Addiction Decision Or Disease Essay - 2021 Words

Addiction: Decision or Disease According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, â€Å"addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her† (Drug Facts, 2012). Codependency disorder and drug addiction often go hand in hand; they feed into each other’s obsessions and unhealthy behaviors. The brains of those afflicted exhibit similar flaws within the prefrontal cortices. There has been speculation as to whether or not addiction is a disease due to the addicts’ initial decision to abuse the substance. This paper aims to explore the inner workings of a drug addict’s brain in terms of disease analysis and the similarities with codependency disorder. This paper will examine, in detail, the structural effects of addiction. Addiction as a whole is an epidemic which has grown rapidly in recent years, 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs (HBO, USA Today, The Gallup Poll, 2006). Approximately 46 Americans died per day in 2010 from drug overdoses (Jones, 2013). Addiction in its many forms is a habitual and debilitating disease which affects not only the addict but the loved ones around them. There is no solid answer as to why an addict is an addict nor pertaining to the selection of who becomes addicted and who does not, however, scientists are making profound advancements. The vast majority of medical practitioners acknowledge thatShow MoreRelatedThe Perception Of Drug Addiction Essay1712 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction There is a wide-range reaction about drug addiction today in society. Illicit drug use continues to be a major social issue all over the world. Drug addiction defines a â€Å"chronic, relapsing brain disorder that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences† (Kuhar, 2010:453 ). Research has shown that decades have passed since the clinical population has accepted addiction as a disease instead of a series of bad choices. Nevertheless, specific group affiliationRead MoreIs Drug Addiction A Choice Or Disease?1480 Words   |  6 Pages Is Drug Addiction a Choice or Disease? Should the cause of addiction rely on people s actions? These days, drugs can be found everywhere, and it may seem like everyone s doing them. Lots of people are tempted by the excitement or escape that drugs seem to offer. But learning the facts about drugs can help one see the risks of chasing this excitement or escape. Several people argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understandingRead MoreDrug Addiction777 Words   |  4 Pages Is drug addiction a choice or a disease? This polemical topic has been in the media for many years and has provoked many debates to ascertain the whole thing. Many researchers have concluded being a drug addict is a disease that is only cured by â€Å"feeding the habit†. Conversely, there are researchers who assert that drug addiction is just a choice. Having thoroughly taken into consideration both sides of the arguments and doing my own research, my stand remains that being a drug addict is undisputedlyRead MoreAddiction: a Three Part Disease1072 Words   |  5 PagesA. English 1301-Composition M-W 1:30 pm – 2:50 pm Ricardo Ballinas Addiction: A Three Part Disease October 1st, 2012 Sue Wright Addiction: A Three Part Disease Addiction can be separated into three categories: mind (neurological), body (physical), and spirit (psychological). Within in this breakdown addiction can possibly be explained and properly understood. In order to better understand addiction as a disease as opposed to a moral dilemma it first must be broken down. First you mustRead MoreDrug Addiction1473 Words   |  6 PagesIs drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it isRead MoreIs Addiction A Brain Disease?1680 Words   |  7 Pages Cognitive Addiction Addiction is a Brain Associated Disorder that Allows the Body to Become Dependent on a Substance Oliver Sutton General Psychology 150-101 Professor Shawn Matthews 30 September 2014 Oliver Sutton Professor Shawn Matthews General Psychology 150-101 30 September 2014 Is addiction a brain disease? The definition of disease is a disorder in an organism that produces specific signs/symptoms that affects a specific location and isn’t a direct result of any kind ofRead MoreAddiction: Is it a Disease or a Choice? Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction: is it a disease or a choice? A disease can be described as â€Å"a disorder of structure or function that produces specific signs or symptoms, or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of a physical injury.† Knowing this, one can believe addiction is a disease. It is something that is done frequently, that usually does not end, just as a disease; it cannot cease on its own, because it requires some form of treatment. The big question regarding addiction is why peopleRead MoreThe Problem Of Drug Abuse1525 Words   |  7 Pagesto stop the spread of disease among addicts. Every day thousands of addicts are sharing needles because they have no other option, they simply don t have the resources or the money to have their own personal needles. It might not be stopping the major problem of drug addiction but it will help to limit the number of deaths caused by sharing infected needles. Clean needle exchanges aim to eliminate diseases spread by giving addicts access to clean needles. Drug addiction dates back to the beginningRead MoreAddiction As A Medical Disease891 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction, defined as a chronic medical disease, has led to great furor in the scientific community.[1] Some argue that because epidemiologic data shows that most addicts quit, possibly when faced with social and financial consequences, addiction is based on decisions and thus, should be treated as a choice. Those in favor of the disease model remark that because experiments have correlatively shown that drugs can change the brain structurally and functionally, one should treat addiction as a medicalRead 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 as