Is Addiction A Disease, Really?
Harvard Medical School Health Publishing confirms that addiction is a form of chronic disease. Addiction is not get as seriously as biological diseases like cancer. This is because there is a lot of shame and stigma around addiction. People’s thoughts about substance abuse are negative. Many folks believe that anyone addicted to bad substances is either weak or immoral.
The patients addicted to drugs are treated as a burden on society. This is as though they are milking taxpayers’ money since others do not understand the problems in the brain behind the scenes.
What Are the Causes of Drug Addiction?
An addicted person cannot stop drug abuse overnight. It is the fault of an ill-functioning prefrontal cortex. This is an important part of the brain that drives decisions and actions relating to the person’s self-control and willpower.
For example, a healthy person will hesitate to grab another cup of coffee after realizing they have had too many for one morning. A person struggling with addiction cannot recognize their problem in the same way. They will continue consuming more and more until it becomes too much. Then they become dependent on an addictive substance.
Addiction can be blamed on a person’s reward circuit in the brain. This turns addictive experiences into positive emotions. When that person suffers from a substance abuse disorder, they see it as a reward rather than a problem. Some may also feel motivated to have drugs or alcohol to combat stress after a hard day’s work.
When dangerous substances turn into rewards and motivation triggering euphoric feelings in the brain, the seeds of addiction are planted. Then this becomes a disease after prolonged use. These behaviors also cause cell damage. Hence, addiction should always be considered as a disease because it harms a person’s brain chemistry, causing them to lose control.
What Are the Side Effects?
Addictive substances affect each person differently, and some substance abuse disorders may even become permanent. The health consequences of addiction are incredibly damaging if a person is not given proper care as soon as possible.
Misused substances can release large amounts of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that deals with motivation, emotions, and pleasure feelings.
The brain is flooded with a “high” that makes a person feel incredibly happy. Therefore, an addicted patient might be afraid to go back to their usual self after treatment because they are scared that they will never feel that happiness level again.
Drugs and alcohol can also hinder a person’s ability to make the right choices. Intense cravings from drug use overpower people’s rationality. Even if a person suffering from addiction knows that they must quit, they cannot do so because all their willpower is working against them.
Depending on the drugs a person takes, they may also be in a lot of physical and emotional pain. In these cases, they may lash out violently or aggressively if they cannot get a fix. This is when loved ones become concerned because they notice that the addicted person’s personality is changing before their eyes in an unrecognizable way.
Complications of Drug Abuse?
A substance abuse disorder can significantly weaken a person’s immune system, which increases their chances of getting sick. Their heart rhythm also becomes abnormal, and this could lead to heart attacks and collapsed veins. The blood vessels through injected drugs can get poorly infected and cause gangrene.
Nausea and abdominal pain are other symptoms caused by drug abuse that can lead to a lack of appetite and severe weight loss. The person’s liver can also be heavily strained, which puts them at risk of liver failure.
Since drug use impairs the brain, they may suffer from memory and decision-making problems that would make it really hard to work or study. The mental confusion can also lead to brain damage, seizures, and strokes.
What to Do in Emergency Cases?
Depending on the patient’s seriousness, they will need to be rushed to the emergency department of your nearest medical center. They may also be kept for observation while your doctor goes over long-term treatment options that rehab centers are equipped for.
Your rehab center will then undertake the challenge to help the affected person break free of drug abuse to get their life back on track. Medical staff at Wisdom Treatment will help cope with the addictive cycle. They have an effective detox program in place to treat all kinds of withdrawal symptoms. Then the patient can return home with a healthier state of mind.
Any Good Drug and Alcohol Addiction Program
The best thing to do for a loved one is to have a change of mindset instead of debating is addiction a disease, because it is already proven as such.
People going through addiction are suffering just like anybody else would with a lung or heart disease. Like most other diseases, the person suffering from addiction deserves urgent medical support to get through this dangerous illness to have their lives back as soon as possible.
If you recognize the symptoms of addiction and believe that
Selective focus on the word “addiction”. Many more word photos in my portfolio…a loved one urgently needs professional help, contact Wisdom Treatment Center to find out the next steps. There should be no delays when it comes to saving someone’s life before it is too late. Get in touch with the friendliest and most compassionate medical experts to begin treatment immediately.
