Co-authored with Cece Sykes, LICSW

Cannabis, screens, drinking, drugs, gaming, food, hookups! We have so many ways to check out. And it’s not always easy to check back in. As a result, addiction is a universal concern these days.

When addiction is viewed as a disease juggernaut that overpowers and conquers regardless of negative consequences, providers and clients alike often conclude that treatment must focus on eradication. While there is no debating the high risks and extreme consequences of serious addictive practices, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy has a contrasting view of the origin and function of addiction. It’s survival work. Simply put, the well-intentioned protective subpersonalities (parts in the language of IFS) who engage in addictive practices aim to save the internal family by soothing underlying emotional pain that has the potential to cripple.

From this perspective, here’s how addiction develops. A vulnerable part gets hurt, and then the proactive manager parts, a team of strong, controlling, task-oriented agents named for their devotion to stability and improvement, try to hide or improve that part. As their tactics become too inhibitory and harsh, a distracting/soothing team (called firefighters in IFS because their job is to douse the flames of emotional pain and shame) employs some rapid-result self-medication like alcohol, drugs, food, or sex to distract from or soothe the now aggravated emotional pain of the wounded part.

While this attempted solution harks to the inner logic of feeling better in the moment, its toll on the........

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