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Nolan D. Hook

Professor Goeller

English 1201

15 March 2019

Addiction as a Disease

Imagine that every three weeks, 9/11 happens all over again. That is how many people

die due to opioids in the United States alone. Drug addiction is a very real and rising epidemic

here in America and all over the world. Due to lack of resources and lack of availability to

insurance, more and more people are dying due to the disease of addiction. If you do not have the

money to afford treatment or to go to rehab, just about the only option you have left is to get in

legal trouble and sentenced to a correction-based rehabilitation program, which is usually more

corrections based than it is rehabilitation.

Drug addiction has long been a topical issue around the world. There are different

reasons why people get addicted and lots of levels to which people become chemically

dependent on drugs. Some people start taking them because of their simple curiosity, others

maybe to improve their athletic performance or reduce stress and some even begin to get rid of

depression. It really does not matter why people start, the main thing is to get help at the right

time and not to ruin their lives and health.

I currently work at an inpatient rehabilitation center in downtown Dayton working with

recovering addicts of all races, backgrounds, and ages. It feels like every single day the topic of

addiction being a disease is discussed and debated. Some addicts feel as if it is a disease, some
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feel the opposite. The main reason I hear that they do not think it is truly a disease, is because it

is, “self-inflicted”, unlike heart disease, prostate cancer, etc. This specific topic also affects a lot

of people that I personally know, as in family and friends. I have had friends die of this disease

and I have family in prison because of not being able to control theirs. Although I am blessed to

have never obtained the disease of addiction, I have seen first-hand what it does to not only the

people dealing with it, but also their families.

The disease of addiction does not discriminate and can affect and possibly ruin anyone’s

life that unfortunately is affected by it. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds including very

wealthy successful individuals with no negative backgrounds or criminal records can become

addicted or run into a substance abuse problem at any point. Addiction is nearly incurable and

once that addiction has affected your brain, it will always be lurking and can return if you let it.

The majority of people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to

drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack simple morals or even

willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to or if they really want to.

But really drug addiction is a very complex disease, and quitting or breaking your disease usually

takes more than some good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make

quitting hard, even for those who want to. Researchers know more than ever about how drugs

now affect the brain and are starting to find treatment options that can help people recover from

drug addiction and possibly save their lives.

Addiction is a chronic disease explained by drug use that is compulsive, or impossible to

control, even despite the very harmful consequences that it can bring to an individual that is

using. Yes, the initial decision to take drugs is completely voluntary for the majority of people,

but once someone uses that same drug so many times it can lead to brain changes. These brain
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changes can challenge an addict’s self-control and negatively affect their ability to resist their

urges to continue to take the drugs. These brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug

addiction is a relapsing disease. Most people that are in recovery from their drug use disorders

are at a higher increased risk for going back to their drug use even after years of not taking the

drug and being sober. It is very common for someone to relapse, but that does not mean that

treatment does not work. As with other health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and

change due to the individual’s needs and requirements for their addiction. The patient’s treatment

plan needs to be consistently reviewed and changed to fit their changing needs.

Certain drugs affect the brain’s reward circuit which then causes euphoria and an

overflow of dopamine as well. If a person is on a properly functioning reward system it may

motivate the person to repeat behaviors needed to cut their addiction, such as eating healthy and

spending time with their loved ones. These floods of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the

reinforcement of pleasure even though it can be very unhealthy. An example of this would be

taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior repeatedly regardless of the outcome.

When an individual cannot stop using drugs, the brain changes by reducing the ability of

cells in the user’s reward circuit to respond to the drug use. This then reduces the high that the

user feels compared to when they first started using the drug. This is also known as tolerance.

Once the user has built such a tolerance, they must then have to use more and more drugs in

order to get their high, which leads to an increase of health problems and probability of

overdosing. This brain change can also affect other simple daily things that once gave the user

pleasure, like food, sex, or being social with friends.

Not only are there many short-term negative affects to drug use, but the list of long term

affects is rather lengthy as well. Some long term affects that drug users can run into are: learning,
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judgement, stress, memory, behavior, and decision making. Even though the drug addicts may be

well aware of these harmful outcomes, many people still cannot stop using their drugs, which is

why they have such a strong addiction.

Despite the highly probable chance that an individual will become addicted to drugs if

they decided to use and continue to use them, not all people are the same when it comes to

becoming addicted. No one factor can determine if someone will or will not become addicted to

the drug they decided to use. Several combinations of factors are what influences the risk for

someone to become addicted to drugs. A person’s biological genes account for about half of the

person’s risk for addiction. One’s gender, ethnicity, or mental disorders also may influence the

risk of drug use and addiction. An individual’s environment can also play a very important role

of drug addiction. A person’s environment (family, friends, economic status, quality of life)

plays a very important role in their chances to become addiction. Events such as sexual abuse,

peer pressure, extreme stress, parental behavior, and early drug exposure play very big roles also.

