Through his life experiences growing up in a home with addiction and abuse, Nick Lechnir takes you on a deep dive into the mindset of addictive behavior, and reveals how we can truly understand and help those in need, while relating to current research and solutions for dealing with addiction and mental health challenges. Photo credits go to the amazing artists and photographers on Pixabay.

1. How to Deeply Understand the Mindset of
Addictive Behavior and Win the Battle
Nick Lechnir

2. 
Introduction

3. 
Introduction

4. 
Introduction

5. 
ADDICTION
LOSS
RECOVERY

6. 
PART 1:
ADDICTION

7. 
LIFE WITH MY DAD

8. 
Life with my dad
 Army and war veteran
 Farmer
 Laborer at Fertilizer Plant
 Obligated and overextended
 Mood Disorder

9. 
Life with my dad

10. 
“Barney the Beast”
“Fearless Fife”
“You think you’re
man enough,
fella?”
Life with my dad

11. 
Life with my dad
 Intolerant of silly or childish
behavior
 Sullen, distant, and angry
 Rough play
 Critical of others
 Abusive

12. 
VICIOUS CIRCLE

13. 
Any process where one event
feeds off another, but which
seems trapped in a loop and
eventually returns to its starting
point, with no benefit gained.
Vicious Circle

14. 
Vicious Circle

15. 

16. 
Abusive behavior in the family is
often handed down from
previous generations.
It becomes familiar.
Vicious Circle

17. 
Abusive behavior was evident in
my family as early as I can
remember.
Vicious Circle

18. 
The deep dark secret…
ALCOHOLISM

19. 
WHEN DID IT
START?
Alcoholism

20. 
 Social drinker
 Heavy drinker
 Closet drinker
 Severe alcoholic
I knew my dad as a...
When did it start?

21. 
When did it start?
 Childhood?
 Teen years?
 Army 1953?
 Fall of 1978?

22. 
When did it start?
His two favorites were
blackberry brandy and
peppermint Schnapps.
Why?

23. 
Symptoms of Alcoholism
 Strange actions and speech
 Drunken binges
 Blackouts
 No memory
 Drunk driving

24. 
Symptoms of Alcoholism
 More ornery, surly, hidden, and
unapproachable
 Lashing out, mean-spirited
insults, and temper tantrums
 Anger and rage
 Verbal and physical abuse

25. 
Doing the same thing over and
over again, and expecting a
different result.
Life had become truly insane!
Insanity

26. 
Fool me once,
shame on you!
Insanity
Fool me
twice,
shame on
me!
Fool me 3x… well,
you ain’t gonna
fool me again!

27. 
Insanity

28. 
Denial
It ain’t
the
river in
Eqypt!

29. 
Denial
An addict’s favorite phrase…
“I can stop any time I want”

30. 
Denial

31. 
Dysfunctional Family
Roles

32. 
Dysfunctional Family Roles

33. 
 Addict
 Enabler/Caretaker/Codependent (usually the spouse)
 Responsible/Good Child/Family (usually oldest child)
 Troublemaker/Problem Child/Scapegoat/Rebel (blamed
for everything)
 Mascot/Clown (lightens the mood)
 Lost Child/Loner (disappears when there is trouble)
 Manipulator/Sneak (similar to the troublemaker and
doesn't get caught or blamed)
 Angel/Perfect Child (can do no wrong)
Dysfunctional Family Roles

34. 

35. 
Bad becomes worse.

36. 
The Accident
Depression
Jail time
Detox (6 times)
Bad becomes worse

37. 

38. 
BIOLOGY

39. 
The 4 Feel Good
Chemicals

40. 
Endorphins
Serotonin
Oxytocin
Dopamine

41. 
Endorphins
Responsible for masking
pain or discomfort, which
explains their association
with the “fight or flight”
response.

42. 
Serotonin
It’s your mood regulator.
Whether you’re in a good
mood or a bad mood, that’s
serotonin.

43. 
Oxytocin
Makes us feel empathy
which helps us feel close
and bonded to others.
The “cuddle” chemical.

44. 
Dopamine
Regulates emotional
responses, and compels us to
take action toward pleasure.
The anticipation of happiness.

45. 
Dopamine
WARNING!
Addictive substances kill
dopamine receptors.

46. 
Dopamine
When the addicted brain has
less dopamine, you need more
(alcohol, cocaine, meth, pills,
food, gambling, etc.) to get
more dopamine, and...

