Disease Model of Addiction
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Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that impacts how an individual thinks, feels, and acts. This is due to the changes that occur in a person’s brain due to any kind of addiction. There are many opinions regarding addiction, and we at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project believe that it is important for individuals with addiction to know that it is not a moral failing. Instead, the disease model of addiction helps provide insight into why an individual struggles with addiction and how treatment can help provide the necessary tools to heal and move forward.
The Disease Model of Addiction
Many people believe addiction to be an individual’s fault for being unable to inhibit themselves from addictive behaviours. However, this is far from the truth. The disease model of addiction helps provide an explanation that clarifies how addiction actually impacts a person’s brain, body, and actions. This model is important in providing information on why individuals struggle with addiction and how treatment can be adjusted to help them heal.
Addiction is a chronic disease that causes compulsive actions that are difficult to control and often have negative consequences on a person’s life. It is characterised by a person continuing their addiction behaviours despite these negative impacts on their lives and those they love. There is not a single factor that predicts if a person is going to struggle with addiction. However, genetics, environment, and developmental factors all play a role in the disease model of addiction. They provide an outline of why certain individuals struggle with addiction and others do not.
Addiction as a Brain Disease: A History
The first concept of addiction as a brain disease surfaced in the early 1900s. By 1956, The American Medical Association (AMA) defined alcoholism as an illness. In 1987, multiple organisations officially defined addiction as a disease.
The shift in the understanding of addiction is paired with a combination of social changes and medical advances. Historically, prior to this shift in the definition of addiction, many individuals believed that addiction was due to a lack of willpower or a sheer moral issue. However, the changes in how addiction is defined have helped lead the way towards the mental health, medical, and social understanding of addiction.
Brain Changes Due to Substance Abuse
The brain has many different circuits that help individuals care for their needs, including positive reward circuits. These circuits or patterns utilise neurotransmitters that impact how a person feels. Essentially, certain behaviours cause these patterns in the brain to begin which ends in them feeling positive due to the type of neurotransmitters released. This release helps to reinforce behaviors that are healthy and helpful including reproduction, spending time with loved ones, and eating.
One of the primary neurotransmitters used in a reward circuit in the brain is dopamine. Unfortunately, dopamine is also released as a result of using many different substances and through certain unhealthy behaviours. In fact, substance abuse causes extremely high surges of dopamine in the brain, which disrupts how the reward circuit functions.
These high amounts of dopamine cause the brain to be less impacted by smaller surges of dopamine. As a result, the behaviours that caused the larger release of dopamine will become dominant in terms of importance in the brain. Therefore, over time, a person becomes less interested in previously enjoyed activities. Instead, they become driven to continue to abuse substances and activities that are less healthy but cause high releases of dopamine.
Treatment Using the Disease Model of Addiction
When the disease model of addiction is well understood, treatment involves healing from the impacts of the disease of addiction. The specifics of each individual’s treatment path are unique. However, they often incorporate both detox and addiction treatment. Detox helps individuals to heal physically by ceasing the use of a substance or action under the supervision of professionals. This helps individuals to safely transition out of addiction.
However, addiction treatment is more than simply detoxing. During addiction treatment, the root causes of addiction are addressed. This may include past trauma, mental health issues, or changes in lifestyle. Regardless of the specifics, through addiction treatment that is based on an understanding of addiction as a disease, individuals learn how to live their lives without relying on substances or unhealthy behaviours.
Addressing Shame in Treatment
It is common for individuals to misunderstand addiction as a moral shortcoming. Therefore, many individuals enter into addiction treatment with a sense of shame regarding their addiction. However, at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project, these thoughts and emotions are addressed. It is an important part of the healing process.
In order for individuals to heal from the sense of shame, they learn about how addiction is a disease. Treatment at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project incorporates this type of education in order to shift people towards a path that truly helps them to heal. Defining addiction as a disease does not mean they cannot make changes. Only that they are not at a moral fault for struggling with addiction. These small changes in understanding addiction help provide a way forward for individuals on their path to recovery.
Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that impacts how the brain functions, which is extremely different from addiction being a moral shortcoming of any kind. To learn more about addiction and how addiction treatment looks that takes the reality of addiction being a disease into consideration, call PCP – The Perry Clayman Project today at 08000 380 480.