Addiction Facts

Drugs and Alcohol change the brain -- they change its structure and how it works. The addictive process undoes or weakens what the brain knew before, and then teaches it something else entirely...

The science of understanding addiction has been exploding in recent years through the use of various different technologies, including genetics, animal studies in humans and brain imaging. Addiction is frightening, chaotic, sometimes tragic and always destructive. Addiction is a complex disease that impacts 1 in 4 families. The younger a person starts drinking or using drugs, the more likely they are to go past occasional illicit experimentation into frequent abuse and then addiction.

Addiction has profound effects on the health and well-being of the individual addict, as well as those around them, and society at large. Like other chronic illnesses, addiction -- with the proper treatment, can be managed, so that an addict can live a life without drugs. The road to recovery, however, is often fraught with devastating consequences, some of which are short-lived and others, lifelong. Health, reputation, livelihood, and interpersonal relationships are just a few areas that can be severely affected by drug and alcohol abuse -- and that, in many cases, can be repaired in recovery.

According to a survey by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, half the public believes that addiction is a personal weakness. In the 2006 USA Today/HBO Family Drug Addiction Poll, while 76% of those polled identified addiction as a 'disease', they identified 'lack of willpower' as the main problem facing addicts. In fact, the new understanding of drug and alcohol addiction that top scientists like Volkow and Willenbring agree on suggest the opposite. A more accurate way to put it would be that any so-called lack of willpower in an addict has been caused by changes in the brain. Dependence on drugs or alcohol caused these very changes. The inability to make clear decisions is a by-product of the same disease from which the addict is trying to escape.

Addiction is a progressive, chronic, relapsing disorder of the brain. If you're an addict or your love one is addicted to alcohol or drug, quitting often seems like an impossible dream -- something you talk about and never do. Orchid Recovery Center for Women Drug Rehab and Alcohol Rehab Center is here to help. Brains harmed by addiction can be repaired via Drug Addiction Recovery. It may take more than one try; it most certainly won't be an easy road, but it can be done. Addiction can be successfully treated. It is not a moral failing but something much closer in its nature to diseases like asthma or diabetes. Visit Orchid Recovery Center for various Drug Treatment now!