For those who have never used drugs or experienced a dependence upon them, it is hard to understand the draw. Yet, when someone is dependent upon drugs or alcohol, the pleasure center within the brain is hijacked, which disrupts the normal functioning of its reward circuitry.
It wasn’t very long ago that most people considered addiction to be a moral failing rather than a treatable disease-it was largely thought that people who succumbed to drugs and alcohol were simply making poor decisions. Even when the American Medical Association announced in 1950 that alcoholism is a disease, people continued to hold onto …
All in Our Heads: How the Brain Creates Addiction Read More »
Long-term alcohol use can wreak havoc on every part of your body, including your brain. Alcohol dependence (commonly called alcoholism) is a progressive disease that includes cravings for alcohol, loss of control over drinking, and a negative emotional state when you’re not drinking. Alcoholism doesn’t discriminate; it affects people of all ages, genders, and socioeconomic …