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Is Addiction a Disease?

Learn why addiction is considered a disease, affecting brain function and behavior, and explore available treatment options.

Recognizing Substance Dependence as a Medical Condition

Addiction is a Disease

You know the substance is hurting you, yet you can’t just wake up one day and quit it. Breaking an addiction proves to be arduous because it is not only a habit but a disease. A person drinking alcohol or taking drugs over time adjusts the functioning of the crucial parts of the brain, making it hard to stop- even when you want to.

Research calls this “brain disease model of addiction.”- drug and alcohol addiction is not a problem due to a lack of willpower but an illness needing proper medical treatment.

Table of Contents

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Insights into Substance Use Disorder & Its Impact

What is Addiction?

Addiction, also known as substance use disorder, is a chronic illness that affects the functioning and behavior of the brain.

Substance use disorder moves from moderate to severe, with a victim unable to control the substance use and goes ahead to disrupt their everyday life. Addicted people might even begin slouching on the job or school, increase conflicts in their relationships, and have legal or money problems, among other things.

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How Drugs Hijack the Brain's Reward System

What Causes Drugs to Become Addictive?

There are so many reasons people get addicted to drugs, but the most predominant is the promise of having a high euphoric feeling at the end.

Drugs have a high potential to stimulate brain systems related to motivation and pleasure, making them difficult to compare with other natural delights. Drugs seem to top even the most natural rewarding feelings you might think exist, like breathing in the fresh air, the relaxing feeling after an exercise, or eating your favorite meal. Drugs accompany themselves with a high sense that makes you feel gratified, making natural rewards seem much smaller and dimmer.

Research shows that dopamine is linked with the brain’s addictive nature to drugs. During rewarding events, the brain releases dopamine, signals the experience, and encourages repetition. Dopamine is beneficial for natural rewards such as achieving various critical milestones in one’s career; this encourages repetition.

In the case of drug addiction, dopamine stimulates the brain to continue using the substances, telling you that the experience is beneficial and to keep repeating it every time. Since your brain’s programming remembers things, places, and people linked to the user, you keep finding yourself in the same places and people, even if you want to do otherwise. These reminder factors go ahead to become future triggers.

With repetition comes dependency; within a short time, bursts of dopamine influence your brain to value the drugs more than usual, natural rewards. Your brain adjusts its mechanisms so that the circuits react less sensitively to natural tips. When you are not using the drugs, you likely feel empty and without any sense of purpose.

With dependency comes a greater tolerance to higher doses of the drug- depending entirely on its use to feel okay. Now, dependence and tolerance are signs of a substance use disorder. However, these signs may also develop when addiction is absent.

When your body is tolerant to a drug, your body’s state to react to the presence of the drug diminishes. To compensate, you use higher doses or consume the medicine more often. A growing tolerance to the drug and increased substance use hastens addiction development and the risk of overdose. On the other hand, your body physically depends on the drug or alcohol to function or feel okay. Withdrawal increases without the drug, with symptoms ranging from mild to life-threatening.

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Rolling Hills Recovery Center works with a variety of healthcare providers.

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Unraveling Addiction

Addiction: Causes and Risk Factors

Different people struggling with addiction develop different paths to addiction, meaning that there is no defined cause for addiction. These people began using drugs for entirely different reasons.

Apart from cases of drug abuse beginning, NIDA gives four main reasons:

  • Feeling good; drugs lures people with feelings of high euphoria, energy, increased confidence, and feelings of power.

  • Feeling better; drugs offer a temporary solution to feelings of anxiety, stress, or depression.

  • Some people may turn to drugs to get ahead and do better than expected in activities like sports.

  • Fitting in or peer pressure, most young people may use drugs out of curiosity or impress their peers.

Biological factors

It might include the stage of development, gender, ethnicity, and genes. The developmental stage is a vital key area of an addict’s life since a teenager who starts abusing drugs might remain addicted even in adulthood.

Environmental factors

Put together experiences and situations you go through, the most significant ones being family dynamics, friends, home environment, and school. Everyone has several environmental and biological risk factors and protective factors. Protective factors minimize the threat where a risk factor puts you in danger of becoming addicted.

