Discussion 1 – Gambling Addiction – Answer in 100 – 150 words
Gambling addiction is very interesting. With drugs and alcohol there is obvious physical component regarding how the drugs interact in the brain. But – gambling doesn’t directly act on your pleasure center of the brain – it begins behaviorally. How do we get addicted to gambling?
Discussion 2 – The word addiction – Answer in 100-150 words
In our society we tend to put the word “addiction’ in front of a lot of different behaviors. Examples: addicted to shopping, addicted to gambling, addicted to love, etc. etc. Are these accurate uses of the word? Or do we overuse it in our society, thereby diminishing it’s value?
Discussion 3 – The question “Why” = Answer in 100-150 words
This discussion makes me think about the question ‘why’. “Why” is an important question. Why do people continue to engage in negative behaviors? This is a question you will continually ask yourself as a professional in the field. The better question is to ask is “What is positive for them?” – in other words – What are they getting out of engaging in this behavior? We all do things for various different reasons. Unless we can understand why someone continues to do something – we can’t help them stop. lets be honest – everyone who smokes knows the health risks and dangers. And everyone continues to smoke. They are getting something from smoking – whether it’s relaxation, or socialization, or physical, etc. etc. It is only in understanding those issues that we can help someone change.
Thoughts?
Discussion 4 – Mindfulness – Answer in 100-140 words
Mindfulness is a technique that is being taught in several different disciplines. I came across it in my work with DBT – a therapist protocol for borderline personality. This is a skill meant to help a person live in the moment, focus their energies, and regain control over their thoughts and emotions.
http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/Mindfulness_For_Clients__Friends_and_Family.pdf
Have you heard of this before? How do you think it would be helpful to someone with borderline personality disorder?
