Addiction Essay

You crave it, you want it and you just can not stop thinking about it or, you just can’t stop doing it, they call it addiction. “Addiction is a chronic, but treatable, brain disorder. People who are addicted cannot control their need for alcohol or other drugs, even in the face of negative health, social or legal consequences. This lack of control is the result of alcohol- or drug-induced changes in the brain. Those changes, in turn, cause behavior changes” (What is Addiction). The behavior change happens when the brain can no longer see the picture as the “big picture”, with out the drug substance. That is when a person that has an addiction starts depending on the drug substance to enhance their experiences.

Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, alcohol, opium, tobacco, hypnotics, just to name a few. Addiction is a chronic disease that affects the chemicals in the brain. It dysfunctions the circuits in the brain that deal with memory, reward, sex, motivation, behavior, relationships and emotions all mostly resulting in substance use or other behaviors to fulfill those circuit rewards. This world is in a current addiction epidemic on drugs. Let’s try to understand addiction to make it a little clearer.

The meaning of a word portrays what it encompasses and if the phrase itself is misunderstood then defining what it’s trying to explain can be a studious task. Addiction has been defined by many and holds different meanings based on the context it’s used in. Addiction can be defined as a condition in which a person undertakes the use of substance, or engages in activities, which in turn brings pleasure, and tends to divert oneself from their day-to-day duties and responsibilities. Addiction is mostly related to drug use but it is also used to describe non-drug entities, such as gambling, and Internet addictions (Avena et al, 2008). Researchers (Herbert, J. D., Forman, E. M., 2010) have been keen on identifying the factors that lead to

Addiction is everywhere, from celebrity tabloids, to television, and possibly to a family member or close friend. There is alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling addiction; the effects of such are devastating. For example, the following excerpt is from the harrowing Leaving Dirty Jersey: A Crystal Meth Memoir by James Salant:

Addiction is something that most anyone has experienced at least some point in his or her life. Addiction is usually something that starts as a habit, and slowly but surely works itself into a major problem that takes a lot of attention and help to overcome. Most causes of addiction are fueled by the

Addiction is the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. Know just imagine someone’s addiction is alcohol, drinking all day and

Addiction is something which any person can posses, and can experience at some point in their lives. Some people are more prone to a addiction due to outside circumstances, and even though an addict can be damaging to themselves and others around them, addiction shouldn't be considered a

Addiction can be life threatening for the person and his family. Medically, addiction is a state of mind of the affected individual, which means a mental weakness that he or she is unable overcome. When addictions are left untreated, a person is likely to develop some severe to chronic behavioral changes.

Addiction is a physical and or a psychological dependence on a mood altering substance or behavior that is continued despite negative consequences. In Gerald G. Mays’ book Addiction & Grace

Addiction is when a person cannot stop abusing a drug or substance, even if they want to quit. The effects from continuing drug use take over the mind and body. Drug addiction is classified as a "relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them" (NIDA 4). Repeated drug use leads to addiction, which then leads to a disease that changes the brain (CDC).

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.

The word addiction is used in very many ways. One would be physical addiction. This is a biological state where the body adapts to a drug and that drug no longer has the same effect, this

Stress is induced by life events .Lazarus and Flokman in (Cavanaugh and Blanchard –Field (2005) point out stress is defined by the person and that no two people experiences stress the same event in exactly the same way. Each individual has a specific tolerance for stress depending on general level of adjustment, the internal and external resources available to that person, flexibility of learned coping mechanisms and the degree and type of stress being experienced .The rise in stress that results from emotional

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well.

Addiction is defined as an overuse of any substance that changes the natural chemical balance of the brain. It is generally agreed upon that addiction includes biological, psychological, and behavioral factors.