Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Addiction Proof Your Family with Maia Szalavitz [Podcast]

May 19, 2017

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

Addiction has become a big buzz word. You hear about it from the media reports, books, and friends. And it’s no longer just about drugs and alcohol, but food, the internet, gambling, and even healthy activities like exercise.

Is addiction simply a brain disease that leaves people powerless or is there something else going on?

Today we have on science writer Maia Szalavitz, author of The New York Time Bestseller Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction. She not only has a personal history of addiction, she has spent years researching its underpinnings. Maia argues that addiction isn’t a disease but rather a learning disorder more similar to autism, ADHD and dyslexia. Using her story as a backdrop — and citing the latest research — she helps readers see how addiction risk begins in childhood and either withers or grows throughout life. She also recommends better, research-based treatments for people who have already become addicted.

Anyone who has experienced the heart-wrenching reality of addiction knows that we need to do more and learn more about how to make it stop.

Highlights from the show

  • Why addiction is a Learning Disorder involving timing and “overlearning” and is about much more than the brain’s pleasure centers getting hijacked.
  • The one thing all addicted people have in common (and it’s not just physical dependence). It’s why babies can’t become addicted.
  • Why more extreme temperaments make people vulnerable to addictive behaviors. For instance, half of people with addictions have other conditions such as depression, anxiety and ADHD
  • The signs, and circumstances, that increase a child’s risk for addiction and what parents can do mitigate that risk.
  • Why social exclusion and a lack of connection with others is more of a risk factor for early substance use than peer pressure.
  • How relying on punishment makes matters worse and why it’s better to create an environment of a acceptance, empathy, and healthy coping.
  • The role pleasure and desire play in the development of addiction.
  • How the brain’s failed search for patterns can be a hook for addiction (which is why the internet — and checking your phone — can be so problematic). And how to use patterned behavior to help avoid addiction like predictable sweet offerings and scheduled screen time.
  • How rituals help families stay healthy and connected.
  • The role genes play in addiction and why no one is ever doomed to become addicted.
  • The importance of teaching children self compassion, social skills, and self regulation.
  • What the research says about prevention, best treatments, and the first thing people should do when they discover someone they love is struggling with addiction.

 Quote from Unbroken Brain

Addiction just doesn’t appear; it unfolds — Maia Szalavitz 

Links from the show

Maia Szalavitz’s website

Unbroken Brain

Other books by Maia

4 Traits that Put Kids at Risk for Addiction (Maia’s NY Times article)

Duration: 1:09
Download episode
Subscribe via ITunes, Stitcher or RSS

Podcast Music: Corporate Uplifting by Scott Holmes

Related Posts

  • family of three under the covers and feet showing
    Introducing The Healthy Family Podcast

    Welcome to the first episode of The Healthy Family Podcast! In this short-10-minute episode, I…

  • Tiny Habits with BJ Fogg [Podcast]

    Does this sound familiar? You try to add a new habit and for a while,…

  • Intuitive Eating with Elyse Resch [Podcast]

    With over 60 studies to support it, intuitive eating is emerging as a positive approach…

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

Categories: The Healthy Family Podcast 1 Comment

« 6 Things About Puberty and Growth Every Parent Must Know
My Cooking Adventures with the Power Air Fryer XL [Review] »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Heart Health for Women Over 40 Comes Down to This
  • How to Diet-Proof Your Daughter with Amelia Sherry [Podcast]
  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?

Random Posts

  • What New Moms Really Need to Keep BreastfeedingWhat New Moms Really Need to Keep Breastfeeding
  • 5 Ways to Cultivate an Appreciation of Food in Your Child5 Ways to Cultivate an Appreciation of Food in Your Child

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT