Addiction: A Disease Of Perception

Explore 'addiction: a disease of perception', its impact on brain function, and how environment plays a role.

Published On

May 24, 2024

Dove Recovery's Team

Addiction: A Disease Of Perception

Understanding Addiction

Addiction is a complex issue that impacts millions of individuals worldwide. It is now recognized as a medical disorder that impacts the brain and behavior, shifting the perception of addiction from a personal failing or choice to a disease that affects the brain.

Addiction as a Brain Disease

Current research classifies addiction as a disease that disrupts normal brain function. It primarily affects the brain's reward system, releasing neurotransmitters like dopamine along with other chemicals. This release reinforces the brain’s association between certain activities or substances and feelings of pleasure.

This understanding of addiction as a disease of the brain is a significant shift in perspective. It helps to frame addiction not as a moral failing or lack of willpower but as a health issue that needs to be addressed with medical and therapeutic interventions.

Behavioral Patterns in Addiction

Addiction is characterized by a range of behavioral patterns. Among the most common is an inability to control substance use or specific behaviors. These could include compulsive behaviors like gambling or shopping, indicating a commonality in how various types of addiction operate in the brain.

Despite the negative consequences of these behaviors, such as job loss, health issues, and relationship concerns, individuals may struggle to quit. This uncontrollable urge to continue the substance use or behavior, regardless of the negative impact, is a defining characteristic of addiction.

Understanding these behavioral patterns is crucial in recognizing and addressing addiction. This knowledge can guide interventions and treatments, providing a more effective approach to helping those affected by addiction. The recognition of addiction as a disease of perception paves the way for more compassionate, understanding, and effective strategies to overcome addiction.

Impact of Environment on Addiction

Understanding addiction as a disease of perception requires an examination of the environmental factors that often play a significant role. A person's environment, including their family history and social influences, can contribute to the likelihood of developing an addiction.

Family and Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma and family environment can have a profound impact on the risk of developing addiction. Children raised in homes where traumatic events such as domestic violence, abuse, criminal behavior, mental illness, neglect, divorce, or substance use took place are at a higher risk of addiction. A study found that opiate users were 2.7 times more likely to have a history of childhood sexual and/or physical abuse than non-opiate users [3].

Trauma can also lead to actual changes in the brain, increasing the chances of substance use disorders or depression. Teens who were abused and traumatized as children were found to have disruptions in certain neural networks associated with these risks [3].

Influence of Peer and Social Environment

The influence of the peer and social environment cannot be underestimated in the context of addiction. Individuals with a spouse or sibling who use drugs have an increased risk of becoming a drug user themselves, as found in a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry [3].

Spending time in environments that accept and encourage substance use, such as neighborhoods where drugs are culturally acceptable, can influence one's own drug or alcohol use. Essentially, living in drug-infested neighborhoods can be stressful and possibly lead residents to use drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism [3].

Substance use disorders are recognized as one of the most pressing global public health problems, with environmental factors influencing substance use behaviors. Racial and socioeconomic inequities in risky substance use environments may lead to disparities in rates of substance use disorders and treatment outcomes.

In conclusion, the environment a person grows up in, lives in, and the people they surround themselves with can greatly influence their perception of substances and their risk of addiction. By understanding these factors, one can better comprehend the complex dynamics of addiction.

Types of Addictions

Understanding addiction as a disease of perception involves recognizing the different forms it can take. Addiction can be either physical or behavioral, and often these two types go hand in hand.

Physical and Behavioral Addictions

Physical addiction is typically associated with substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. This form of addiction changes the body, specifically the brain, and can have visible physical side effects. The brain's reward system is heavily impacted, with the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and other chemicals reinforcing the brain’s association between certain substances and feelings of pleasure [2].

Behavioral addiction, on the other hand, does not exhibit the same physical symptoms that accompany drug and alcohol addiction or substance abuse. This type of addiction involves patterns of compulsive behavior like gambling or shopping. Research suggests that these behavioral addictions operate similarly to substance addictions in the brain, reinforcing the perception of pleasure and reward.

Although alcohol and tobacco are commonly recognized types of addiction, there are actually hundreds of types of medically and scientifically recognized addictions, highlighting the complexity and diversity of this disease [5].

Signs and Symptoms of Addiction

Addiction manifests itself differently in each person, with signs of addiction varying based on what the individual is addicted to. The common thread among different types of addiction is usually an inability to control substance use or specific behaviors, leading to consequences like job loss, health issues, and relationship concerns.

Despite efforts to quit, individuals may struggle to do so due to the changes in the brain that addiction causes. These changes can also lead to withdrawal symptoms when attempting to quit, making the process even more challenging.

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of addiction is an important step towards breaking the stigma around this disease. Acknowledging that addiction is a disease that affects the brain, not a personal failing or choice, is crucial in changing how addiction is perceived and talked about [2]. The more we understand about the different types of addiction and their impacts, the better equipped we are to support those struggling with this disease.

Dependency and Substance Misuse

When discussing the concept of 'addiction: a disease of perception', the role of dependency and substance misuse cannot be ignored. These aspects play a pivotal role in the development and progression of addiction. Substance misuse can lead to significant changes in the brain, resulting in tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and cognitive alterations.

Tolerance and Withdrawal Symptoms

Substance misuse often starts with occasional use, but can rapidly escalate to frequent and heavy use. As a person continues to use a substance, their body starts to develop a tolerance to it. This means they require more of the substance to achieve the same effects they once experienced with smaller amounts.

