Event overview
Addiction ruins lives and comes in many forms - alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, sex, gaming.... How does it happen and can we treat it?
What is addiction? Why is it so difficult to beat? What can be done to help people battling addiction?
The word addiction usually conjures up images of illegal drugs or alcohol and of an underbelly of society - but famous people such as Sir Elton John, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston all battled with addictions, the latter two sadly losing the fight. Further, addiction isn't just about drugs but can happen for anything from skydiving to sex to shopping to eating to gambling to gaming - addiction is basically the loss of control over a once-enjoyable activity...…
In this talk, I will give a psychological and neuropsychological overview of addiction - how does the pursuit of pleasure result in a behaviour that can take over someone's life, often eventually just being continued to stave off displeasure? Why is adolescence such a difficult period when addiction can set in and potentially cause irreversible damage? What are scientists discovering about individual differences and why are some people more prone to addiction than others? What might be the ingredients of a successful rehabilitation programme?
If you want to see recordings of previous talks in this series, please go to this YouTube channel on which you will find two playlists, one for the talks in 2020 and the other for the talks in 2021 - if you subscribe to the channel, you will automatically get notifications whenever any recordings are uploaded:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7hfjGv3Qx1G0ULygi0zy8w
Dates & times
Date | Time | Add to calendar |
---|---|---|
22 Apr 2021 |
7:00pm - 8:00pm The talk will be followed by a question and answer session |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.