Is Drug Addiction a Choice? Understanding the Debate

The process of addiction is set in motion automatically, by the brain’s response to a behavior repeated often enough because it is reinforced by the very pleasurable—but, alas, short-lasting—reward of dopamine surge. What starts out as a voluntary choice gets quickly encoded in the neural circuity and relegated to automatic processes that leave little room for conscious control. Consuming certain substances or engaging in certain activities is so pleasurable for some people they are driven to repeat the experience. Habits make behaviors near-automatic in response to any elements related to that activity—in other words, hard to control.

Is Addiction a Disease or Choice?

There’s no shame in voicing your needs—it only signals your strength and commitment to change. If you’re struggling with both addiction and your mental health, it’s important to find a specialized program that can effectively treat both at the same time. Childhood trauma due to neglect, abuse, or household dysfunction can impact the experiences we have later in life. In fact, there’s a direct link between how many adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)5 someone has and their likelihood of developing addiction as an adult. If you struggle with addiction, or love someone who does, learning how it works can only help. People affected by addiction need treatment to escape its grasp and heal its effects on their lives.

Stigma and Misconceptions

  • Professional treatment for addiction is an effective way to address both your physical dependence and addiction.
  • While early decisions made to ingest substances are certainly a deliberate action in the first stages of misuse, the way drugs change the person’s brain chemistry soon becomes out of their control.
  • To further complicate matters, some people are more prone to addiction than others.
  • One of the most common signs for determining if someone is as risk for addiction is to uncover whether there is a history of past addiction in their family.
  • The delays are generally far too long to invoke reinforcement as the operative behavioral process.
  • By choosing this option, the user becomes locked in a progressive cycle of addiction.

Each person’s unique genetic makeup and life experiences contribute to their vulnerability or resilience to addiction. It’s a chronic disease that affects the brain’s reward, motivation, and memory functions. Just as you wouldn’t blame someone for getting cancer, it’s equally unjust to blame someone for becoming addicted. Debates about whether addiction is a disease often turn on what people think a disease is. I think of it definitely as a disease or, if you prefer, you can use the word disorder.

This only exacerbates the problem, creating a vicious cycle of needing to take the drug in order to regain dopamine levels, then later needing to increase the dose, and so on, an effect known as tolerance. There is division on this issue, despite convincing scientific studies that sway the argument towards addiction being an illness. Some people argue that poor choices mainly cause addiction and that willpower is the only cure to overcome misuse of a substance. Others have looked into how addiction and substance misuse affects the brain, making it very difficult to stop without professional medical assistance. It’s important to look at both sides of this argument to understand the different attitudes towards addiction that people hold in society today.

The brain also undergoes other changes, such as an increase in stress and anxiety when drugs or alcohol are not present. These changes contribute to the compulsive drug-seeking behavior that is characteristic of addiction. Addiction is characterized by changes in the brain’s reward system, specifically the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. When an individual uses drugs or alcohol, it triggers a release of dopamine, creating a pleasurable sensation.

The Connection Between Recovery and Motherhood

This approach not only benefits individuals with addiction but also society as a whole. Treatment for addiction can include a combination of therapy, medication-assisted treatment, and support groups. Therapy can help individuals address the underlying issues that contribute to their addiction and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Medication-assisted treatment can help individuals manage cravings and reduce the risk of relapse. Support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, can provide individuals with a sense of community and support. Over time, the brain becomes less responsive to dopamine, leading to the need for more drugs or alcohol to achieve the same effect.

Biological Risk Factors for Addiction

I can talk like that, and I can conclude that those are NOT the characteristic features of addiction. But now I’m not so sure, and I wonder if I’m the one being too superficial to give this matter the attention it deserves. Join 40,000+ People Who Receive Our Newsletter Get valuable resources on addiction, recovery, wellness, and our treatments delivered directly to your inbox. These are the circumstances of your life – where you live, who you live with, and what you’ve been through.

The push https://www.inkl.com/news/sober-house-rules-a-comprehensive-overview to regard addiction as a disease is well-intentioned—driven by a desire to lessen stigma—but fails to account for the many facets and facts of the condition. Worse, it robs sufferers of the sense that they can overcome the problem with courage, creativity, and some hard work. Rather, there is significant evidence that addiction is a complex cultural, social, and psychological phenomenon, as much as it is a biological phenomenon. While the debate on addiction may continue, it is important to find common ground and work towards effective solutions.

This can be achieved through education and awareness campaigns that challenge misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding addiction. In practice, many treatment approaches blend both perspectives, recognizing the physiological aspects of addiction while also promoting personal responsibility. There is no single cause of addiction; people begin using substances for many reasons and one person’s path to addiction may look drastically different from that of another. “If you would’ve told me 20 years ago, when I became a probation officer, how involved I would be in the health care system, I would’ve laughed at you. Today, I spend probably half of my time just as engaged in the health care community as I am in the criminal justice community.

is addiction a disease debate

  • For those interested in exploring treatment options, related articles such as how to decide whether you need inpatient vs. outpatient addiction treatment can provide insight.
  • Thus, dopamine’s impact on the reward network diminishes, along with the individual’s ability to experience pleasure.
  • Environmental and social factors can have a significant impact on the development and maintenance of addiction.
  • Every person experiences natural rewards in their life like a delicious meal, a favorite song, the pleasant feeling following exercise, or the happiness after sex, but drugs offer something more.
  • With repeated drug or alcohol use, your brain adapts to the presence of that substance.

She said that people on probation for DUIs are often burdened with fines up to $6,000, despite the fact that their license has been revoked, which often prohibits them from getting a job to pay fines. Drug testing and treatment is also required for DUIs, but there are no court-supported resources available to pay for them. Humans are wired for criticism, and we often believe this is the best way to make change. It’s easier to do the hard work of building a new life if you believe you’re worth it. Many rehabs also offer relapse prevention planning and life skills coaching to help you reintegrate with your community when you return home, and hone the skills you need to stay sober as you work toward your life’s purpose.

For more information on navigating addiction support, visit our articles on how to decide whether you need inpatient vs. outpatient addiction treatment and getting help for loved ones at heroin addiction rehab. Studies indicate that genetic and epigenetic factors contribute significantly, accounting for about 40 to 60 percent of an individual’s risk of developing an addiction. Factors such as family history of substance abuse and various biological markers can increase vulnerability.

For example, it is true that most substance use begins with a decision (although in many cases substance use began with a prescription from a doctor for a real medical problem and evolved into use). “The program allows me to have much longer relationships with clients than I did as a trial lawyer. My instinct is that, that’s what works — the creation of relationships, providing support for people from places that they didn’t have support before. Hunt-Garcia thought the justice system was going to help her by providing a treatment program but instead, she was taken off of her methadone treatment and went into relapse. She said that she was frustrated that anonymous programs were the only services available to her by the justice system because they don’t work for everyone.

Similar Products