It still happens today, although not as often. Some people think that addiction is something people can basically will themselves out of it, but that isn’t the way it works.
Addiction is a disease.
Nobody tells people to will themselves out of a cold or a broken arm. The problem with addiction is that it isn’t something that people can see – that is why some have a hard time believing in it, even though it affects millions of people around the world every day.
Addiction is considered a disease because of what it does to the brain. You know that the brain is the hub of everything – it is incredibly important to have a healthy brain so that an individual can, by extension, live a healthy and fulfilling life.
What happens to the brain when a person takes drug varies.
It depends on the drug, how many times the drug is ingested and the person that is taking the drugs. That doesn’t mean that someone’s brain will not be affected by it. Someone who takes drugs often cannot get out of affecting their brain.
One of the first steps in this change in the brain is how dopamine is produced. When someone takes drugs, they get a huge surge of dopamine, and that sensation seems to eclipse all the other sensations that produce dopamine for someone. The brain may get confused and it could replace the person’s hierarchy of needs.
The part that controls a person’s inhibitions in their brain is also affected. The person affected may also be unable to make sound decisions. This is particularly the case with drug users under 25 – especially those that have started taking drugs when they are teenagers.
This is why addiction is a disease.
It rewires a person’s brain circuitry and may even change their personality. Even though other people can’t see what is happening in their brain, people with addiction problems need to be treated by professionals as it would take a superhuman amount of strength on the part of their rewired brain to simply talk itself out of it.
