Addiction to a Disease

ADDICTION AS A DISEASE

Addiction is a complex disease of the brain and body that involves compulsive use of one or more substances despite serious health and social consequences. Addiction disrupts regions of the brain that are responsible for reward, motivation, learning, judgment and memory. It damages various body systems as well as families, relationships, schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods.

THE DISEASE MODEL OF ADDICTION

Addiction is defined as a disease by most medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Like diabetes, cancer and heart disease, addiction is caused by a combination of behavioral, environmental and biological factors. Genetic risks factors account for about half of the likelihood that an individual will develop addiction.

Addiction involves changes in the functioning of the brain and body. These changes may be brought on by risky substance use or may pre-exist.

The consequences of untreated addiction often include other physical and mental health disorders that require medical attention. If left untreated over time, addiction becomes more severe, disabling and life threatening.

HOW SUBSTANCE USE CHANGES THE BRAIN

People feel pleasure when basic needs such as hunger, thirst and sex are satisfied. In most cases, these feelings of pleasure are caused by the release of certain chemicals in the brain. Most addictive substances cause the brain to release high levels of these same chemicals that are associated with pleasure or reward.

Over time, continued release of these chemicals causes changes in the brain systems involved in reward, motivation and memory. When these changes occur, a person may need the substance to feel normal. The individual may also experience intense desires or cravings for the addictive substance and will continue to use it despite the harmful or dangerous consequences. The person will also prefer the drug to other healthy pleasures and may lose interest in normal life activities. In the most chronic form of the disease, addiction can cause a person to stop caring about their own or other’s well-being or survival.

These changes in the brain can remain for a long time, even after the person stops using substances. It is believed that these changes may leave those with addiction vulnerable to physical and environmental cues that they associate with substance use, also known as triggers, which can increase their risk of relapse.

IS ADDICTION A CHRONIC DISEASE?

A chronic disease is a long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured.

About 25-50% of people with a substance use problem appear to have a severe, chronic disorder. For them, addiction is a progressive, relapsing disease that requires intensive treatments and continuing aftercare, monitoring and family or peer support to manage their recovery.

The good news is that even the most severe, chronic form of the disorder can be manageable and reversible, usually with long term treatment and continued monitoring and support for recovery.

WHY IS WILL POWER OFTEN NOT ENOUGH?

The initial and early decisions to use substances reflect a person’s free or conscious choice. However, once the brain has been changed by addiction, that choice or willpower becomes impaired. Perhaps the most defining symptom of addiction is a loss of control over substance use.

ARE PEOPLE WITH ADDICTION RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS?

People with addiction should not be blamed for suffering from the disease. All people make choices about whether to use substances. However, people do not choose how their brain and body respond to drugs and alcohol, which is why people with addiction cannot control their use while others can. People with addiction can still stop using – it’s just much harder than it is for someone who has not become addicted.

People with addiction are responsible for seeking treatment and maintaining recovery. Often they need the help and support of family, friends and peers to stay in treatment and increase their chances of survival and recovery.

WHY SOME PEOPLE SAY ADDICTION IS NOT A DISEASE

Some people think addiction cannot be a disease because it is caused by the individual’s choice to use drugs or alcohol. While the first use (or early stage use) may be by choice, once the brain has been changed by addiction, most experts believe that the person loses control of their behaviour.

Choice does not determine whether something is a disease. Heart disease, diabetes and some forms of cancer involve personal choices like diet, exercise, sun exposure, etc. A disease is what happens in the body as a result of those choices.

Others argue that addiction is not a disease because some people with addiction get better without treatment. People with a mild substance use disorder may recover with little or no treatment. People with the most serious form of addiction usually need intensive treatment followed by lifelong management of the disease. However, some people with severe addiction stop drinking or using drugs without treatment, usually after experiencing a serious family, social, occupational, physical, or spiritual crisis. Others achieve sobriety by attending self-help (12-step or AA) meetings without receiving much, if any, professional treatment. Because we do not understand why some people are able to stop on their own or through self-help meetings at certain points in their life, people with addiction should always seek treatment.

The Center on Addiction. 2017. Addiction as a Disease. https://www.centeronaddiction.org/what-addiction/addiction-disease.

