THE PULL OF ADDICTION -- AND HOW TO BREAK ITS CHAINS.Byline: -- Semhar Debessai Chocolate. Movies. Shopping. We tend to joke often about our individual addictions. And we joke because most of the time our infatuations are detrimental only to our wallets or our waistlines. But to the people featured in the upcoming HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy documentary "Addiction," the struggle to stop -- or even just control -- a personal compulsion is no laughing matter No Laughing Matter is an episode of U.S. Acres from the series Garfield and Friends. It was the 74th episode produced for the series, although it is listed as the 71st episode on the Garfield and Friends DVD. It originally aired on October 21, 1989. . It's debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction . It ruins lives. The 90-minute "Addiction" follows individuals with life-threatening substance-abuse issues to spotlight a problem that affects a reported 23.2 million Americans. By reframing reframing (rē·frāˑ·ming), n the revisiting and reconstruction of a patient's view of an experience to imbue it with a different usually more positive meaning in the addiction as a "treatable brain disease," rather than simply a moral failure, the filmmakers hope to introduce a more scientific, realistic road to recovery. Experts in the field use advancements in brain-imaging science and show how the chemistry of an addict's brain changes his or her behavior. They also explain how conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder bipolar disorder, formerly manic-depressive disorder or manic-depression, severe mental disorder involving manic episodes that are usually accompanied by episodes of depression. and attention deficit disorder attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD or ADHD) formerly hyperactivity Behavioral syndrome in children, whose major symptoms are inattention and distractibility, restlessness, inability to sit still, and difficulty concentrating on one thing for any , among others, create in some a need for an addictive substance. And they look to behavioral therapy behavioral therapy n. See behavior therapy. combined with medication for an effective recovery, stressing that "addiction should be viewed as a chronic illness, one that may require continuing care continuing care a professional convention that a veterinarian who is treating an animal is obliged to continue treating that case unless an arrangement is made with its custodian to transfer the care to another practitioner or to a specialist. ." HBO is spreading this message of hope -- and hoping for a change in public opinion -- by expanding to print, online and grass-roots mediums. In addition to the film, the multimedia project includes a companion book, an interactive Web site and a 30-city nationwide community outreach campaign to educate the public with town hall meetings and other community events. The book -- "Addiction: Why Can't They Just Stop?" -- compresses more than two years of research into 251 pages of easy-to-read commentary, data, personal testimonies, expert advice and even midchapter quizzes to help answer various "how do I know if ..." questions. The documentary's images of addicts in the continuous fight for control are emotional and telling -- surprising, even, as many readers likely will find faces that look just like them. The difference is that the addicts hide the weight of their addictions behind nonthreatening eyes, unassuming exteriors and stoic expressions. One of these people is Aubrey, 23, who has been in and out of rehab since she was 16. She can recall a time not that long ago when her dream was to be a professional dancer. Now she just wants to be clean. "You're constantly using that (addict) label for yourself," she says in the documentary. "But that's not who I am. ... I'm lots of things. But when I'm getting high, I'm none of those things." "Addiction" premieres Thursday on HBO and will be available as a four-disc DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. set on March 20. ADDICTION What: Documentary looks at the perils, pitfalls and potential for recovery by following the addicts themselves. Where: HBO. When: 9 p.m. Thursday. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) "Addiction" features experts like Dr. Nora D. Volkow, above, an authority on brain imaging science and the addicted brain, and profiles addicts themselves, including Ted, below. |
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