Understanding Substance Use Disorders (COD Lesson)

Substance use behaviors of any kind can be described as an intense effort to fill an underlying hunger. This is not a hunger for food or nourishment, but rather for comfort, approval, and a yearning to fill an emotional emptiness. In this lesson we will examine primary reasons to engage in addictive behavior and consider some of the numerous consequences of addiction. A self-assessment checklist will help you assess the specific ways you seek to escape emotional pain. Also, you will examine why people substitute one compulsion or addiction for another.