Essay on Is Addiction a Brain Disease

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:

Addiction: is it a disease or a choice? A disease can be described as “a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of a physical injury.” Knowing this, one can believe addiction is a disease. It is something that is done frequently, that usually does not end, just as a disease; it cannot cease on its own, because it requires some form of treatment. The big question regarding addiction is why people believe it to be a choice opposed to a disease.

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

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.

If such a case were true, logic would follow that the subject is a victim of this disease and has no choice but to succumb to its symptoms of craving and substance abuse to the detriment of the victim (Satel, 2014). The onset of the brain dysfunction by no means should be underestimated as a powerful influence in ongoing, active addiction (Satel, 2014) (Dodes, 2009). Once established in the brain as a disorder, addictive symptoms can go a long way towards preventing recovery and can easily do so to the point of insuring an untimely death. Even though these biological changes can be capable of such destruction if left

Drug misuse and abuse has fueled a controversial issue to arise amongst physicians, psychiatrists, and general citizens. Sally Satel, a methadone clinic psychiatrist in Washington D.C., wrote an interesting article titled “The Human Factor” in which she discusses the debate on whether drug addiction should be considered a brain disease or not. Satel believes that treatment for addicts should focus on treating them as humans with control over their lives, as opposed to treating them as people with an uncontrollable disease.

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 term addiction as it relates to disease has been a controversial topic for generations. The general arguments for this controversial topic latch onto one of two differing ideas (Leshner, n.d.). The first believe is that addiction is a disease that needs intervention to overcome. The second is belief that addiction is simply the term people use because they lack the will power to quit on their own. However, as we advanced in medical technology so did are understanding of addiction. These advances led to the discovery that addiction is a brain disease. This brain disease is the direct consequence of a person’s illicit drug use. Addiction is the consequence of extended substance abuse. Long term drug abuse causes severe changes in the brain.

The issue that is being addressed is drug addiction. There are two different sides to it. Some people will say that it is a choice and some people will say that it is a disease. “Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry (American Society of Addiction Medicine). Addiction affects the brain in many ways. It affects the neurotransmission and interactions within the brain.

From the first essay, my knowledge about addiction/chemical dependence has expanded and grown in many levels and ways. One of the most important aspects of substance abuse that gave me a better understanding is dependence and its cause and effect. Although I knew people like experimenting with drugs for many reasons such as out of curiosity, have a good time, peer pressure, and other “compelling” factors. However, for so long I could not grasp why or how some people even among siblings become addicted to the drug or alcohol and some don’t. While I realize, multiple factors can contribute to certain illnesses, disorders due to genetic vulnerability, environmental stressors, social pressures, individual personality characteristics, and certain psychiatric problems, but which of those factors have the biggest influence. Prior to this class, I have mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower…to some extent, so it was their initial decision to take the drug, however. Now I know, my perception was wrong, though I never judged anyone for such behavior, I rather was saddened.

c. Johann Hari talked about “Everything you thing you know about addiction is wrong” at TEDGlobalLondon i. Actually, people can control their behavior to stop using drugs. 1. A patent take diamorphine in surgery but they are not drug users. 2. In Vietnam War, 20 percent of soldiers used heroin but 95 of them didn’t become a drug users.

When you see the word addiction, you might immediately think of the use of illegal substances, but there is actually more than one definition for this word. The word addiction, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, is defined as “a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)”, or “an unusually great interest in something or a need to do or have something.” Addiction, most commonly known as a condition that causes dependency of particular things.

It is often hard for the general population to understand what it takes to be a drug addict, or how an individual chooses to undergo such a lifestyle. However, addiction is similar to many other diseases that can occur in the human body. Addiction usually is not a choice, but a disease that takes over an individual’s sense of control. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her”

“Addiction is not simply a ‘disease,’ as the popular metaphor describes it, but a complex interaction of chemical, psychological and environmental factors (Gardner, 2005.)” Considering this statement we have to realize that

Addiction is an unexpected problem defined by excessive drug consumption. Whereas each drug produces peculiar physical effectiveness, any mistreat usage of drugs of the same manner: more than often usage can affect the behavior of the brain.