Drug Addiction - Alcohol and Drug Addiction

Information about drug addiction, drug and alcohol addiction, alcohol and drug addiction

Throughout much of the last century, scientists studying drug abuse labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of drug addiction. When science began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people addicted to drugs were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. Those views shaped society's responses to drug abuse, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punitive rather than preventative and therapeutic actions. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to drug abuse have changed dramatically. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of drug addiction, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem.

Drug craving and other compulsive behaviors are the essence of drug addiction. They are extremely difficult to control, much more than the physical dependence. They are the principal target symptoms for most drug addiction treatment programs. For an addict, there is no motivation more powerful than drug craving. Virtually nothing seems to outweigh drug craving as a motivator. People have committed all kinds of crimes and even abandoned their children just to get their fix. Fix here refers to the overpowering need to feel high again. And to relieve any physical drug withdrawal which inevitably occurs.

Focusing on drug addiction as compulsive, uncontrollable drug use helps clarify the nature of drug addiction and of what is a potentially addicting drug. For the addict and the clinician, this more accurate definition forces the focus of treatment away from simply managing physical withdrawal symptoms and toward dealing with the more meaningful and powerful, concept of uncontrollable drug seeking and use. The task of treatment is to regain control over drug craving and thereby prevent or minimize drug seeking and drug use and therefore addiction.

Drug addiction is a complex issue. Considered to be a disease, it is characterized by compulsive, uncontrollable craving and use that persists even in the face of extremely negative consequences. For many people, drug addiction eventually becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence. Even the words drug addiction call up many different disturbing images and strong emotions.

Drug addiction whether the drug is physically or psychologically addicting, this issue revolves around whether or not dramatic physical withdrawal symptoms occur when an individual stops taking the drug, or what is called physical dependence.

What really matters is whether or not a drug causes what is the essence of drug addiction, namely uncontrollable, compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.  This is the best definition and criteria of drug addiction and whether or not a person is in fact an addict. This is the crux of how many professional organizations all define addiction. This is the ultimate expression of drug addiction, namely an uncontrollable, compulsive craving, seeking and use of drugs.


As a result of scientific research, we know that drug addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior. We have identified many of the biological and environmental factors and are beginning to search for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of the disease. Scientists use this knowledge to develop effective prevention and treatment approaches that reduce the toll drug abuse takes on individuals, families, and communities.