Causes Of Addiction: A Psychological Disease

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.

Addiction is also one of the only diseases that actually leads to another disease. By drinking, smoking or taking drugs a person can develop cancers, liver disease, heart problems, lung disease, and more. These diseases are brought on by the action of the addict. There is not another disease that produces another disease based on a person’s actions. Also there are many people who experiment with drugs that do not go on to become addicts. One final thought to support my viewpoint. There are also addicts that quit cold turkey and do not use again ever. (15) They did it on their own, under their own will power, without any medical intervention or 12 step program. There is no other medical disease that a person can use their own will power and decision making to stop having a disease. What I will concede is that there is an addictive compulsive component when someone makes the poor choice of using drugs, alcohol, or gambling and such. I believe we are all hard wired to have a tendency for obsessive compulsive behaviors, it is how we choose to act or not act on them that I think sets those of us apart from others.

Addiction is now mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association (DSM). With it being mentioned in this book, the idea cannot be dismissed about it being a disease (Leyton, Marco). This book is used to look up diseases and learn more about the overview, symptoms and possible cures. All of the diseases known are listed. It’s like the dictionary or encyclopedia of human diseases.

Addiction is a neurologically based disease. For many years recovery specialists have compared alcoholism or addictions to a physical disease: like diabetes. In reality addictions are more closely related to a neurological disorder like Tourette's Syndrome* than they are to diabetes.

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

Your brain is not naturally infected with a problem, it is self inflicted. When you take drugs you physically injure your brain. This proves addiction is not a disease. Addiction is a result in a choice an addict made to try and use drugs. Not all drug abusers are children of drug abusers, which proves addiction cannot be blamed on genes. Parents and family members could have influenced the choice to do drugs, but they did not make it for the addict. If addiction reaches the point to where an addict is dependant on their drug, they let it. Addiction is definitely a problem. It affects family members, friends, and society. There are medications to help addicts quit, but not to cure addiction. After rehab it's up to the addict to continue staying clean, or use drugs

Drug addiction is a very complicated illness. People have a compulsive and uncontrollable urge to keep using the substance. Addiction affects many circuits in the brain, including the ones that are involved in memory, learning and reward.

Unfortunately, in our society today, people have misused and became addicted to drugs. This drug addiction has left a major impact on the brains of each user. Drug addiction is a relapsing brain disease that is characterized by brain malfunction that alters the way the users think and behave. Normal balancing Mechanisms go haywire, allowing the drug to control the brain. Drug addiction has been a major concern for scientist in recent years. With research drug addiction is categorized as a neuron-disease from its large impact on the brain.

Lots of people have the wrong idea of addiction, they think that it is a choice and something that a person can control. “Addiction is a chronic brain disease that causes a person to compulsively seek out drugs, despite the harm they cause. The first time a person uses drugs, it’s usually a free choice they’ve made.” (NIDA). Addiction is a sickness that causes someone to feel as if they have to have the drug their addicted

I do not agree with the claim that addiction is a brain disease. As Alexander pointed out addiction is a more complex issue. To say that drug addiction is merely a brain disease could be an effort to reduce stigma because little evidence has shown otherwise. In fact, Levy 2013 stated that, addiction is a disorder of a person, embedded in a social context; which was further verified by Alexander in his rat experiment. As shown, the rats placed in isolated cages where more prone to inject drugs, in contrary to the rats in rat park whose environment was more suitable and less restrictive. In fact, they too had access to morphine injections, but, instead chose water. The isolated rats could be an example of poor social, economic communities where there are very few choices, leaving one to feel more constrained and unhappy. Verse higher economic communities where individuals are given more opportunities and have fewer constraints. As seen drug use is more of a choice that has horrible effects. Alexander (2013) further concluded that user tend to replace whatever is missing, which as seen in rat park little is missing. The change in the environment for the rats altered a change in routine. To only consider drug addiction to be a brain disease could further enable addicts. For example, give addicts an excuse to why they abuse should be more tolerated.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.), defined addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Being addicted is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain and how it works. Brain changes can be long-lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviors throughout life. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

NIDA (The national drug institute on drug abuse and addiction) conducted brain scans to prove that addiction is a disease (Brain disease to be specific). NIDA says that the changes in the brain cause the addiction (which is known to NIDA as compulsive drug seeking and use) (Slate). However, the changes

An individual does not struggle with addiction because they are weak or lazy. In order for society to move past the common negative views of addiction it is important to understand how addiction is defined. In 2011 ASAM, the American Society of Addiction Medicine developed a new, broader definition of addiction. ASASM defined addiction as a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors such as eating, sex, shopping, and/or gambling (Smith, M.D., FASAM, FAACT, 2012). This definition provides information that can be highly valuable to Social

According to medical guidelines, addiction is defined as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences” (Paola). Its symptoms consist of weakened control over the substance of choice, lack of ability to process proper thinking and an obsessive consideration for the substance (Wikipedia). When we do something pleasurable our brains are designed to reward us by releasing a chemical called dopamine. This chemical is released in high quantities when drugs are ingested, not only enticing the addict but encouraging him/her to seek after the source from which they obtained pleasure. This part of the brain is called the reward system (Shatterproof). In 1991, the American Medical

Addiction is a choice and by classifying addiction as a disease, we are just enabling drug addicts to take no responsibility for their own actions in their lives. By labeling addiction as a medical condition it creates a false assumption that addicts have no control over their own behavior. People become addicts because of their behavior, not their brain chemistry. The disease concept is so popular because it gives people an easy way out; if they inherited their addiction they can’t be responsible for their own behavior. The disease model of addiction is flawed for a number of reasons; first, most people who take drugs do not become addicted, but may take drugs for a period of time, then stop when they choose to do so. Many well respected professors and scientist claim addiction is a scapegoat behavior that has been incorrectly identified as a physical or mental illness, an addict is only a victim of bad science and misguided policy.