10. Gambling, Sex, and Food

As he drove past the casino, he could see the marquee, the valet parking stand...and the feelings started up again. He felt the thrill of placing a bet, of winning a pot. He felt energy, and his mind went faster. He wanted to be there, and he could feel the very cards in his hands...As he drove farther and the casino was left far behind, he mumbled, “Staying away is getting a little easier, but it’s far from easy.”

Can we be addicted to something besides drugs? Maybe we can. Consider the broad definition of addiction, which is a search for, or a preoccupation with something, that ends up being distressing or destructive to you, and you can’t easily stop.1 In recent years, there have been more and more studies of various ...

Get The Addicted Brain: Why We Abuse Drugs, Alcohol, and Nicotine now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.