Addiction is a chronic disease that is characterized by compulsive alcohol and substance use or difficulty to control alcohol or substance use despite the harmful consequences associated with alcohol and/or substance abuse. People having addiction or severe substance use disorder tend to focus on using a particular substance like drugs or alcohol to a point that they cannot do without it. A person keeps on using the substance even though they know that it is or will cause harm to him/her. Addiction is not only to illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine but it can be to opioid painkillers, nicotine, alcohol, anti-anxiety and sleep medications, and other substances that are classified as legal. The first time a person uses a drug is usually voluntary but repeated use of the substance or alcohol leads to changes in the brain that interfere with the person’s ability to resist the urge to take it. After the changes in how the brain works a person loses self-control and therefore he/she cannot control when to take the substance or the amount to consume. Studies have made it possible to know how alcohol and substances affect the brain and have led to the development of treatments that help people recover from addictions and live productive lives. Addiction can be referred to as a relapsing disease because the changes in the brain can be persistent meaning that people in recovery have a high risk of returning to alcohol and substance abuse.
Before addiction, people use substances for reasons such as to feel good which a feeling of pleasure or “high”. Another reason could be to feel better especially for people under stress or depression so that they can relieve the stress (Sussman & Sussman, 2011). People can also use substances to do better or improve their performance by taking stimulants such as caffeine. Another reason could be out of curiosity and peer pressure, especially for young people.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Addiction develops over a period of time with repetitive alcohol and substance use which leads to changes in the brain’s wiring causing intense cravings for alcohol or substance. The changes causing intense cravings are responsible for the person’s inability to stop using the substances. Researchers have done brain imaging that has found out that there are changes in the areas of the brain that are related to learning, behavioral control, judgment, memory, and decision making (Koob & Volkow, 2010). Although most people use alcohol or other substances voluntarily or under the prescription of a healthcare provider, addiction takes over and self-control is significantly reduced. A person develops dependence not only on illegal substances such as cocaine and heroin but also on other legal substances such as alcohol, sleep, and anti-anxiety medicines, opioid painkillers, and nicotine. After developing a dependence on the substance (s), a person has to use it so that he/she can undertake routine and basic activities.
Most of the substances interfere with the “reward circuit” of the brain that then causes euphoria and it floods the brain with the chemical messenger dopamine. When the reward system is functioning normally, it motivates and makes a person repeat behaviors that are needed to thrive such as eating and being with loved ones. When there is a surge of dopamine in the reward system, there is a reinforcement of pleasurable behaviors that are unhealthy such as drugs and alcohol making the person repeat a behavior again and again. The brain of a person who continues to use alcohol and substance abuse adapts through the reduction of the ability of cells in the reward system to respond to the substances. Consequently, there is a reduction in the high the person feels compared with the high they felt during the early stages of the use (Koob & Volkow, 2010). The increased reduction in the high a person feels is referred to as tolerance. After tolerance is developed, a person tends to take more of the substance to try and achieve the high they first felt or more. The adaptations of the brain to alcohol or substances make a person become less and less able to get pleasure from other things which they were previously enjoying such as social activities or food.
After long-term substance use, changes in other brain chemical circuits and systems affect judgments, behavior, learning, decision-making, memory, and stress. The nature of addiction is that, despite a person knowing the harmful outcomes of the substances, he/she continues to take them. This nature of addiction can be explained by the impairment in the self-control aspect (Miller & Carroll, 2011). Impairment of self-control is also seen in the studies on brain imaging which have shown that most substances affect the parts of the brain responsible for self-control.