However, increased use can lead to dependency. When the substance is not present, the body may react by producing withdrawal symptoms. These can range from mild discomfort to severe, life-threatening reactions, depending on the substance involved.

The cycle of tolerance and withdrawal is a key aspect of addiction. It drives continued substance use, despite the negative consequences, and makes abstaining from the substance challenging.

Effects on Cognitive Function

Substance misuse has a profound impact on the brain. It can alter feelings, perceptions, thought processes, and behavior, leading to conditions involving the central nervous system, such as headaches, stroke, seizures, and cognitive disorders [6].

Certain substances can lead to cognitive and behavioral disorders, impacting behavior, memory, cognition, and executive function both in the short and long term. For example, alcohol is often implicated in traumatic brain injuries, with up to 75% of patients with a traumatic brain injury testing positive for alcohol at the time of hospital admission.

Furthermore, some substances can directly lead to movement disorders, while withdrawal from substances can also trigger them. This can result in hyperkinetic or hypokinetic movement disorders.

The cognitive alterations caused by substance misuse further complicate the perception of addiction. The changes can affect a person's ability to make rational decisions or recognize the harmful consequences of their actions. This underlines the importance of treating both the underlying substance use disorder and the associated neurological conditions, which can lead to permanent or reversible effects.

Central Nervous System Effects

The impact of addiction on the central nervous system is profound. Substance use can alter feelings, perceptions, thought processes, and behavior. This can lead to conditions involving the central nervous system, such as headaches, stroke, seizures, and cognitive disorders. Substance use can also change the brain over time in ways that contribute to addiction development and make abstinence challenging [6].

Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders

Substance misuse can lead to cognitive and behavioral disorders, impacting behavior, memory, cognition, and executive function both in the short and long term. This underscores the view of addiction as a disease of perception, as these changes can significantly alter an individual's perception of reality, self, and others.

For example, alcohol is often implicated in traumatic brain injuries, with up to 75% of patients with a traumatic brain injury testing positive for alcohol at the time of hospital admission [6]. These injuries can lead to significant cognitive impairments, affecting memory, attention, and problem-solving skills.

Substance	Short-term Impact	Long-term Impact
Alcohol	Impaired judgment, slowed reflexes, memory loss	Brain damage, memory loss, cognitive impairment
Cocaine	Increased energy, reduced appetite	Cognitive impairment, changes in behavior, psychosis
Opioids	Drowsiness, slowed breathing, confusion	Brain damage, cognitive impairment, changes in behavior

Substance-Induced Movement Disorders

In addition to cognitive and behavioral disorders, substance misuse can also lead to movement disorders. These disorders can be hyperkinetic (characterized by excessive, often irregular movements) or hypokinetic (marked by reduced movement or slowness). Some substances can directly lead to these disorders, while withdrawal from substances can also trigger them.

For example, long-term use of certain drugs, such as methamphetamine or cocaine, can lead to a condition similar to Parkinson's disease, a hypokinetic movement disorder. On the other hand, withdrawal from substances like alcohol can result in tremors, a hyperkinetic movement disorder.

Long-term health improvements related to central nervous system effects of drug and alcohol misuse may benefit from treating both the underlying substance use disorder and the associated neurological conditions. Depending on the severity of the condition and the extent of substance misuse, these effects can either be permanent or reversible [6].

Models of Addiction

Different models of addiction provide varying perspectives on the nature of addiction, each with their own implications for understanding and addressing addictive behavior. In this section, we will explore the disease model, the choice model, and alternative perspectives on addiction.

Disease Model vs. Choice Model

The disease model of addiction characterizes addiction as a severe, chronic stage of substance-use disorder, in which there is a substantial loss of self-control. This model sees addiction as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. The National Institute on Drug Abuse considers addiction 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 the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse drugs. (NCBI)

On the other hand, the choice model of addiction argues that addiction is a matter of choice, and addicted persons are largely in control of their actions and therefore responsible for their addictive behavior. However, choice in this context is nearly always irrational, as it is executed by the same brain that gives rise to emotions, learned associations, and contextual cues. (NCBI)

Alternative Perspectives on Addiction

In addition to the disease and choice models, there are also alternative models of addiction that offer nuanced insights into the complex nature of addiction. These models, such as Owen Flanagan's Twin Normative Failure Model, Marc Lewis's Habit and Deep Learning Model, and Neil Levy's Defect of Agency Model, do not necessarily involve moralization of addiction.

These models recognize that addiction involves a complex interplay of psychological, social, and neurobiological factors, and may involve a deficit in reasons responsiveness. They offer a nuanced understanding of addiction that does not necessarily involve blaming or stigmatizing addicted persons. Non-disease models of addiction can provide a more comprehensive understanding of addiction, recognizing the impact of social and economic factors alongside individual responsibility. (NCBI)

The moralization of addiction, often associated with the choice model, can have harmful effects on addicted persons, such as stigmatization and marginalization. This shift in focus from social and economic causes of addiction to individual responsibility can result in unjust social policies and distribution of resources. (NCBI)

Understanding these various models and perspectives can help broaden our understanding of addiction and inform more effective strategies for prevention, treatment, and support. By moving beyond simplistic understandings of 'addiction: a disease of perception', we can better address the complex realities of addiction and support those affected by it.