ate all day, every day because if I didn’t feel full, I didn’t feel right.” As a result, Greg, a computer programmer ...

This publication has been produced to meet accepted Accessibility standards and contains various accessibility features including concise image descriptions, a table of contents, a page list to ...

There’s nothing wrong in asking for help.” That was one of the takeaways from the latest in the “Ask a Doc” series sponsored ...