Addiction and Addictions

Addiction and Addictions

Substance addiction and gambling addiction are recognized by the DSM-5 as mental disorders. Indeed, the same reward and pleasure dopamine pathways are activated during addictive behaviours such as drug intake or compulsive gambling. Many teenagers are attracted to drugs because of the perceived glamour portrayed in some youth rebellion oriented movies. For example, many associate cigarette smoking with independence. While clearly not an illegal drug, nicotine dependence can be very hard to get rid of, which is why quitting smoking is so hard.

Addictions can destroy peoples’ lives, especially in the case of hard street drugs, such as heroin, crack cockaine or methamphetamine. Several rehabilitation centres exist to help individuals battle their addictions. The fight against addiction can be won under the right circumstances. Social and family support is crucial for people struggling with addictions or other issues related to mental health.

Struggling against addictions. Illustration: Elena

Self-help programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous consist of support groups helping individuals to stay clean and sober. Pharmacotherapy may be useful in some cases, such as methadone for heroin or antidepressants for nicotine. Interestingly, while nicotine contained cigarettes is completely legal in most jurisdictions, it has a very strong addictive potential. In fact, quitting smoking has been equated by some to quitting heroin or cocaine. What is more, it apparently takes up to eight times of failed attempts to successfully quit smoking.

As aforementioned, addiction can wreck havoc in a person’s life. Popular media is replete with accounts of celebrities whose careers have been negatively impacted by substance abuse. To illustrate, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Charlie Sheen have all been affected by substance use or abuse at some point in their lives.

An interesting point may be made about cannabis or marijuana use. Thus, some people believe that the substance, commonly called pot, is harmless and does not in any way damage the brain. In sharp contrast, others are of the opinion that smoking pot burns brain cells. Additionally, some research studies have implicated marijuana or cannabis use in the development of psychotic features, particularly in cases of prolonged use starting in adolescence. While substance-induced psychosis is a diagnosis per se, psychosis is often a symptom of an underlying mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, scizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.