Stories of Recovery

• The encouragement, love and support from the team at Crossroads allowed me to eventually see that I was worth something - that my life could be turned around and that I could accomplish the things that had long been a forgotten dream.
  Oliver VG
  Read more
• On the last day of my stint at Crossroads I could only express gratitude towards all who works there. A wise councillor once commented on my question when one is ready for rehab by explaining that when one is ready for rehab, rehab is ready for you.
  Johan B
  Read more
• I was lost and my soul was broken until I ended up at Crossroads and was introduced to the Twelve Steps. With the help of their excellent staff and amazing support I have recently been clean for 18 months, I could not have done it without them!
  Carla S
  Read more
• "Just for today I am more than three years in recovery. I have Cross Roads to thank for this wonderful gift. Cross Roads helped me to set a firm foundation in my recovery on which I can continue to build."
  Angelique J
  Read more

Read more

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Celebrity Culture: Normalizing Addiction, Recovery and Relapse

Celebrity Culture: Normalizing addiction, recovery and relapse.

If you are the type of person who uses any form of social media, follows the news or listens to the radio, there is a good chance that you have heard about the recent relapse of Demi Lovato. The celebrity was found unconscious after an apparent overdose.  And this is not the first time someone in the public eye has had their addiction brought to the attention of the masses. In the last few years we have heard of celebrity deaths because of overdose – Heath Ledger, Prince and Carrie Fisher,  just to name a few.

Many celebrities have been honest and open about their struggles and successes in recovery. Russel Brand wrote several books chronicling his struggles in addiction and recovery, Eminem has released an album titled Recovery, and then later another called Relapse. Rob Lowe even received an award titled The Spirit of Sobriety after he celebrated 25 years sober. So many people are “out” of the recovery closet. But what does this mean for the average alcoholic or addict in the world?

Celebrities Speak Out

In many ways these people are the yardstick by which we have to measure our recovery. They stand as an example of what addiction does, what it looks like and how healthy normal recovery looks. But as all things with celebrity culture, we never know the full picture. With tabloids, social media, gossip websites and new outlets releasing conflicting stories, partial statements, and click bait headlines, we receive silhouettes of the truth.

I was quite alarmed when I came across the following headline. “Demi Lovato may relapse again and that’s part of drug addiction recovery, expert says”.   Doctor Drew Pinsky is the expert in question, he has spoken to the media regarding this incident but is not treating Lovato in any way. Doctor Drew is best known for being the mind behind Celebrity Rehab. And after watching this video my blood began to boil, probably because of my own  experience in recovery – especially early recovery. As an addict in recovery it seems like everyone is cheering you on to succeed and yet it also seems like no one truly believes that you will.

Relapse being advertised as just part of recovery is dangerous and irresponsible. Yes, it is true that many people do relapse after undergoing a treatment process. However, the narrative that this is part of a recovery process is untrue.  It does not have to be the reality for a recovering addict – it can be a learning experience, a wake-up call, or even a call to action, but it does not have to be a part of the process.

What Do We Do?

So, if media is constantly giving us these false images and misinformation, what is the point? Well maybe it is the fact that celebrities and people with a strong public image have the ability to advocate for mental health issues, along with issues related to addiction. Maybe it helps give us positive role models to look up to. But for me, the key value these people add is the fact that they are open about their struggles. It has been said that the opposite of addiction is connection. Maybe feeling connected to the world at large, knowing that we are not alone, knowing others share our struggle may inspire us. And perhaps motivate us and push us to be stronger in our own recoveries.

Stories of Recovery

• The encouragement, love and support from the team at Crossroads allowed me to eventually see that I was worth something - that my life could be turned around and that I could accomplish the things that had long been a forgotten dream.
  Oliver VG
  Read more
• On the last day of my stint at Crossroads I could only express gratitude towards all who works there. A wise councillor once commented on my question when one is ready for rehab by explaining that when one is ready for rehab, rehab is ready for you.
  Johan B
  Read more
• I was lost and my soul was broken until I ended up at Crossroads and was introduced to the Twelve Steps. With the help of their excellent staff and amazing support I have recently been clean for 18 months, I could not have done it without them!
  Carla S
  Read more
• "Just for today I am more than three years in recovery. I have Cross Roads to thank for this wonderful gift. Cross Roads helped me to set a firm foundation in my recovery on which I can continue to build."
  Angelique J
  Read more

Read more

Approved Medical Aids