In this video, we get back to basics with regards to Addiction, using the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s Definition of Addiction as a fundamental framework. Within this, we understand Addiction to be a genetic condition that is triggered by environment, including by things like stress, adverse childhood experiences, trauma, exposure to substances and behaviours, and other things.

Addiction is primary which means it is not caused by anything else and is a standalone condition in and of itself. Addiction is also chronic which means it is lifelong in impact, though the exact symptoms and manifestation of this vary over time and with recovery.

As with any chronic disease, long-term management and treatment is essential and this can lead to a very high quality of life.

HUM is an outpatient program located in Calgary, AB specializing in the treatment of Addiction as well as mental health and chronic pain. You can watch videos similar to this on our YouTube channel.