Is Addiction A Brain Disease?

Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing brain disease portrayed as an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief

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, 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.

As results of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both the brain and behavior. A disease is an interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body system, or organ structure, or function; according to Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. (Sheff ,2013) cites, the disease od addiction has an etiologic agent, identified by a group of signs and symptoms or consistent anatomic alterations. There are significant changes in the brain. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) states that addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristics biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathology pursuing reward and /or relief by substance use and other behaviors. (Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment of behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships and dysfunctional emotional responses. 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. (ASAM Adopted as Policy, February

It should be noted however severe form of addiction is a serious problem, and those who fall into that category need treatment, as their addiction may have taken over their lives. This extreme form of addiction would probably be the closest to coming to the disease definition, but it still cannot be considered a disease. Addiction as a disease has become widely adopted, and this can create a notion that people will not be held responsible for their actions. This can become a problem as Peele mentioned, where people who make certain choices are not held accountable to them. However it should be noted that addiction can be involuntary in the case of taking prescription drugs, where one can become dependent on them. In this case there needs to be a different standard as oppose to other forms of addiction.

Substance use disorder is not a brain disease, and it will be proven in this paper. Drugs are addicting, and habit forming. Does this make it a brain disease? There can be many different brain diseases, including infections, seizures, trauma, tumors, etc. People could become dependent on a drug the first time they use it, or after chronic use. It really depends on their tolerance to that particular drug. The fact-based accounts from recovered addicts commonly point to the role of monetary and family apprehensions, that is, possibilities other than those directly connected to obtaining and taking drugs, as being main features in their termination of drug exploitation. They basically have an alternative choice that changes from abuse of a drug

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

Drug addiction, disease or choice, the National Institution of Drugs Association (NIDA) has determined Drug Addiction a chronic, relapsing brain disease while opposing views debate Drug Addiction as solely a choice controlled voluntarily? Drug addiction is now recognized as a chronic relapsing brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behaviors. Hence, the estimated economic cost contributed to

After reading the journal article, “addiction is a brain disease”, there were two interesting facts that caught my attention. One of it was the environmental cue that the home environment is the reason why one begins to use a drug and becomes addicted to it. The home environment cue is who the individuals hanged out with, drug-buddies or the spot where the individuals consume the drugs. For example, a group of people hangs out and one of the people in the group does not do drug, but everyone in that group does drug and persuades the person to do drug constantly then the person becomes addicted to the drugs. When an individual is addicted to a drug and try to seek help, some individuals will be successful at their full recovery of their addiction

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.

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

Addiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain that manifests in three distinct ways: craving for the object of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement with it despite adverse consequences. (HelpGuide.org)

Addictive behavior is referred to a behavior that is both rewarding and reinforcing which makes the behavior difficult to stop. This gives an explanation as to why drug addiction is just but a condition and not necessarily a brain disease. As

Addiction is a neurological disease. It is like a disease as is cancer and heart disease. Addiction is caused from substance abuse and affects your brain in only negative ways. Many people suffer from addiction but not everyone wants to believe it is a disease.

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.