What is the Disease of Addiction? 

The perception of addiction changed from being a personal flaw of those who lacked morals to being a chronic disease. Most healthcare providers in centuries past thought overcoming addiction meant merely deciding to stop using substances or changing behaviors. But modern medicine has proven that addiction is a complex disease that affects the brain, with the brain changing in ways that make quitting difficult. The disease of addiction isn’t a choice or something a person can shake off through willpower alone. Addiction requires ongoing help at the Jacksonville drug addiction rehab center.

Disease of Addiction

The disease of addiction is a brain disorder characterized by its chronic and relapsing nature that causes people to compulsively seek the substance they typically use, despite knowing that using the substance will have negative consequences. Over time, the brain changes due to substance abuse and interferes with the individual’s ability to control his or her impulses.

Substance abuse causes changes in the brain’s chemical systems and circuitry. This is when and where addiction takes hold. Through brain-imaging studies, the brains of people who are addicted to drugs show physical changes in areas of judgment, learning, memory, decision making, and behavior control. Because these are actual physical changes to the brain, simply “deciding to quit” cannot reverse the disease.

The disease of addiction is very similar to other chronic diseases, in that relapse is a genuine possibility. Diabetes, asthma, and heart disease are examples of other ailments that can be managed despite self-destructive impulses, just as the disease of addiction can be managed. A person with diabetes may crave sweets for a lifetime, but through proper treatment can learn to overcome those impulses. Similarly, someone with the disease of addiction can learn to overcome his or her impulse to use drugs or alcohol through addiction treatment programs in FL.

Treatment for the Disease of Addiction

Addiction is best treated through a continuum of care, starting with drug and alcohol detox in FL and progressing into structured rehabilitation employing an array of behavioral therapies. After rehabilitation, an essential component to recovery is aftercare, which provides ongoing support for lifelong sobriety. For patients with co-occurring disorders, treatment for the disease of addiction must entail therapies and medications developed to heal the mind, body, and spirit with particular attention paid to the treatment of accompanying mental illness.

Addiction treatment programs include:

• Residential or intensive outpatient program
• Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in FL
• Specialized substance abuse treatment
• Dual diagnosis treatment in Jacksonville
• Addiction aftercare programs in FL

Beaches Recovery

Overcoming addiction is not just a decision that gets made. It’s a lengthy process, necessitating a variety of treatment modalities as part of a lifelong continuum of care. Contact Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida, for a continuum of care, which includes a comprehensive array of therapies and dual diagnosis care.

No one plans to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Once the disease of addiction occurs, real physical, mental, and spiritual changes have occurred that require rehabilitation of the mind, body, and spirit for a chance at a brighter future. Call Beaches Recovery now at 866.605.0532 to get the help needed to overcome addiction once and for all.