Our blog is all about fighting addiciton (specifically alcoholism) but what exactly is addiction? Here are some of the definitions from around the web. Feel free to add your own in the comment section.
Common elements: compulsive need, dependence, physical withdrawal, tolerance
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain; they change its structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long lasting and can lead to many harmful, often self-destructive, behaviors. [source]
American Psychological Association
Addiction is a condition in which the body must have a drug to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Addiction’s first stage is dependence, during which the search for a drug dominates an individual’s life. An addict eventually develops tolerance, which forces the person to consume larger and larger doses of the drug to get the same effect. [source]
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Definition
Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors.
Addiction is characterized by inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. [source]
Wikipedia Article on Addiction
Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences.[8]Despite the involvement of a number of psychosocial factors, a biological process – one which is induced by repeated exposure to an addictive stimulus – is the core pathology that drives the development and maintenance of an addiction. [source]
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
A compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (such as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful. [source]
Psychology Today Defines Addiction
Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continuation of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary responsibilities and concerns, such as work, relationships, or health. [source]
Is Addiction a Mental Illness?
Yes, because addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person’s normal hierarchy of needs and desires and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using the drug. The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses despite the consequences are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses. [source]
The reality that perhaps the industry doesn’t want to discuss is that it doesn’t matter how it’s defined, all that matters is how it’s treated. too much time is wasted looking for a definition for something that doesn’t have a “one size fits all” set of parameters. It’s better, from a tx perspective, to look at the layers of substance abuse and find the co-occurring and/or underlying issues. Addiction, from a a semantic level, is too wide to define.
That makes a lot of sense. It’s big mess and cleaning it up is what matters – so many variables with different people it’s best to find an angle and get to work.