Becomin Becoming Addiction

An addiction can be stated as either a biopsychosocial disease or in severe cases a brain disorder. An addiction holds the power to dictate many aspects of people’s lives, and can turn into a solid form of suffering. In the past, an addiction was only classified as substances that crossed the blood-brain barrier, and then temporarily alter the chemical balance of the brain. These kinds of substances would include alcohol, tobacco and some drugs. But more recently a considerable number of psychologists, and other healthcare professionals, now insist that an addiction can also be psychological. This may be the case with gambling, internet, work, exercise, etc. They can also lead to feelings of guilt, shame, hopelessness, despair, failure, rejection, and anxiety just like any other addiction. When a person is addicted to something they cannot control how they use it, and become dependent on it to cope with daily life. The process of becoming addicted happens very similarly for everyone, whether it may be a favorite late time snack or alcoholism. …show more content…
This then leads someone on the path for a search of an escape. These substances allow a false reality to take place, for that person. They alter a person’s mind, and let them believe, for a period of time, that all of their problems are nonexistent. That false "feel good" feeling makes a person want more and they, in turn, become addicted to this substance because it is, to them, the only thing that fixes the problems for them. “Addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain’s reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The hippocampus lays down memories of this rapid sense of satisfaction, and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to certain stimuli.” (Harvard Health Publication,