Chemical Dependency and Compulsive Behaviors

Book excerpt: There is a tremendous concern and interest in the number of chemical dependents with co-existing compulsive behaviors. However, no one has developed a theory that can explain the high prevalence of compulsive behaviors in chemical dependents, and more importantly, describe the treatment and recovery implications. The literature and professionals are divided with the counselors/clinicians on one side and the researchers on the other. The authors try to bridge this obvious gap by writing a book that can bring recent genetic/biochemical research to the counselor/clinician in a way that will help them diagnose and treat their patients. This book is the result of the authors' long interest in and study of chemical dependency and compulsive behaviors. It begins with the observation that chemical dependents experience a much higher prevalence of compulsive behaviors than the general population. Although many have written about the two subjects--generally the relationship of a single compulsive behavior to chemical dependency--none have developed a theory with supporting research that ties the type of chemical dependency to specific compulsive behaviors. The authors describe recent research that connects chemical dependency and compulsive behaviors to the underlying genetic/biochemical mechanisms, and provide detailed examinations of the clinical implications of the model as well as case histories.