characterized by changes in the brain
which result in a compulsive desire to use a drug. A combination of many factors including genetics, environment and behavior influence a person's addiction risk, making it an incredibly complicated disease. The new science of addiction considers all of these factors - from biology to family - to unravel the complexities of the addicted brain.
The reward pathway is responsible for driving our feelings of motivation, reward and behavior.
Drugs work over time to change the reward pathway and affect the entire brain, resulting in addiction.
What it means to be "hard-wired." Shown above, a cell from a meth-addicted brain (right) differs in structure from a normal brain cell (left). Taking meth causes long-lasting brain cell changes.
Genetic susceptibility to addiction is the result of the interaction of many genes.
Ninety percent of smokers start at or before age 18. The vast majority of adults who are addicted to nicotine began smoking during adolescence.
If you use drugs when you are an adolescent, you are more likely to develop lifetime addiction. An individual's social environment also influences addiction risk.
A Peruvian woman sells coca leaves (from which cocaine is derived). Coca is chewed as a mild daily stimulant and smoked in religious ceremonies. Should certain cultures be permitted to use an illegal drug? If so, how is that use regulated?
Addiction impacts society with many ethical, legal and social issues.
Links to information about the topics discussed here and more.
Supported by a Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award (SEDAPA),
from The National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. The contents provided here are solely the responsibility
of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
Grant Number: 1 R25 DA 15461