Biological and environmental risk-factors

It might include quickly accessing alcohol and drugs, chaotic home life, negative attitude from friends and parents, family history of mental conditions, etc. At the same time, possible environmental and biological protective factors are good physical health, academic success, access to positive resources, supportive and involved family, etc.

Substances administration route

Strongly impacts addiction risks, with specific routes producing more potent highs than others. For instance, injecting opioids produces more rapid, intense euphoria than snorting or swallowing. Fast, intense joy dissipates quickly as well.

Hyperactivity

People on drugs may seem hyperactive, sometimes like talking too much about random things and people and making scenarios in their heads like hallucinations.

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Effective Strategies for Overcoming Addiction

Treat Your Drug Addiction!

Various addiction treatments are available, including medications and individual or group therapies. Every patient can benefit from addiction treatment whether they experience severe, mild, or moderate symptoms. However, the first step is recognizing the problem, stage interventions with friends and family when necessary, and support your loved one. Once the individual gets into a medical center:

A medical professional conducts a formal assessment to determine if substance use disorder exists. Results from this assessment decide which treatment is best suited to treat the individual. These approaches address specific conditions and co-occurring medical, social, or psychotherapy problems.

Medications control drug cravings, relieve withdrawal symptoms, and prevent relapses. Psychotherapy helps individuals with substance use abuse better understand their motivations and behavior, cope with stress, develop high self-esteem, and address other psychiatric conditions. 

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Tailoring Recovery to Individual Needs

Addiction Treatment Methods

Though a recovery plan is unique from one patient to another, they generally may include:

  • Detoxification.

  • Therapeutic communities or sober houses which are highly controlled and drug-free.

  • Psychotherapy and outpatient medication management.

  • Intensive outpatient programs.

  • Rehab or residential treatment.

  • Self-help or support groups comprising of family members and friends- Nar-Anon or Al-Anon Family Groups.

  • Mutual-aid groups like SMART Recovery, AA, etc.

Addiction treatment enables people to escape relapse and stop drug use, fully recovering:

A single treatment will not apply to all people struggling with addiction and should be readily available. For therapy to be effective, it should not only tend to the person’s drug abuse but also attend to the individual’s multiple needs and remain in treatment for a while.

Drug abuse treatment may involve group or individual counseling and other behavioral therapies. Besides counseling and behavioral therapies, medication is also essential in an individual’s treatment.

The doctor must first assess an individual since many substance use abusers may have other mental disorders, continually modify their treatment to ensure it meets the patient’s needs, and medically offer assistance and support. Medical caregivers take significant precautions during the detoxification stage- the state of the body removing external chemicals. Detoxification is a risky stage of addiction treatment that requires the patient to have a strong support network and continuously monitor drug use to avoid potential relapses.

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The Bottom Line

Addiction is Treatable, and Recovery is Within Reach

Though addiction is a complex disease affecting brain functioning and behavior, it is treatable. Do not be afraid or feel alone. It is not too late to begin treatment. Remember that getting sober and staying on track might be tricky when it gets tough, but it doesn’t mean you have to quit.

Seek medical treatment, form a support group, and develop new healthy habits. Form new connections and relationships and help each other navigate the muddy waters. You can do it!

Written By:

Geoffrey Andaria mental health writer at rolling hills recovery center
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Mental Health Writer

About Author:

Geoffrey Andaria is an experienced mental health content writer and editor. With a B.A. in English and Journalism, Geoffrey is highly educated in freelance articles and research. Having taken courses on social work, Geoffrey is adamant about providing valuable and educational information to individuals affected by mental health and the disease of addiction.

Medically Reviewed By:

Carl Williams, medical content reviewer at rolling hills recovery center
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Expert Contributor

About Reviewer:

Dr. Williams presently serves on the board of Directors for two non-profit service organizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pa, and a Ph.D. with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University. In Cincinnati, Ohio. He is licensed to practice addictions counseling in both New Jersey and Connecticut and has a pending application as a practicing Psychologist in New Jersey.

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