Is Addiction A Disease Or A Choice?

People dispute whether addiction is a choice or a disease. Each of the parties that support each option poses strong arguments. However, choice and disease both describe addiction. Addiction is a disease. However, it is a disease that usually develops from a series of choices. It starts as a small engagement, and it gets to a point where your brain gets used to it. 

Some people only look at the choice part and victimize their loved ones for their inability to stop their addictive behavior and actions. It is crucial to get addiction help for your loved ones rather than criticize them for their choices. 

Addiction Is a Disease, Not Someone’s Choice.

Addiction is a consequence of various choices. Therefore, on its own, it is a disease. People confuse initial abuse with addiction. It is important to stop abuse before it develops into an addiction. Why is addiction a disease? Here are a few reasons:

1. A study from Harvard describes Addiction as a brain disease. It shows that addiction interferes with how your prefrontal cortex in the brain works. Moreover, like other diseases, addiction will become more severe if left untreated. 
2. You will begin to experience severe physical and mental consequences of fulfilling and failing to fulfill your addictive urges. People experience withdrawal symptoms if they fail to fulfill the cravings. Each substance has some unique withdrawal symptoms. For example, alcohol withdrawal symptoms may differ from heroin withdrawal symptoms. However, some like nausea, vomiting, and anxiety are common. 
3. Medication is used to treat addiction. When you suffer from a severe case of addiction, you will experience intense withdrawal symptoms. Doctors will prescribe various medications to help ease withdrawal. For example, there are medications to help with opioid withdrawal and more. Moreover, they can also prescribe ultra-rapid detox to sleep through the uncomfortable or painful part of withdrawal. 
4. Addiction can be life-threatening. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that there have been almost 1 million overdose-related deaths since 1999. People with addiction have a high tolerance for drugs. The more they use, the higher the tolerance. Therefore, it may get to a point where they use more than safely required. Moreover, some people mix drugs, and this can easily lead to an overdose. 
5. Many serious diseases result from choices. Some of these diseases include diabetes, cancer, and even heart disease. They come from various choices, including smoking tobacco, eating too much sugar, consuming unhealthy diets,  failure to exercise, and more. 

It is important to get addiction treatment before you get to experience any severe consequences. 

How Addiction Affects Your Brain

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions like delaying reward, delaying reward, and more. Research shows that drugs hijack your brain’s reward system and decrease your motivation towards rewards that are not drug-related.  

Drugs and alcohol trigger the release of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain. The brain usually releases these chemicals to satisfy important needs like hunger, thirst, and sex. Abuse of drugs and alcohol causes the brain to release high amounts of dopamine and other chemicals. 

Once you abuse drugs and alcohol often, it will interfere with the brain parts responsible for memory, reward, and motivation. However, your brain will try to counter the effect of drugs and the chemicals it releases. Therefore, you will find that you need to use more substances to experience the desired effects. 

Once addiction sets in, your brain reacts differently when stressed and when you deprive it of drugs and alcohol. You will experience withdrawal symptoms such as intense cravings. Addicted people will cave into these cravings a lot. 

Furthermore, they lose interest in their previous hobbies because they do not offer the same sense of reward. Moreover, addicts find excuses to use drugs and more excuses to avoid getting help.  

Why Some People Consider Addiction as a Choice

People often describe addiction as a choice because they confuse initial abuse and addiction. When an individual starts abusing drugs, that is a choice. The next few times will also be due to choices depending on how addictive a drug is. 

However, addiction takes over how your brain functions and influences your choices in various ways, such as withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, addiction is a disease that arises from choices. 

Many other diseases come from the choices we make. Examples include cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. You must get help if you are addicted or suspect a loved one is. 

How To Treat Addiction Effectively

There are various treatment programs for addiction. However, treatment providers should customize treatment depending on an individual’s level of addiction, support system, and other factors. Moreover, treatment’s level and intensity should adjust according to a patient’s addiction severity and progress. 

The addiction treatment programs include:

• Detox: It is a program that helps remove drugs from your system. Medication may be available. 
• Inpatient rehab: it is a program that helps patients to cope with withdrawal symptoms. Medication may be available depending on your needs. 
• Outpatient rehab: It is a program that helps patients to get treatment while carrying out important activities in their life. Such activities include work and school. 
• Therapy: There are various forms of therapy in individual treatment. They include individual, family, and group therapy. 
• Support groups. These are programs where individuals with similar challenges support each other. A good example is 12 step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous. 
• Holistic treatments: They help to center your mind, body, and spirit. Examples include yoga. 
• Lifestyle adjustments: You will need to adjust to a healthy diet, sleep routine, and regular exercise. Also, change of friends and choose those who don’t abuse substances. 

Do You Need Addiction Treatment in California?

Addiction is a disease that arises from choices. Many similar diseases come from choices such as cancer, diabetes, and more. 

In California, you can get addiction treatment for Coastline Behavioral Health in Orange County. We offer personalized treatment programs and adjust treatment according to your needs and progress. You can call us at (714)841-2260 to get treatment or make an inquiry.