Nerding Out On The Science Of Addiction, Recovery And Women w/Judith Grisel

Do you ever wonder about the "science" behind addiction?Judy shares her history of using drugs and alcohol and even though she was doing exactly what she thought she wanted she was miserable. Today, after decades of sobriety her life is beyond what she could have ever imagined. Her neuroscience journey has been driven by her desire to understand what is different about the brains of people like her before she got started, then as she succumbed to the substances and then in recovery. Judy became curious about what was so compelling about substances for people like her and also the fact that the same obsession and compulsion that drove her to substance use helped her succeed in school and her career. Judy shares her neuroscience research on what happens to the brain when we use drugs. For women, the relief or using drugs to cope is a big mechanism more so than with men because they are more susceptible at the biological level to stress.  She shares how addiction comes about from experiences and how the brain is adapting in addiction. It can also adapt in recovery but that adaptation takes time. Our feelings and thoughts are the most reliable indicator of how things are going. Our actions and decisions about what we are doing etc are more reliable for gauging progress.   Judy’s research on the use and abuse of recreational drugs began during adolescence. After hitting bottom and getting clean and sober in her twenties, she went on to earn a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience and is currently a professor at Bucknell University. In 2019 Judy published a bestselling book Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction, which has since garnered a worldwide audience.   You can reach out to Judy via email [email protected] her book Never Enough: The Neuroscience And Experience Of Addiction can be found wherever you get your books. Support the showDon’t forget to subscribe, rate & share this episode with a sober woman or someone suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep problems and negative thought patterns who needs to hear she is not alone. Oh, and by the way, if you didn’t know, my remote Neurofeedback Therapy program is up and running. Learn more here! Learn more about EMDR therapy, EMDR Intensives and Remote Neurofeedback.And if you haven't read my memoir, grab a copy of Recovering in Recovery: The Life-Changing Joy of Sobriety wherever books are sold.