Drug Abuse Should Be Considered A Brain Disease - 1360 Words

Drug misuse and abuse has fueled a controversial issue to arise amongst physicians, psychiatrists, and general citizens. Sally Satel, a methadone clinic psychiatrist in Washington D.C., wrote an interesting article titled â€Å"The Human Factor† in which she discusses the debate on whether drug addiction should be considered a brain disease or not. Satel believes that treatment for addicts should focus on treating them as humans with control over their lives, as opposed to treating them as people with an uncontrollable disease. Satel first addresses the social and economic consequences in the United States resulting from drug abuse. Annually, it accumulates over $200 billion dollars in expenses, $129 billion in lost workplace productivity costs, and $16 billion in healthcare costs. Altogether, it adds up to 3% of the total Gross Domestic Product. The U.S. government puts forth an effort to cut drug abuse through two different methods: supply and demand reduction. Supply reduct ion deals with limiting the availability of the drugs themselves, while demand reduction tries to prevent drug use from starting and also treat drug abusers who have already become accustomed to drug use. Then, Satel reveals that her job in the methadone clinic is to help heroin addicts with treatment and keep them from returning to heroin. She claims the most significant issue is getting addicts and former addicts to stop desiring the drug. In opposition to Sally’s belief, the National Institute on DrugShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Drug Addiction1074 Words   |  5 PagesDrug abuse is a rampant problem in the United States. Drug usage and consumption has grown over the years. Drug addiction is a dilemma that has greatly increased among our current day society. Addiction is a serious problem. This can be defined as continued involvement with a substance or activity despite ongoing negative consequence. Narcotics like marijuana, heroin, crystal meth and crack cocaine are gen erally called drugs. Men and woman either take these drugs orally or inhale them. Drugs, otherRead MoreDrug Addiction1473 Words   |  6 PagesIs drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it isRead More Understanding Addiction Essay1055 Words   |  5 Pagesbe solved with social solutions, i.e. incarceration. But, scientific evidence argues otherwise: addiction is a brain disease. â€Å"The World Health Organization has defined addiction as ‘A state, psychic and sometimes also physical, resulting in the interaction between a living organism and a drug, characterized by behavioral and other responses that always include a compulsion to take the drug on a continuous or periodic basis in order to experience its psychic effects, and sometimes to avoid the discomfortRead MoreThe Disastrous Effects Of Parental Drug Addiction On Children1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe Disastrous Impact of Parental Drug Addiction on Children Drug addiction is a serious issue in not only America today, but globally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance addiction is a â€Å"chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful consequences† (â€Å"What is drug addiction?†). Drug abuse affects not only the user, but those around the user as well. The actions of a drug user place a significant amount of worryRead MoreThe Effects Of Drug Abuse Among Adolescents1423 Words   |  6 PagesDrug abuse among adolescents is a growing problem in the United States with a staggering amount of teens falling victim to the vicious cycle of drug abuse. Teens are subjected to pressure from their peers and have the misconception that using drugs are cool and free of consequences. Therefore, teens begin to experiment with drugs and alcohol at an early age and often times don’t think about the negative stigma associated with drug abuse. Un fortunately, even casual use of drugs and alcohol canRead MoreAddiction : The Problem Of Addiction Essay1198 Words   |  5 Pagesdependence and abuse are often used interchangeably with addiction, addiction is a disease that deserves recognition as a separate entity. Historically, addiction’s definition has mistakenly seemed to include an element of choice; the addict chose to do it to themselves, so if they could just get a hold of themselves, set their mind to it and quit cold turkey, their addiction would suddenly disappear. Studies have shown however, that â€Å"addiction is a complex condition, a chronic brain disease that is manifestedRead MoreArgumentative Essay Addiction1629 Words   |  7 Pagesaddiction receives little to no treatment. According to the article Treating Addiction as a Chronic Disease, †Health officials estimate 22 million people in the U.S. abuse alcohol or drugs or both and only around 10 percent of them are in treatment.† Deciding whether addiction is deserving of jail time or necessary treatment is a huge controversy in our world today. Will naming addiction as a disease end the stigma of addicts and provide a better environment for them to seek help? Addiction hasRead MoreEssay On Addiction And Alcohol810 Words   |  4 PagesDiscussion Drug and alcohol addiction can be described as a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, and difficult to control use of these substances despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Addiction is a brain disease since the abuse of drugs and alcohol results to changes in the structure and function of the brain which challenges a persons ability to resist the desire to take the drugs or even to control the number of drugs or alcoholRead MoreDrug Addiction777 Words   |  4 Pages Is drug addiction a choice or a disease? This polemical topic has been in the media for many years and has provoked many debates to ascertain the whole thing. Many researchers have concluded being a drug addict is a disease that is only cured by â€Å"feeding the habit†. Conversely, there are researchers who assert that drug addiction is just a choice. Having thoroughly taken into consideration both sides of the arguments and doing my own research, my stand remains that being a drug addict is undisputedlyRead MoreThe Problem Of Drug Addiction952 Words   |  4 Pagestaking drugs can vary and while the action itself is voluntary: the eventual drug addiction is essentially involuntary. Drug addiction is a complex and chronic disease, a brain disease, which changes the way the brain functions. Drug addiction, much like chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, disrupts healthy, normal functioning organs. This has harmful consequences that are both preventable and tre atable (Branch, 2011, pp.263-265). Drug addiction is considered a brain disease as drugs