Addiction is any repeated behavior, substance-related or not, in which a person feels compelled to persist, regardless of its negative impact on his life and the lives of others. Addiction can also be called as substance dependence, which is a chronic, relapsing disease, affecting the brain’s reward, motivation, and related systems. People struggling with addiction are unable to control their actions or make rational decisions about their behavior, even in the face of negative consequences. Compounds and experiences with addictive potential activate the brain’s reward circuitry. These triggers are also called reinforcers because the pleasurable feeling we get from them makes us more likely to engage in them again and again. Both alcohol and illicit drugs are powerful reinforcers and cause the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain’s reward system. Repeated activation by these compounds changes the brain’s reward system structurally and chemically and produces behaviours like bingeing, increasing usage and symptoms of withdrawal when the drugs are taken away.
“Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autemvel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore.”
Simona & Michael
