Diagnosing addiction

Diagnosing addiction is a complex task that is not as simple as identifying a cause-and-effect relationship.

Attempting to diagnose addiction can sometimes prove unhelpful due to the modern expectation that all health problems should necessitate formal medical treatment, involving doctors and medication.

Addiction can take the shape of substance addiction or behavior addiction. Grasshopper Recovery believes that these are similar, but do have psychophysiological differences. The treatment approach that Grasshopper Philosophy emphasizes depends on the individual.

"Grasshopper Philosophy believes that distinguishing between substances can be both relevant and irrelevant for the recovery approach. It simply depends on the individual."

Substance addiction is the continued engagement in the consumption of something that exists in physical form into the body, leading to damaging or unwanted consequences. For example, alcohol.

This is opposed to behavior addiction, the continued engagement in specific actions and thought patterns (without consumption), leading to damaging or unwanted consequences. For example, gambling.

"It's important to note that both substance and behavior addiction encompass thoughts and intricate brain chemicals."

Various forms of both types of addiction exist, with each substance and behavior affecting brain chemicals, the body, and the mind in different ways.

There are two methods of diagnosing addiction:

1. Professional diagnosis: carried out by a medically trained professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist

2. Self-diagnosis: an evaluation performed by the individual themselves

"At the core of Grasshopper Philosophy lies the belief that individuals can reclaim the power they gave away to addiction."

We would like to make a note here on "The complexity of people".