subject: Addiction: A Clinical Disease [print this page] Viewing addiction as a clinical disease, rather than as a mental or emotional disorder, can be extremely helpful in developing effective treatments for substance abusers. Despite rehab facilities successes in treating addiction this way, however, many people adhere to the idea that drug abuse is a matter of low will power and moral degeneracy. Because of this common perception, societys medical resources are often allocated only towards the treatment of uncontroversial diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
The fact remains that addiction is a progressive, neurological disorder. Untreated, the changes to an addicts brain chemistry can lead to severe consequences and even death. Like cancer and other clinical diseases, addiction also involves the strong possibility of relapse, and patients of all of these conditions must use lifelong management strategies to stay well. Overall, treating addiction as a disease is crucial to the development of effective therapies.
Addiction can develop rapidly, but this development always occurs in stages. The first stage is tolerance. When a person takes a prescription or illegal drug, his brain responds by producing dopamine, a neurotransmitter which leads to pain relief and feelings of euphoria. After a number of uses, the brain begins to down-regulate its dopamine response in an attempt to mitigate the effects of a foreign substance in the body. A frequent drug user thus develops a tolerance to a drug, requiring constantly raised doses to feel a powerful effect.
The next stage is abuse. As with eating, sex, and other pleasurable activities, neurons in the brain physically change in response to the euphoria caused by drug use. These new neurological pathways compel drug users to continue using in the same way that all humans feel compelled to eat or drink. Despite the tolerances they develop, substance abusers thus constantly seek drugs in order to produce dopamine releases.
Prolonged abuse leads to dependency; the final physiological stage in the development of an addiction. Instead of fighting a drug with increased tolerance, the brain changes chemical pathways and receptors within the central nervous system. The abused substance actually becomes a required part of the neurological processes of everyday life. In effect, the drug abuser can no longer functionally normally without being high.
One physical dependency sets in, abusers become addicts as they seek drugs at the expense of all else. Since their bodies cannot function properly without drugs, and because their drug cravings take over their minds and bodies, addicts allow their professional and personal lives to crumble while they remained focused on getting high. They risk overdoses, violent behavior, bodily degradation, and even suicide.
Addiction is far from a matter of willpower or morality. It can strike anyone, at any time, and because the neurological changes which create addiction are permanent, addicts struggle their entire lives with substance abuse. However, rehab facilities across the country have developed a number of successful treatments and coping strategies. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, click the links below for a free consultation with one of our rehab specialists.
