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Is Addiction a Disease? The Science Explained

  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Modified:
  • Reading Time: 9 minutes
  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Last Update:
  • Reading Time: 9 minutes

Learn why experts consider addiction a disease that affects brain function and behavior and explore the available treatment options.

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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 who drinks alcohol or uses drugs over time changes how important parts of the brain work. This makes it hard to stop, even if you want to.

Research calls this “brain disease model of addiction.”- Drug and alcohol addiction is not just a lack of willpower. An illness that needs proper medical treatment exists.

Table of Contents

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Families & Addiction

Insights into Substance Use Disorder & Its Impact

What is Addiction?

Addiction, or substance use disorder, is a long-term illness. It impacts how the brain works and behaves.

Substance use disorder can become severe. A person may lose control over their substance use. This can disrupt their daily life.

People with addiction may start slouching at work or school. They might have more conflicts in their relationships. They could also face legal or money problems, among other issues.

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How Drugs Hijack the Brain's Reward System

What Causes Drugs to Become Addictive?

Many reasons exist for why people become addicted to drugs. The main reason is the promise of a strong, euphoric feeling.

Drugs can strongly affect brain systems linked to motivation and pleasure. This makes them hard to compare with other natural joys.

Drugs can feel more rewarding than natural pleasures. These include breathing fresh air, feeling relaxed after exercise, or enjoying your favorite meal. Drugs create a strong feeling of pleasure. This makes natural rewards feel smaller and less exciting.

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 drug addiction, dopamine makes the brain want to keep using the drugs. It tells you that the experience is good and encourages you to repeat it.

Your brain remembers things, places, and people connected to you. This is why you often find yourself in the same places and with the same people, even if you seek to change that. These reminder factors go ahead to become future triggers.

With repetition, you become dependent. Soon, bursts of dopamine make your brain value drugs more than 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.

When someone is dependent on a drug, they need higher doses to feel normal. They rely on it 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 relies on the drug or alcohol to feel normal. Without it, withdrawal can happen. Symptoms can be mild or even life-threatening.

There are affordable options for addiction treatment.

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, National Institute on Drug Abuse (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 key part of an addict’s life. A teenager who starts using drugs may stay addicted into adulthood.

Environmental Factors

Think about your experiences and situations. The most important ones include family and friend 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 may involve easy access to alcohol and drugs. It can also include a chaotic home life. A negative attitude from friends and parents may play a role.

A family history of mental health issues can also play a role. Good physical health, academic success, and access to helpful resources can protect against these issues. Supportive and involved families also play a key role.

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 very active. They might talk a lot about random things and people. They can also create 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.

The first step is to recognize the problem. Next, involve friends and family when needed.

Finally, 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 people with substance abuse understand their motivations and behaviors. It also helps them cope with stress, build self-esteem, and address other mental health issues.

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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 work well, it should address the person’s drug abuse. It also needs to meet their other needs. Staying in treatment for a while is important too.

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 evaluate a person. Many substance abusers may also have other mental disorders. The doctor should adjust treatment to meet the patient’s needs. They also provide medical help and support.

Medical caregivers take significant precautions during the detox stage- the state of the body removing external chemicals. Detox is a challenging part of addiction treatment. It needs the patient to have strong support from others. They must also keep a close watch on their drug use to prevent relapses.

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The Bottom Line

Addiction is Treatable, and Recovery is Within Reach at Rolling Hills Recovery Center

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.

Contact Rolling Hills Recovery Center, 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!

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Written By:

Geoffrey Andaria

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:

Dr. Carl Williams Ph.D., LCADC

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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