Addiction As Brain Disease

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

Addiction, it is all around us, affecting people from all walks of life, it is not limited to certain social classes or lifestyles. It is found in every ethnic group, regardless of gender or age. It affects our neighbors, our friends, and our family either directly or indirectly. Although substances such as alcohol and illegal drugs are two of the most common addictions we hear about, there is a wide range of substances and even activities such as gambling and shopping. There is some debate whether addiction is a brain disease or a choice.

The ponderance that Brain = Behavior and the inherent ramifications of such proves no more fascinating than when addressed in the context of "Addiction and the Brain". Essential to consider is:

Patho-physiologists define addiction as a disease, thus affording to the chemical imbalance between the limbic and frontal lobes of the brain (Litowitz 2012). Psychologists have taken a broader approach, linking neuroscience with a binomial relationship to human behaviour in order to diagnose and challenge whether addiction is mind over matter, or indeed a neurological disorder (Burton, Westen, Kowalski, 2012). The following essay will firstly discuss three theories of psychology and how they each approach this binomial relationship; with particular reference to Internet addiction. Secondly, the paper will discuss research and results particular to each therapy and finally, argue that cognitive therapy as opposed to psychodynamic therapy and behavioural therapy, is a better catalyst for effective treatment of Internet addiction.

Dopamine is defined as a neurochemical that supports fine motor activity, blood pressure, focus inspiration, intuition, and joy, among other functions (“Dopamine”). The brain interprets all items of pleasure in the same manner. Whether someone has sexual intercourse, eats a delicious meal, or smokes marijuana, the brain releases dopamine in the same fashion. Drugs ranging from nicotine to heroin all produce the same signals in the nucleus accumbens, which is a group of nerve cells that sits below the cerebral cortex (“Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain”). In “Violence in Movies, Music, and Media,” by Jeanne Nagle, dopamine is compared to a shot of a heavy-duty amphetamine (38). The entertainment an individual finds in shooting another person on a TV screen is the same as one who watches a violent movie that interests them as well. As dopamine is released, the brain naturally wants more as it is very addictive by nature (“Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain”). Rosner for example, the man addicted to videogames, could sit down and be vegetative for 18 hours at a time playing his favorite game. The dopamine released while playing was enough to almost shut down his prefrontal regions in his brain that affect judgement and concern – leading him to play more and more violent games (Linden). People who begin as mildly curious or interested in the world of violence, zombies, and vampires can quickly become an addicted expert on the subject

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

The brain disease concept from this documentary series restricts our understanding of complex behaviors such as drug addiction or alcohol use as a large population of society wonders why these people don 't simply stop the negative behaviors that they are engaging in. This disease perspective sends a message to the public that an addict 's condition is amenable to a medical cure and that the language used is more to describe conditions such as schizophrenia and other such afflictions that have not been brought on by the sufferer themselves and that cannot modifiable by the person 's desire to do better. From the brain disease perspective; addiction is something beyond these people 's control and is in part contributed by genetic dispositions and a chemical imbalance in the brain among other things, and not something based on an individual 's choice and behaviors leading to heavy drug use. The studies from the video, as well as other sources, typically cite the brain as the organ in which addiction is said to reside yet this is not perfectly clear and has not been thoroughly scientifically explored. Images of the brain are shown in the videos, one of a normal healthy person and one of a person who has an addiction. While this is true to an extent,

When people see the word addiction they immediately think of the usage of illegal substances. There’s more to think of than just one type of definition for this word, addiction can be viewed as a brain disease or a need for a particular substance. The definition of addiction is most commonly known as a condition that results when a person ingest a substance.

Is addiction a brain disease? The definition of disease is a disorder in an organism that produces specific signs/symptoms that affects a specific location and isn’t a direct result of any kind of physical injury. Addiction is a compulsive need for any substance or service that can cause a person or organism to form a habit, and is a chronic disease of brain reward and causes dysfunctions in the circuits. Addiction is also characterized by the inability to consistently abstain impairment in behavioral control. The idea that addiction is a brain disease is just about universally accepted among scientist that focus on addiction (Corrigan,2008). However few believe that addiction is not a brain disease because they claim that neural dysfunction is not sufficient for disease. (NCBI, 2012). Some agree that addiction occurs in the brain but should not be considered a brain disease or a disease at all(Lawrence 2013). Substance abuse is the most common addiction that people base their decision upon. These drugs affect the brain and cause different reactions to the rest of the of the body. The types of drugs include: hallucinogens, opioids, sedatives, stimulants, etc. cause different

Substance abuse in the United States has become an immense complication that affects much of the population. In an article for Psychology Today, “Is Addiction Really a Disease?”, the author, Lance Dodes M.D., argues that addiction should not be seen as a disease, rather as a compulsive behavior. The author, substantially justifies the term “disease” as being explicitly used to label addictions, but rather complicates the reality of addiction for the ones affected and bystanders on looking this current event.

While the choice to use alcohol and drugs is initially voluntary, alcohol and/or drug addiction arises because the normal functioning of the brain is impaired so that alcoholism and drug addiction become a “chronic relapsing disease of the brain” (National Institute of Drug Abuse, Drugs, Brains and Behavior. The Science of Addiction. 2014, 5). Drugs impact the pathways of the brain by flooding the circuit with dopamine, which disturbs and distorts normal communication between the brain’s neurons. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure. Over stimulating the system with drugs produces euphoric effects which strongly reinforce the behavior of drug use teaching the user to repeat drug use. Continuing alcohol and drug use despite the adverse consequences of such use results in abusers experiencing some or all of the following symptoms: mental stress, impulsive behavior, anger, disorganized thinking, poor coping skills, inadequate decision making and inflexible cognitive response patterns.

Addiction is like all behaviours “the business of the brain”. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006).

Nearly 21 million people in the United States have experienced addiction. 1 out of 8 people suffer from addiction once in their lifetime. Drug addiction is a very serious sickness that can “change” people into completely different people. Addiction is a sickness found among many people in the United States due to drug abuse.

There is a controversy around the issue of whether addiction is a choice or a disease. Addiction is not an individual’s fault, but just their genetics’. Being an addict is the result of experiences and genetics and therefore an individual should not be blamed for their desire to feel pleasure by using a substance or behaviour. For this reason, gambling disorder is an addiction in the same sense as alcoholism and heroin dependence. Gambling disorder, alcoholism and heroin dependence are all forms of addiction that shares similar components and pattern; the biologic consequences, cause of genetics, and ability to recover. The changes in brain structure due to the use of substance or activity translates into psychological need for the excitement,

Volkow focuses exclusively on neuroscience as a basis for the brain disease paradigm. This model implies that addiction, similarly to other medical conditions, is a type of involuntary pathology caused by genetic aberrations, brain abnormalities, and other psychosocial factors that