WHAT IS ADDICTION?
Addiction is a disease. However, as with many other mental illnesses, it is generally written off as “just in the head”. This is not true; although it is “in the head”, a combination of genetics and environmental factors can result in the chemicals of the brain can becoming unbalanced. This imbalance results in addiction, an all too real problem.
Addiction usually begins as substance abuse, or the overuse of a particular substance for non-medical reasons. At this stage, it is much easier to quit the substance without severe side effects or numerous life long consequences. It will, however, soon morph into a subsequent addiction or dependence, the symptoms of which include “the need for increasing amounts of the substance to maintain desired effects, withdrawal if drug-taking ceases, and a great deal of time spent in activities related to substance use”1. Because the brains of substance abusers become accustomed to the drug as the “normal” point, the abuser is no longer able to function when not on the drug and becomes addicted or dependent.
It is important here to differentiate between addiction and dependence. Although both have similar symptoms (a reliance on the substance to function), someone who is addicted needs the drug because of the effect on their brain and someone who is dependent on a substance needs the drug for a problem involving another part of their body which the substance actively helps with. For example, a patient taking an opioid for severe back pain would be unable to function without the relief from the back pain. This does not mean, however, they are able to quit the drug whenever they choose. They are still addicted, but must remain on the drug to combat a physiological issue in their body.
Most substances take a toll on the body almost as soon as they are taken, and any substance is harmful in excess. Furthermore, for some substances, even quitting them becomes a hazard, as stopping will react a physiological response from the body that can result in death or other severe damage. “Substance abuse and dependence may be viewed as a public health problem with far-ranging health, economic, and social implications. Substance-related disorders are associated with teen pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as failure in school, unemployment, domestic violence , homelessness, and crimes such as rape and sexual assault”1. Clearly, addiction is a disease which affects not only the individual and those in proximity to the individual, but the community as a whole.