Sometimes when we can't stop scrolling, we will joke that it's like we are addicted to our phones. Are we? Addiction is so prevalent both in numbers and in casual conversation, to the point where 'Wine Mom' and 'Beer Dad' are big box store t-shirts. But what is addiction? Is it a feeling that we crave, or is it more of an escape from something else? What keeps someone addicted, and why are addictions so hard to break? In this month's deep-dive episode, Laine walks us through some of the science behind the most prevalent and most impactful diagnosis we have had yet. Using findings from scientists Uhl, Koob, Cable, Volkow and Boyle, we discuss things like: what parts of the brain are involved in pleasure and reward how addiction can and will rewire your brain why its so hard for someone to stop a major take away to not only long term recovery possible but to help prevent addiction from occuring For more resources on addiction, head to the episode on our website www.brainblownpodcast.com. If you have any topics you'd be interested in learning more about, please feel free to send us an email at [email protected]! We'd love to hear from you. REFERENCES Donald L. Hilton,Jr and Clark Watts -- Pornography addiction: A neuroscience perspective George F. Koob, Pietro Paolo Sanna and Floyd E. Bloom -- Neuroscience of Addiction Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Maureen Boyle, Ph.D. -- Neuroscience of Addiction: Relevance to Prevention and Treatment George R. Ulh, George F. Koob, and Jennifer Cable -- The Neurobiology of Addiction