Substance Abuse Is A Brain Disease - 766 Words

Findings Substance Abuse is a brain disease While the choice to use alcohol and drugs is initially voluntary, alcohol and/or drug addiction arises because the normal functioning of the brain is impaired so that alcoholism and drug addiction become a â€Å"chronic relapsing disease of the brain† (National Institute of Drug Abuse, Drugs, Brains and Behavior. The Science of Addiction. 2014, 5). Drugs impact the pathways of the brain by flooding the circuit with dopamine, which disturbs and distorts normal communication between the brain’s neurons. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain which regulates movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure. Over stimulating the system with drugs produces euphoric effects which strongly reinforce the behavior of drug use teaching the user to repeat drug use. Continuing alcohol and drug use despite the adverse consequences of such use results in abusers experiencing some or all of the following symptoms: mental stress, impulsive behavior, an ger, disorganized thinking, poor coping skills, inadequate decision making and inflexible cognitive response patterns. Treatment Intervention and Prevention – Current Methods Current interventions and prevention methods tend to concentrate on solving the immediate or surface issue of the addicted individual which includes: (a) clinical detoxification treatment from the drug of choice to rid the body of the adverse physical effects of the drug(s), (b) identifying theShow MoreRelatedAddiction Is A Complex Disease978 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction is a complex disease that many people don’t fully understand. Substance abuse is very prevalent around the world, and far too over looked. In fact, forty million people ages 12 and older (or more than 1 in 7 people) have some form of addiction. 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