The development of a person may quite be the most important factor when deciding just

what causes someone to become addicted to drugs. Although taking drugs at any age can cause

one to become addicted, the earlier someone starts, the higher the probability of an addiction.

That is why anti-drug talks with teens are so important when they are growing up and becoming

more vulnerable and exposed to drugs and the real world. Also, because the teen brain has not

finished developing in the parts where decision making, self-control, and judgement play a big

role.

Many people think that drug addictions are simple to overcome and all that needs to be

done is for the drug user to go to a rehabilitation or treatment center. What these people do not

understand, is just how hard it is for the afflicted individuals to get accepted or even get on the
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list to join these facilities. The economic status and past history of the addicts are often taken

into consideration. Most drug users are spending the majority of their entire earnings on their

addiction and cannot afford the cost of a treatment center or rehab. The majority of drug addicts

do not seek treatment because they are unaware of the resources available to them.

Rehab centers will not let a patient in if they are seeking help for their mental disorder,

which is usually the main cause and issue of their addictions. Many drug treatment centers all

lack the funds that are needed to make their staff knowledgeable enough of both mental health

issues and drug issues. These centers are based on treating patients with drug addiction problems

not mental disorders, and in return they turn away the patients who associate their addiction to

their mental health leaving them no options when looking for treatment.

If the user is fortunate enough to find a treatment center, many times they will find that

the center has an extremely long waiting list, as most drug addiction treatment facilities do in the

U.S. When these users are struggling with their addiction, and then they are told by the

treatment center they have to wait for their treatment, they will continue to use their drugs. Often

by the time the treatment center is ready for them, it is far too late or the user has changed their

minds about wanting help.

A large chunk of drug addicts, based on location and economics, are products of the

system and have felonies on their records. These treatment centers do not want criminals or

felons in their facilities. Even though most of the time it is the drug that caused the individuals to

commit the crime in the first place, they still cannot get the help they need due to the choices that

sprung from their addiction. This is not due to discrimination all the time, but due to the fact the

centers do not want these individuals to have a chance to commit criminal acts while they are the

center’s responsibility.
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Although rehabilitation is often the most effective type of treatment, it is not the only

option that addicts have to find help fighting their disease. Often individuals can find some help

with their addictions within their community. Community addiction treatment, or 12-step groups

are a free and well-known alternative to rehabilitation centers. Some addicts have very good self-

control and can often curb their addiction disease just by regular exercise and a very healthy diet.

If an addict is lucky enough to conquer their addiction and reach sobriety, this does not

mean that their disease is cured. Relapse is the largest obstacle they face. Drug addiction is

known as a relapsing disease because relapse is so common with people in recovery. After so

many years of drug use it can change the person’s self-control and ability to resist their cravings

even years later.

Relapse prevention is such an important part of the recovery process because recovering

drug addicts remain at such a risk for relapse for many years, if not for the rest of their lives. No

one knows if drug relapse is a process or outcome in and of itself. Rather than being a random

event, relapse is a result of a more sophisticated process. It is believed to be a setback along the

way to recovery as in mistakes or lapses are affecting one’s ability to recover from their disease.

Drug disease relapse statistics show that more than 85% of individuals relapse and go

back to their drug a year following their treatments. Researchers even believe that 2/3 of

individuals that are recovering relapse within a week to a month of beginning treatment for their

drug disease. It is essential to have a solid recovery plan when trying to remain sober after

treatment. There are even drug relapse prevention programs to help those who are getting out of

treatment and need help staying sober and not letting their disease take back over their life. The

goal of these programs is to show the addicts and teach them techniques for preventing or
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managing its repetitiveness. High-risk situations can make a person much more vulnerable to

relapse and these programs can help the addicts learn how to deal with high-risk situations.

Drug addiction disease is a very serious and growing epidemic in America and it has no

boundaries or limitations. Anyone with a heartbeat and a brain can become addicted to drugs and

get this disease no matter the circumstances or economic statuses. Richard Ready, former chief

resident of neurosurgery at a Chicago hospital said, “Sometimes I’d be standing in the operating

room and it’d look like I had the flu. So, I’d excuse myself and run into the bathroom, eat 10

Tylenols with codeine, and in maybe five or 10 minutes I would be normal again.” This quote

just goes to show exactly what it means when it is said that anyone can become addicted and get

the disease of addiction.

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Works Cited

“Alternatives to Drug and Alcohol Rehab.” Luxury.Rehabs.com, luxury.rehabs.com/drug-

rehab/alternatives/.

“Medical Professionals And Addiction.” AddictionCenter,

www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/medical-professionals/.

“Medical Professionals And Addiction.” AddictionCenter,

www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/medical-professionals/.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Addiction Science.” NIDA, 29 July 2015,

www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/addiction-science.

“Why Is Drug Addiction Treatment so Hard to Find? | Drug Rehab Solutions.” Drug

Rehabilitation Solutions, 30 Jan. 2018, drugrehabilitationsolutions.com/drug-addiction-

treatment-find/.
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Hampton, Ryan. American Fix. All Points Books, 2018.