Carbon monoxide poisoning and addiction(s)

Carbon monoxide poisoning causes physical, toxic, and emotional injury/trauma that can change the brain and the way it functions.

Trauma of any kind can change brain functioning, increasing the likelihood of impulsivity and addictive behavior.

Trauma destabilizes healthy brain function and can cause the brain [and therefore the person] to knowingly or unknowingly be driven to change the "state" their brain is in.

The force of brain trauma (an "unhappy brain") can be overwhelming and addiction(s) can arise as a survivor seeks relief by "self medicating".

As far as the brain is concerned, it doesn't make much difference if an addiction is tobacco, alcohol, drugs, implusive spending, gambling, sex, video games, adrenaline sports, shopping, or anything else.

At the center of any addiction is the deep powerful force to be in a different "brain state". Even if is only for a short time and comes at a high future cost.

Like currents in the ocean, addiction(s) can be overwhelmingly powerful, sweeping a person along in whatever direction the current is flowing.

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CO poisoning caused me to be...

Ron

After I was poisoned I became noticeably more impulsive. I did things and was often left wondering why I did them (when I never would have acted that way before the CO poisoning).

I sometimes just bought things impulsively when I had always been a careful and thoughtful spender. In the year following poisoning I racked up my credit card when I had never even carried a balance before I was poisoned.

Until reading things on this site, I had no idea why I was behaving the way I was behaving.

This site has really got me thinking. Thank you.

Cravings / Addictions

Emily ann from midwest usa

I realized that during my poisoning, I needed to eat more food and if I became too low blood sugar, I would feel quite panicky and crabby.

So food issues really grew out of control, especially sweets and lots of oily foods, like crunchy food ~ anything crunchy was really hard to pass up.

I have studied TCM trad. chinese medicine and the attractions to crunchy food has to do with the LIver being impaired. The crunchy food actually makes the liver function even worse due to the cooked hard to digest and questionable oils used.

Thank you for this wonderful site!

CO poisoning is very strange

Troy

After my CO poisoning I did not get addicted to drugs or alcohol (I felt really crappy if I drank) but I did notice that I had very strong cravings for things like chocolate, coffee and sugar. I never had craving like these before my CO poisoning.

My partner who was also poisoned began shopping and buying things like a mad woman. She was completely out of control with her spending and the weird thing was that she was very careful with her spending before we got poisoned.

This is the first time I have read anything that helps me make sense of the cravings and strange behaviors we had.

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