The Problem Of Drug Addiction

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

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse 2014, the disease model addiction is considered a brain disease that can affect multiple circuits in the brain, which involve motivation, learning, memory and inhibitory control over one’s behavior. Because drug addiction and abuse have so many dimensions and disrupts aspects of one’s life, treatment is just not that simple. Addiction treatment must be able to stop an individual from using drugs and continuously maintain a drug free lifestyle, and achieve productive functioning in working, family and society. Because a person’s addiction is typically considered a chronic disease, those who have the disease cannot simply stop using drugs in a few days and totally be cured. Some require long-term and repeated episodes of care to be able to achieve one’s ultimate goal of sustaining abstinence and recovery of their lives. A report conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the

Addiction is complex and is often misunderstood; However, many individuals and medical professionals are now referring to addiction as a disease, not just a poor decision that is made by an individual. Addiction is a problem that spirals out of control and has the potential to absorb every thought and action while wreaking havoc on the body. According to Narcotics Anonymous, “...it is our fellowship's collective experience and understanding that addiction is, in fact, a disease. (What is Addiction?, NA, 2015)”

Katie is an everyday 35 year old woman; she has a wonderful husband and 2 small girls, a great job and looking up the ladder of success. Over the past few years, she has dedicated herself to having success at work and success with having a loving family. Anyone would meet Katie and her husband, Lewis, would think they have everything anyone could ever want. Even with her seemingly perfect life, Katie hides a secret. Katie has succumbed to a life of prescription drug addiction.

According to NIH, the death rate caused by usage of heroin has been increased by triple of its number in the past 10 years. The purpose is to treat people; especially teenagers understanding its negative consequences it has on them before they get addicted to it. When the addiction starts addicts have no idea that they would be so in to it that there is no possible way to stop. Addiction is a chronic, weakened disease characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use despite consequences and by long lasting changes in the brain (“United”). There are a lot of different reasons why people become a drug addict but their main reasoning is to be stress free, and stay happy. Most people consider who are drug addict has a bad character, lack of moral principles, and irreligious character of someone. However, being a drug addict comes from a wrong choice of a person, against all the damages it causes to them. Drug addiction doesn’t only impact health, but it has a big effect on our economy, family, lifestyle and career. As the drug fact institute explained it “Addiction is form of a disease and as such it can be pause serious of negative consequences your emotional wellbeing, physical health and emotional life” (“The truth”). As of right now, Heroin is one of the most highly addictive and dangerous drug of all. It 's also been known that people get addicted to heroin after just using it couple of times.

The term addiction holds many different meanings in today’s society, but in the past it has been referred to as a sort of devotion to something. Over time, a more modern definition of the term has developed that links addiction to harmful involvement with drugs that eventually has potential of produce withdrawal or tolerance in an individual (Alexander & Schweighofer, 1988). Although the word addiction holds a more general meaning in a modern context it pertains to any kind of compulsive use. Current psychological authorities refer to drug addictions as substance abuse rather than simply an addiction for many reasons; the two conditions can be differentiated by the specificity of the substance being

In order to understand how to treat addiction, it is important to first understand why addiction occurs. Often, there is a misconception on what steps need to be taken to deal with addiction, and what factors increase the propensity of addiction in the first place. The different models of addiction aim to clarify and justify reasons why addiction occurs both physiologically and psychologically, as well as provide plausible solutions to stop addiction. Although the models all contain differing view on why addiction occurs, and tenets and tactics on how to effectively deal with addiction, it is important to understand that any type of addiction can be harmful and dangerous.

There has been controversy surrounding the most recent issue on drug addiction, especially when it comes to treatment opportunities. To start, many people in our country don’t know how to define addiction or understand how drugs affect the brain. A drug addiction physically takes over the brain and body, and in many cases inflicts a psychological issue on an individual. For example, anxiety or depression. Addicts can also experience physiological symptoms that are uncontrollable and intolerable. Many scientists and psychologists have performed extensive research on the mind of an addict, proving its disease-like nature. There are treatment options for those with disease, some with similar characteristics to those that treat universally known

Cunning, baffling and powerful are three words that best describe the disease of addiction. From my own experience with a close friend who has suffered through addiction, I believe it is a disease that shows no mercy to its victim, and that the only path to recovery is to separate the addict from the substance or activity causing the addiction. As stated in the writings of Alcoholics Anonymous, without some form of recovery its only end is jails, institutions and death. Sadly the addict in my life lost all sense that his disease caused harm to those around him. The disease reached far into his personal and social life and affected many people during both his active stage of addiction and the ongoing recovery period afterward.

Drug addiction is a very common problem within our world today. There are many factors that can lead up to drug addiction. Things like the environment that people live in, their peers, genetics could be a factor, and mental illness. One side is that drug addiction could be a disease or it could be that people believe that it 's a choice. With it being a choice means that people have to make the decision of what to do before they decide to take drugs or not. Arguing that this could be a disease is a side too. The side of it being a disease means that it could result in brain problems and it could be caused from having mental illnesses that may run in the family. This is about how drug addiction is a disease and not a choice. There is more

Substance abuse and the addiction to these substances that can result takes a terrible toll on families and friends of an addict. The problem becomes even larger when we look at all the millions of addicts in society when we consider drugs, alcohol, smoking and all the other substances that people can become addicted to. These are addictions that have a powerful physiological effect on people but then there are behavioral addictions such as gambling. It has been commonplace over the past couple decades to regard those who face addiction as having a disease, but there are increasing numbers of experts who say this view is wrong.

Addiction, defined as a chronic medical disease, has led to great furor in the scientific community.[1] Some argue that because epidemiologic data shows that most addicts quit, possibly when faced with social and financial consequences, addiction is based on decisions and thus, should be treated as a choice. Those in favor of the disease model remark that because experiments have correlatively shown that drugs can change the brain structurally and functionally, one should treat addiction as a medical disease. One can expect from both perspectives, that the more important question is whether or not addiction has a biological aspect to it that can be causally linked to substance abuse behaviors. In this essay, we will review some of the compelling evidence on both sides of the argument and weigh their significance in order to come to a logical judgment.

A crisis that many communities in Georgia are experiencing is addiction. A large substance that is currently being abuse is methamphetamine. Methamphetamine can be smoked, snorted, injected, taken orally and dissolved in liquids. The most common use is smoking and injecting the drug because of the immediate reaction it has on the body. It is highly addictive and has repeated patterns of binges and crashes with the individual constantly trying to reproduce their euphoric high.

My aunt, who raised me as a child, battled with cardiovascular heart disease. The doctor had warned earlier when she was around 40 years old. She knew that her lifestyle and weight was putting her life in danger. I tried to get her to eat a healthier diet and exercise daily. She could not get herself to lose weight and get healthy. She suffered a two strokes a few years ago that nearly took her life and left her paralyzed on one side of her body. Of course, no one told her that she would not get the treatment she needed to recover because she got what she deserved. The doctor warned her many times. Everyone knew her diet, weight, and lifestyle lead to her strokes. But no one went

Drug addiction is one of society 's biggest problems and it is rampant among teenagers and young adults and one of the most abused drugs is marijuana. Cannabis sativa or marijuana usually grows throughout tropical and temperate climates and then plant 's stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds are then dried. What attracts to most users is the mind altering effect these parts produce which is addictive to some extent. It is usually smoked as cigarette, or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, in which cigars will be emptied of tobacco and refill with marijuana or sometimes it is combined with another drug. It can also be brewed as tea or mixed in food. Hashis is a more concentrated, resinous form which is sticky black liquid, hash oil. The