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Alcohol or drug addiction affect more than just the person suffering the addiction. The situation also harms the people who care for the addicted person, such as family, friends… even coworkers are affected. In this article, we hope to offer some helpful information concerning drug addiction through common questions and answers so that you will be informed and able to approach situations in your own life with both sensitivity and realism.

What is drug addiction?

Drug addiction is a physical and mental condition characterized by habitual and uncontrollable drug intake, involving craving and seeking, even despite the negative consequences associated with drug use.

Alcohol or drug addiction is different from alcohol or drug dependence, though. For example, a person who is taking a drug to treat a disease or illness may have trouble functioning without the drug, but the person may see an improvement in the medical condition while taking the drug. They are only dependent, however, because they are not taking the drug compulsively. Persons addicted to a drug or alcohol exhibit compulsive behavior towards the drug, and unlike the medically dependent drug or alcohol user, they are unable to quit the use once the drug or alcohol has performed its intended effect.

What scientific theories exist concerning drug addiction?

Evolutionary theory suggests that the capacity to be addicted to drugs is a side effect of something that was selected, though certainly not directly considering the adverse affects addiction brings. Some theorists have suggested that the capacity for addiction is a side effect of social attention rewards. They propose that social rewards cause the release of endorphins and dopamine into the brain’s reward circuits. If a social creature is rewarded for a specific activity, they will form a habit to maintain that potential for such a reward. It appears that addictive drugs activate the same reward circuits that are activated by social attention. Researchers observing primates noted hunting males receive additional mating opportunities, thus they hunt more. An addictive drug will bypass the need for such an activity as hunting, or some productive human activity, and an addict will be “socially rewarded” when taking the drug

What are some other viewpoints concerning the reason for drug addiction?

More are beginning to think that drug addiction is a form of dysfunctional learning. Much of what people do is based on motivation and reward. Abused drugs or alcohol take over the parts of the brain that are involved in motivation and reward. The drug user is re-educated, erroneously, motivation stimuli and the associated rewards. Drug-associated cues will in it’s turn cause the desire to use to flare up in the addicted person. This will lead to unconscious and/or compulsive drug-seeking behavior as well, for example lying, stealing, and even physical violence. The addicted drug user will lose the sense of voluntary control over the use of the drug. The continued use of drugs strengthens the neurological pathways in the brain, and their activation quickens with each use. The quicker the “high” is achieved, the stronger the dysfunctional learning.

Why is drug addiction so difficult to overcome?

The more a person uses an addictive drug, the more difficult it becomes for the person to stop use. Their learning process is problematically reshaped. Drugs also physically change a person, transforming the neuro-chemical makeup in a person’s brain. This leads some of us to view addiction as a disease. However, the model that sees drug addiction as a matter of dysfunctional learning helps to explain how learned behaviors can be unlearned. Certainly the more addicted a person is, the more difficult it will be for them to unlearn their addicted behaviors. Abused drugs can change long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in neuronal circuits involved in the addiction, also adding to the difficulty of overcoming drug addiction. Properly assessing the development of an addicted person’s affected learning would increase the potential of more effectively treating the addiction.

Is it possible to use a controlled substance and not be addicted?

Use of a drug that is not an addictive practice is sometimes known as “chipping.” Here, a user of drug or alcohol has control over the use of the drug, meaning they are able to avoid influences that reinforce dependence. The drug is used often for relaxation and not for escape. Social drinking may be an example of such a practice. So what are the differences between a social drinker or an alcoholic? The social drinker is not an alcoholic because he or she is able to control the amount he or she drinks, knowing when to stop, or better yet not even getting to a place where that is a question. Some would argue that the same kind of practice is possible for a drug like marijuana. Even some mood and mind-altering drugs have been shown to not contain in themselves addictive chemical properties, but there are other undesirable side effects that may be associated with such drugs. An example of this is the flashback often associated with LSD. The distributors or dealers will lace often-illegal drugs not addictive in themselves with addictive properties.

David Richards is a publisher of alcoholism articles. You can go to alcoholism treatment for more.