Progression
The Development of Addiction:
Not everyone who uses alcohol or recreational drugs will develop an addition. This has led to a lot of speculation about why some people end up abusing these substances while most do not. It is now suggested that some individuals are simply more at risk of developing an addiction than others. This may be due to genetic or environmental factors, or more likely a combination of both.
Addiction as a Moral Weakness:
It was once commonplace to view any type of addiction as a form of moral weakness. Addicts were viewed as willfully engaging in this type of behavior because of lack of morals and willpower. They were therefore undeserving of any sympathy. The addict had chosen their path of self-destruction, and so reap the rewards of this. In this model the way out of addiction is the moral fortitude to do the right thing.
Modern science has largely discounted moral weakness as the cause of addiction. There is now a lot more information about how drugs affect the brain. Physical and psychological dependence is now viewed as a pathological state. New discoveries about addiction have led to a move away from thinking about the addict as just a bad person or somebody with no willpower.
Disease Theory of Addiction:
The idea of addiction as an illness became officially accepted during the 1950s when it was recognized as such by the American Medical Association. Alcoholism is now listed in the International Classification of Diseases. Instead of viewing the addict as bad they are now seen as suffering from an illness. They are no more deserving of moral judgments d than the individual with any other disease.
This theory views addiction as a disease of the brain which may have biological as well as environmental causes. It is believed that individuals may have a genetic disposition which makes them more likely to develop such a dependency. Once an addiction has developed the only solution is complete lifelong abstinence. The disease theory of addiction is widely accepted, and is the one favored by Twelve Step groups.
The Risk Factors of Addiction:
Some people have a higher potential for falling into addiction than others. These risk factors include:
1: Those who use alcohol or recreational drugs at a young age. The younger a person is when they experiment with drugs the more likely they will be become an addict later on.
2: Those who experience childhood trauma .
3: Growing up in an environment where alcohol/drug abuse is considered normal behavior.
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