Alcohol and substance abuse can lead to harmful changes in the functioning of the brain which can last long after the immediate effects. The effects are referred to as intoxication which is an intense pleasure, calm, high, or increased senses as a result of alcohol or substance use (Koob & Volkow, 2010). The intoxication effects and their accompanying symptoms are different for the different substances. Substance addiction is different from substance misuse since misuse involves the excessive, incorrect, or even non-therapeutic use of mind- and body-altering substances. On the contrary, substance addiction is the long-term inability to stop or control the use of such substances. Therefore, not everyone who misuses alcohol and substances has an addiction (Sussman & Sussman, 2011). For instance, a person who drinks heavily on a night out may have a euphoric feeling and also the harmful effect of the substance. However, that does not meet the criteria to be classified as addiction. It becomes an addiction when there are significant changes on the brain and the person feels the urge to use the substance alone, regularly, and at times during the day and hence impairing the regular activities he/she is expected to carry out.
Some people are more likely to be addicted to alcohol and substance abuse than others. There is no single factor that determines whether a person will be addicted to substances but rather a combination of various factors. Therefore, the more risk factors, the more a person is likely to an addict. There are also protective factors that reduce the chances of a person being an addict. There are environmental and biological risk and protective factors (Miller & Carroll, 2011). The biological factors and especially the genetic makeup of an individual account for more than half of the person’s risk and protection for addiction. Other biological factors are ethnicity, gender, and the mental status of an individual. The environment or surrounding of a person entails various aspects like friends, family, financial status, and the quality of life. The likelihood of a person to be addicted to alcohol and substance abuse could be attributed to sexual and physical abuse, stress, peer pressure, parental guidance, and exposure to drugs at an early age. When the genetic and environmental factors interact with vital developmental stages, impact the risk for addiction (Wise & Koob, 2014). Although it is possible for a person to be addicted to substance abuse regardless of the age at which they start using drugs, the risk is higher for people who start using substances at an early age. Therefore, teens have an increased risk of addiction since the parts of the brain that control judgment, emotions, decision-making, and self-control are not fully developed.
The symptoms of substance use disorders include impaired control which involves a strong urge or craving to use a substance. It makes it difficult for a person to fulfill the desire to reduce or control their substance use. Another symptom is social problems which involve the failure to complete vital tasks at school, home, or work. A person gives up on work, leisure, and social activities and is replaced by substance abuse. An addicted person also engages in risky substance use even when there is full knowledge of the problems (Wise & Koob, 2014). There are also drug effects such as tolerance and withdrawal symptoms which are usually seen when a person is highly addicted. Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, fatigue, shaking and tremors, anxiety, anorexia, nausea, and vomiting.
Treatment of addiction to alcohol and substance use first starts when a person recognizes their problem and they have the will to end the problem. There are multiple types of treatment that are usually combined with the treatment to be effective. There is usually a combination of medication and group or individual therapy. A sustainable recovery addresses a person’s situation and other co-occurring social, medical, and psychiatric issues (Van Wormer & Davis, 2016). Medications are usually used to control and end substance cravings and relieve some of the severe withdrawal symptoms. According to Van Wormer & Davis, (2016), therapy is particularly important in helping addicted persons to understand their problems and therefore develop high esteem and ways to cope with stress and other mental health issues.
In conclusion, addiction is a serious chronic dependence on alcohol and substances. Despite the person knowing the harmful effects of substance abuse, they continue using them because the substance has interfered with their self-control. People who have an addiction to alcohol and substances have distorted behavior, body functions, and thinking which is as a result of changes in the brain’s wiring. The changes in the brain’s wiring are the main cause of addiction as people develop tolerance and hence they need more of the substance to feel the same effect they first had. The symptoms of addiction include irritation, a decline in physical health, a change in social behavior, and an inability to control or stop substance use. There are treatments for addiction which are usually a combination of medication and therapy.
References
Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology , 35 (1), 217-238.
Miller, W. R., & Carroll, K. M. (Eds.). (2011). Rethinking substance abuse: What the science shows, and what we should do about it . Guilford Press.
Sussman, S., & Sussman, A. N. (2011). Considering the definition of addiction.
Van Wormer, K., & Davis, D. R. (2016). Addiction treatment . Cengage Learning.
Wise, R. A., & Koob, G. F. (2014). The development and maintenance of drug addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology , 39 (2), 254-262.
