Addiction Is A Complex Disease - 978 Words

Addiction is a complex disease that many people don’t fully understand. Substance abuse is very prevalent around the world, and far too over looked. In fact, forty million people ages 12 and older (or more than 1 in 7 people) have some form of addiction. These addictions involving nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs, and this statistic is just in America alone. This number is more than the number of Americans with heart conditions which is 27 million, diabetes which is 26 million, or cancer which is 19 million (CASAColumbia). Addiction and substance abuse is also responsible for more than 20% of all deaths in the U.S. each year (CASAColumbia). Addiction is a disease that sadly, far too many people suffer from. Addiction actually involves changes in the structure and function of the brain, this chance can in turn create compulsive substance use. Studies have recently found that the changes that happen to the brain during addiction, are very similar to the changes that happe n to the brain with compulsive behaviors like gambling, bulimia, and compulsive eating. The reason for this is that humans feel pleasure when basic needs are met, the brain releases certain chemicals leaving feelings of pleasure. In the case of an addiction, substances cause the brain to release high levels of that chemical, and over time the continued use can cause a person to become dependent on the substance to feel normal (Gateway foundation). The changes in the brain can be brought on byShow MoreRelatedAddiction Is A Complex Disease3403 Words   |  14 PagesAddiction is a complex disease that is influenced by several factors including: genetic, developmental, experiential and environmental factors (Goldstein Volkow, 2002). Alcohol dependence, otherwise referred to as alcoholism, is characterized by frequent use of alcohol resulting in intoxication, a preoccupation with alcohol, compulsion to seek and consume alcohol, the inability to limit alcohol intake and the emergence of negative emotional state when the drug is absent (Gilpin Koob, 2008; ErnstRead MoreDrug Addiction Is A Complex Disease2376 Words   |  10 Pagesdrugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Through scientific advances, we know more about how drugs work in the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and leadRead MoreA Critical Look At Brain Disease1371 Words   |  6 PagesLook at Brain Disease Addiction, such as drug or alcohol addiction, is explained by a Dr. Nora Volkow in a HBO series on addiction as a disease of the brain that translates into abnormal behavior. This disease is known as brain disease which refers to disruptions in the brain s motivational and reward circuitry that results from the cumulative effect of repeated use of certain substances. The documentary, Addiction, drove home the point that drug addiction is a brain disease that is a chronicRead MoreAddiction as a Disease: Addiction is a term that has traditionally been used to refer to1400 Words   |  6 PagesAddiction as a Disease: Addiction is a term that has traditionally been used to refer to psychiatric syndrome that is caused by illicit drug use. Actually, addition is the only psychiatric condition whose symptoms are regarded as an illegal activity. In most cases, this term is described on the basis of drug use, which is the main focus of many research and treatment programs. Generally, drug addiction has significant negative effects on individuals using the drug and those around them such asRead MoreDrug Addiction: A Brain Controlling Disease823 Words   |  3 Pagesdrug 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. Drug addiction is a complex brain disease characterizedRead More The Etiology of Addiction Disease Model Essay examples1522 Words   |  7 PagesAddiction is like all behaviours â€Å"the business of the brain†. Addictions are compulsive physical and psychological needs from habit-forming sustenances like nicotine, alcohol, and drugs. Being occupied with or involved in such activities, leads a person who uses them again and again to become tolerant and dependent eventually experiencing withdrawal. (Molintas, 2006). Addictive drugs cause dopamine neurons to release dopamine, the pleasure hormone. The narcotics disable the neurons that wouldRead MoreThe Problem Of Drug Addiction952 Words   |  4 Pagesaction itself is voluntary: the eventual drug addiction is essentially involuntary. Drug addiction is a complex and chronic disease, a brain disease, which changes the way the brain functions. Drug addiction, much like chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, disrupts healthy, normal functioning organs. This has harmful consequences that are both preventable and treatable (Branch, 2011, pp.263-265). Drug addiction is considered a brain disease as drugs change the brain structure and howRead MoreMontoyaW Conceptualizingaddictionpaper1080 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Conceptualizing Addiction Paper Montoya Williams BSHS/455 November 4, 2014 Carla Malewicz Conceptualizing Addiction Paper Introduction For many years, individuals have battled substance abuse and addiction. My position comes from hearing about it, having seeing results from it, and reading about it, also developing my own thoughts about addiction. Weil and Rosen (1993) believe that a drug use (and addiction) results from humans longing for a sense of completeness and wholeness, and searchingRead MoreUnderstanding Addiction1317 Words   |  6 Pages Understanding Addiction Limestone College Abstract As early as 1939 with the publication of the first edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous the medical community was aware that addiction was more than a moral shortcoming. In the first addition of the book in the chapter The Doctor’s Opinion, Dr. William Silkworth (1939) wrote the following, â€Å"We believe, and so suggested a few years ago, that the action of alcohol on these chronic alcoholics is a manifestation of an allergy; thatRead Morecrisis intervention final paper on addiction1553 Words   |  7 PagesJohnson Crisis Intervention April 10th, 2015 â€Å"The Crisis of Addiction† One of the longest ongoing issues in the world today is addiction. Unlike some of the other examples of crisis, this has been a problem since the beginning of time. Alcohol is the most commonly used, abused, and also the easiest of addictive substances to