Addiction
What the experts are saying:
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) publication, Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction states:
“Throughout much of the last century, scientists studying drug abuse labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. When science began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people addicted to drugs were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower.
Those views shaped society's responses to drug abuse, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punitive rather than preventative and therapeutic actions. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to drug abuse have changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of drug addiction, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem.”11
Addiction is a Treatable, Chronic Disease
Numerous studies have demonstrated that chronic substance use changes the brain in basic ways which last long after substance misuse and abuse has ended.
Addiction is a real and complex disease, just like type II diabetes, cancer and heart disease. In fact, imaging studies have shown evidence of brain tissue malfunction in those with addiction. Plus, like other chronic conditions, there is often a genetic factor, and like other medical conditions, can be treated effectively.12
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