Addicted to Drama

Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others

By: Dr. Scott Lyons

Narrated by: Dr. Scott Lyons

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

With empathy, humor, and unique insight, a psychologist examines drama addiction and charts a path for healing in this groundbreaking book.

Do you know someone who seems to thrive on chaos, a person who manufactures crisis where there is none, makes mountains out of molehills, and whose very presence feels like an inescapable whirlwind?
You may even label them a “drama queen.”
This person might be someone close to you.
This person might even be you.

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist and mind-body expert Dr. Scott Lyons turns the notion of the “drama queen” on its head, showing that drama is actually an addiction and those who are suffering with it are experiencing a much deeper psychological, biological, and social pain. For a person addicted to drama, the intensity becomes their way of coping. Their life is a constant cycle of crisis, chaos, and chronically high levels of stress. They may never be able to relax without an internal alarm going off, sending them spiraling back toward chaos. Drama is the stirring, the excitement, the exaggeration, the eruption, the unrest, and the medicine to feel alive in relation to the numbing of the internal and external world around them. For a person addicted to drama, the drama is often how they survive—or think they do.

With studies, primary research, and patient stories, Dr. Lyons deconstructs this little-understood addiction, sharing:

• what drama addiction is and what it is not
• how to identify patterns of drama addiction in yourself and others
• the somatic effects of drama addiction, including chronic fatigue, autoimmune disease, joint and muscle pains, and other conditions
• the origins of drama addiction— and how we are heading towards a global pandemic of a dependency on crisis and chaos
• accessible exercises for recovery and healing

Rather than dismiss addiction to drama as just attention-seeking, Dr. Lyons offers clear-eyed empathy, humor, and practical strategies to help us all understand and break free of the drama cycle.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Scott Lyons (P)2023 Hachette Go

Critic reviews

“Dr. Scott Lyon’s new book Addicted to Drama compassionately unpacks the underlying dynamics that keep many of our relationships stuck in cycles of stress and chaos. Offering relatable examples and actionable steps, this book will help you break free of these patterns to create deeper and more authentic relationships.”—Nicole LePera, The Holistic Psychologist, New York Times bestselling author of How To Do The Work

“One of our lifetime's most significant and silent endemics stems from jumping from one crisis to another and creating chaos to run from deeper pain, depleting our vital energy, resources, and time. Dr. Scott Lyons offers a step-by-step process to solve this draining dilemma and heal the underlying pain. Read, learn, heal and find safety away from drama--in yourself and from those who are addicted to it.”—Peter A. Levine, PhD, author of Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma, and In an Unspoken Voice

“Dr. Scott’s new book guides readers through a compassionate journey of understanding how an addiction to DRAMA is playing out in our lives and being replicated on a mass scale. Dr. Scott shows us that there is hope, with a fresh perspective on healing trauma and liberating ourselves from crisis, chaos, and the addiction, the never-ending cycle of drama. Read this book to heal yourself and make a change in the world.”—Justin Michael Williams, Grammy-nominated artist, author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us

So helpful!

I read this trying to help loved ones. Turns out, I fall into this as well! It was a much needed and thought provoking book. I highly recommend it to anyone who knows/is someone who has these tendencies.

Beautiful

I always need to listen at higher speed but this book is brilliant so far and there are no reviews so I’ll break the ice. Wow.

This book is revolutionary

I heard Scott on a podcast and knew I had to get his book. I've always had a difficult relationship with my mother, and therapists that I've seen have told me she's a narcissist and that I should distance myself from her. This book explains her to a T. She may be a narcissist, but she is definitely addicted to drama. This explains a lot about how her childhood helped to create her current relationship to drama, and how I can help cope with her. I also have to admit that I've fallen into some of these tendencies, especially about stress, in the past. Thank you so much for writing this book! I'm about to order a hard copy too.

Excellent!

I never realized that there was something called ‘being addicted to drama.’ I don’t believe I have all the symptoms but I do want to remain aware of when I could be feeding off drama or the rare cases when I may start it or encourage it. Very eye opening!

The missing link in psychotherapy

I absolutely loved this book. It helped me in so many ways. Personñay, it helped me to pinpoint how I can fall into the trap of drama. As a health professional it also helped me to understand many things around peoples true needs and how to set better boundaries to keep myself sane. As a woman, it made so clear to whom I was married and why all those gaps, all those answered questions about his behaviors. This book is not only for people who are addicted to drama. It is for everyone!! Thanks for the great work. Narration was perfect.