Research Paper about Addiction

Addiction is an affliction that impacts people from many different walks of life. When addicted to a substance, the body reacts through the rewiring of the brain to function under new conditions. However, the brain is not the only part of the body that feels the effects of addiction, various other areas of the body also undergo different types of changes. It is because of these reasons, and many more, that addiction can and should be considered a disease.

Addiction to drugs does not affect everybody equally. Some are more likely to experience addiction due to specific factors that differ from person to person. Specifically, some factors that may increase chances of addiction are family history and the being of male gender (Hyman 2001). Personality type also may play a role in addiction. More negative emotional or neurotic tendencies, known as NEM/N, are more highly associated with addiction and other mental health disorders connected to addiction (Volkow et al., 2014).  Not only are some more vulnerable to the effects of drugs and addiction, but prolonged use of substances can also change the brain and its functions. Changes at all levels can last even after the individual stops taking the drug, including molecular, cellular, structural, and functional (Leshner, 1997). Consistent drug use and exposure to addictive substances changes the pathways within neurons for sending signals, therefore affecting the expression of genes (Matsumoto et al., 2001; Walton et al., 2001). Marijuana users have been found to have denser gray matter as well as different-sized nucleus accumbens and amygdalas when compared to non-smoking individuals (Gilman et al., 2014). With addiction being so prevalent in specific individuals and also having the ability to change the brain itself, it must be considered a disease.

Nobody wakes up in the morning and actively chooses to have a reliance on a substance to function.  Although it may start as recreational and fun, using drugs can quickly become an addiction based on the uncontrollable urge to use and seek out drugs (Leshner, 1997). Despite wishing to quit, it can be extremely difficult to stop using drugs. Even though they are severely concerned about their usage and attempt to quit, only around 15% of the yearly 1 million cigarette users that try to give up smoking are successful (Rose, 1996). Addiction is not something that just goes away overnight, individuals may be more sensitive to relapsing based on the changes to their brains. For most people who are addicted to substances, relapsing is normal and almost expected. It isn’t something that can be treated once and considered completely successful (Leshner 1997). Dependence on drugs is even reinforced at the cellular level while the central nervous system adjusts over time to consistent exposure. Monkeys given the same dose of cocaine weekly lead to greater extracellular dopamine release in the central nervous system. Then a second admittance of the drug as the first one wears off caused a decreased release of extracellular dopamine, known as acute tolerance. A higher tolerance means that more of the substance will be required for that same euphoric feeling as the first high (Bradberry, 2000). The lasting effects of drugs and other substances that make an individual continue to return to them as a coping strategy proves further that addiction is not a choice and therefore should be considered a disease. 

Addiction may be different from other diseases but that does not change the fact that it should be considered a disease. Holden, a scholar who believes that addiction is not a disease, argues that addiction cannot be a disease because it does not properly meet the following criteria: transmissible, contagious, autoimmune, hereditary, degenerative, or traumatic (Holden, 2012). Not all diseases are able to be spread from person to person, many other well-known illnesses cannot be transmitted through contact with an infected individual. Addiction can also be hereditary as it often runs in families (Hyman 2001). It causes many severe adverse effects and does not easily go away. Getting over addiction may take months or even years and even then it is not guaranteed that one will be clean for the rest of their life. Relapse rates are high, meaning there is no simple cure for addiction (Leshner 1997). Not to mention the long-lasting changes made to the brain itself from prolonged usage (Matsumoto et al., 2001; Walton et al., 2001). Not all buy into the idea that changes to the body and brain that occur during addiction are significant. Schaler, another scholar arguing that addiction is not a disease, believes that mental functions can overtake bodily functions and therefore addiction must be purely mental, bringing up the idea of grief following a death of a family member altering stomach chemistry and more (Shaler, 2002). The idea that anything can change the body’s chemistry is oversimplifying the changes undergone during addiction, assuming it to be purely emotional and making it seem insignificant. Gene expression and neural pathways change during addiction (Matsumoto et al., 2001; Walton et al., 2001), and with marijuana use parts of the brain such as the amygdala and nucleus accumbens change in size (Gilman et al., 2014). These are not things that happen to any average person when upset over something like a familial death. There is an assumption that during the recovery process referring to addiction as a disease takes away accountability from the patient and leads them to assume that their behavior is not their own fault (Schaler, 2002). This is illogical, one can still take responsibility for healing and getting treatment while also recognizing that addiction is a disease and not entirely their fault. Blaming each addicted person for their problem only further stigmatizes addiction and lessens the chance that one will adequately recover from the illness. Overall, the only arguments against classifying addiction as a disease are assuming the addiction is something chosen by an individual, that they make the conscious decision each day to rely on substances for functioning, when in reality that is extremely unlikely. Addiction is a slippery slope, one may start with control over their usage and quickly lose that ability, instead becoming overtaken by the urge to use drugs more often. It is not the fault of the individual but society, biology, and psychology that addiction is so prevalent. In order to give this issue the full respect it deserves, addiction needs to be considered and treated as a disease.