Many researchers believe that addiction is a brain disease but also a behavior that can be controlled to some extent.

Testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) reveals that all addictions tend to cause nearly the same reactions inside the brain, which means there could be one type of control model for addiction issues. Others express the opinion that some people have an addictive personality and are more likely than others to have problems with addiction.

In other words, just as there is one disease labeled “asthma,” there might be one disease labeled “addiction” that would cover all types of addictions: gambling, smoking, overeating, drug, etc. Then one main treatment plan or strategy could be used to treat any addiction.

How does addiction work? In a nutshell, the brain, as the center of the body's nervous system, handles addiction by increasing the level of dopamine in response to compulsions, or increased reactions or repeated episodes from abusive behaviors like gambling, overeating, drinking alcohol, or taking cocaine.

Addiction affects the three functional processes of the nervous system: perceiving, sensing, and reacting. Dopamine is the chemical transmitter to the pleasure center of the brain where survival instincts like eating and reproducing are focused. Dopamine energizes these cells in the brain individually, and each energized cell energizes another cell in turn, which produces feelings of elation.

The brain, however, doesn't realize what is causing the feelings of elation. It cannot distinguish between healthy stimuli and unhealthy stimuli. When negative behaviors cause the brain to increase the level of dopamine, the reactions of the natural survival instinct mechanism are replaced by feelings of ecstasy and elation.

Depending upon the type of addiction, the nervous system functions of sensing, perceiving, and reacting are impeded. For example, alcohol, a depressant, slows down all of these functions. A drunk driver will in all likelihood react slower than a healthy, alert driver when faced with the immediate prospect of a collision.

Bodily reactions and overall health are differently affected depending on whether an addictive substance is inhaled into the lungs, injected directly into the bloodstream, or swallowed into the digestive system. One long-term effect is an increased tolerance to high dopamine levels. The dopamine spreads out into other areas of the brain, resulting in clouded judgment, depression, and poor choices. Ultimately depression occurs even amid opposing or negative stimuli, such as the negative effects of narcotics on behaviors and the body. Such behaviors become even more intense during withdrawal.

Other long-term effects may include physical changes in the shape of the brain and permanent brain damage, depending upon the type and duration of the addiction and the length of compulsive activity. Other health-related problems, such as heart disease and cancer from cigarette smoking, can result.

Summed up, addiction is compulsive behavior despite negative consequences.
 

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