47. 
Dopamine
It eventually becomes a
never ending escalating
cycle.

48. 
The Not So Feel Good
Chemical

49. 
Cortisol

50. 
Cortisol
The “stress hormone”.
A hormone your body
releases when you’re under
a lot of stress.

51. 
Cortisol
Chronic stress puts your
health at risk.
Prolonged secretion changes
the chemical makeup of your
brain.

52. 
Cortisol
Making you sicker and
more addicted.
Stuck!

53. 
PART 2:
LOSS

54. 
LOSS OF…
 Childhood
 Happiness
 Sanity
 Freedom
 Relationships
 Trust

55. 
LOSS OF…
 Jobs/Employment
 Opportunities
 Friendships
 Money
 Time

56. 
Side Effects
 Low Self Worth
 Shame and Guilt
 Bed wetting
 Resentment, Hatred and
Grudges

57. 
Side Effects
 Jumping to conclusions/Irrational
behavior
 Overreacting/Knee jerk reactions
 Impatience/Irritability/Easily
annoyed
Fear/ Paranoia
 Magical thinking/Superstition

58. 
Side Effects
 Highly judgmental and critical
of others and self
 Depression/Anxiety
 Panic Attacks
 Suicidal thoughts
 Anger/Rage

59. 

60. 

61. 
TEEN YEARS

62. 
Life of the party!

63. 
Or maybe not…

64. 

65. 
PART 3:
RECOVERY

66. 
Recovery
 My dad recovered in 1990.
 He become a mentor for
developmentally disabled clients.
 He died in 2000 from COPD.
 We made peace with each other.
 My mom died in 2015 from
Alzheimer’s Disease.

67. 
Recovery
 I received counseling.
 Married 21 years with 6 children.
 Successful employment for 30 years.
 We have bad days.
 Communication, love, and forgiveness
 My siblings have issues.

68. 
Recovery
What can you do?

69. 
Recovery
 Awareness
 Get help when it’s needed.
 Engage in communication,
compassion, and forgiveness.
 Weather the storm of marriage and
family life.
 Engage in healthy activities.

70. 
Recovery
 Forget grudges and hatred
 Confront and speak your
mind
 Realize that people are just
human and they have flaws

71. 
Recovery
“Good Experience Deficit”

72. 
Recovery
 Focus on good memories.
 Make more good memories.
 Be passionate about life.
 Tip the scales with more good
experiences than bad.

73. 
Recovery
Get involved in your
community.

74. 
Recovery
 Mental Health Coalition – Media Relations
Manager
 Toastmasters – VP of Public Relations
 Grandad Half Marathon Advisory Committee
 Riverside Corporate Wellness Advisory
Committee
 New Horizons Shelter and Outreach Center
 Great Rivers United Way

75. 
Recovery
Keep yourself busy
doing things you love.

76. 
Recovery
 Professional Photography
 Web design
 Writing
 Running/Strength Training
 Family Time

77. 
Recovery
Step out of your shell.

78. 
Recovery
 Write articles
 Record videos
 Make podcasts
 Speak at events
 Write and publish a book

79. 
Recovery

80. 
Recovery

81. 
WHAT ARE THE
ODDS?

82. 
What are the odds?
The chance that human life
even came into existence at
all is about 1 in 4300 (1 in 4 to
the power of 300)
or...

83. 
What are the odds?
4,149,516,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000!

84. 
What are the odds?
The chance of you being born
exactly the way you are is
about 1 in 10974076 (1 in 10 to
the power of 974,076).
That’s an incredibly large
number!

85. 
What are the odds?
The same as being struck by
lightning 1200 times in one
day!

86. 
What are the odds?

87. 
What are the odds?
Or every resident in Alaska
sneezing at the exact same
time!

88. 
What are the odds?

89. 
What are the odds?
Or 100,000 people all winning
the lottery jackpot at the
exact same drawing!

90. 
What are the odds?

91. 
You are unique
You’re here for a reason.
Go out and make a difference
in someone’s life!
Make a positive impact!

92. 
Nick Lechnir
Email: njlech@hotmail.com
Website: http://leapfroggingsuccess.com
Book: http://amzn.to/2sVoilI
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/njlech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-lechnir-a770ba10
Toastmasters: http://411.toastmastersclubs.org
Mental Health Coalition: http://mentalhealthlacrosse.org

93. 
Thank you!
Questions?