Addiction, termed medically as substance use disorder, is a behavioural disease that suffices when an individual is exposed to drug abuse over a long period. However, the level of addiction is not only influenced by drug abuse; genetics are also involved in a person’s addiction. The societal explanation of addiction is often referred to as a self-inflicted condition rather than a disease, and the patients are punished for their failing rather than attending to it as a health issue. Medically, addiction is referred to as a disease influenced greatly by genetic or neuropsychological differences in how the brain functions. In this essay, the medical explanation of addiction is supported evidently.
First, substance use disorder develops when the brain depends on drugs for the release of dopamine chemical. Dopamine is necessary for adverse brain functions, including body movement, pleasurable rewards from sex and food, and memory. Substance use increases the release of this hormone, influencing the brain to maintain balance by reducing the amount released. Over time, the brain no longer releases this chemical and depends on foreign substances to trigger its release (NIDA, 2019). This explains why addicted individuals don’t feel normal unless they take the drugs. At this stage, the person depends on the drugs for the brain’s normal functioning. This further denotes why affected individuals prioritise drugs over other basic needs that are necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
The addiction process occurs at different time rates for different individuals. The medical model explanation of addiction supports this. As discussed earlier, there are hormones and chemicals in the brain that facilitate addiction. Different individuals from diverse ethnicities possess different genetic makeup. There are certain genes present in the human body that expose these persons to a greater risk of chronic addiction. There are drug users who are less prone to addiction, and their dependence is minimal. For these characters, quitting is easier; for example, smokers called chippers. Their daily intake of nicotine and other toxins present in drugs is very small. However, other individuals pose a greater risk of addiction as they possess alleles in their genetic structure associated with addiction. This may include the A1 form allele of the receptor gene dopamine that influences nicotine, alcohol and opium addiction by affecting the reward pathway of the neural system (Genes and Addiction, n.d.).
Additionally, there are other factors contributing to addiction. Drug use at young ages could also lead to substance abuse disorder. The impact of drugs on younger, maturing brains is greater than on mature brains. In a youth’s brain, the myelin layer in the brain is not fully formed, thereby influencing the intensity of the alteration of neurotransmitters in the brain when one uses drugs (Wang et al., 2020). This explains why the youth are more excited or overpowered by drugs. The feeling of more pleasure and over-heightened feelings among young substance users motivate them to continue the abuse of drugs, overlooking their negative impacts. Prolonged abuse affects the release of the hormones responsible for these feelings. When the brain starts to depend on these drugs to trigger the release of these hormones, addiction befalls the teen. This factor should be an essential point to advise the youth about substance abuse.
Other external factors may lead to drug addiction, including the peer groups one interacts with, family, and childhood issues. The kind of peers one interacts with greatly influences the level and frequency of substance abuse. Additionally, if an individual has issues with their family that could be stressing them or have childhood traumas, it could lead them into a dangerous path of addiction. This is influenced by the need to lay off one’s problems with the pleasurable feeling of drugs. Peers also influence others to use drugs out of their schedules. This collectively leads to prolonged drug abuse and later addiction.
In summary, the medical explanation of addiction that genetics or neurophysiology are responsible for addiction is concrete. This happens When the hormones in the brain, such as dopamine, which are responsible for the pleasurable feelings that humans feel, are no longer released by the brain but dependent on drug triggers. With this understanding, society can comprehend the mental issues influencing addicted persons rather than pose judgmental conclusions about their behaviour. It is not necessarily that addiction is caused by prolonged and abusive use of drugs; instead, it can be influenced by genetic factors.
References
Genes and addiction. (n.d.). https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/genes#:~:text=The%20A1%20form%20(allele)%20of,drugs%20influence%20the%20reward%20pathway.
NIDA. 2019, August 5. Genetics and Epigenetics of Addiction DrugFacts. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/genetics-epigenetics-addiction on 2023, November 13
Wang, S. C., Chen, Y. C., Chen, S. J., Lee, C. H., & Cheng, C. M. (2020). Alcohol addiction, gut microbiota, and alcoholism treatment: A review. International journal of molecular sciences, 21(17), 6413. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/17/6413
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