Broadwater Studio

Key Takeaways #1: Meth changes the brain’s reward system in ways that make quitting hard, but research shows the brain has real capacity to heal once someone stops using, even if that healing takes time.  #2: There’s no FDA-approved medication for methamphetamine use disorder, but behavioral treatments like contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing … Read more

Key Takeaways The brain adapts to repeated substance use long before behavior changes are obvious, which is why someone can be building tolerance for months while still meeting deadlines, showing up to dinner, and seeming completely fine. Denial often isn’t a person lying to everyone around them. It’s frequently a person lying to themselves first, and believing it. Fear of judgment keeps people quiet. Nationally, roughly 1 in … Read more

Key Takeaways Methamphetamine floods your brain with dopamine at levels far beyond anything a natural reward like food or connection can produce, which is why the pull toward using again can feel so much stronger than willpower alone. Meth use rewires three specific brain regions, the reward circuit, the stress and anxiety circuit, and the … Read more

Key Takeaways #1: Genetics account for an estimated 40 to 60 percent of a person’s risk for addiction, which means your family history matters a lot more than willpower or moral character ever did. #2: Adverse childhood experiences, things like abuse, neglect, or growing up in a home affected by substance use or mental illness, are … Read more