Addiction
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Alcohol abuse affects 1 in 13 American adults, leading to significant health issues and life disruptions. The document defines addiction and dependence, highlighting the role of dopamine release in brain reward and its link to substance abuse. It also provides a screening tool for alcoholism risk assessment through a set of questions.
Addiction
- 1. For one in 13 American adults, alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (alcoholism) causes substantial harm to their health and disruption in their lives. In 2008, an estimated 6.2 million Americans (2.5 percent of the US population) reported using prescription drugs nonmedically in the past month Addiction SOME DEFINITIONS: ADDICTION: A chronic, neurobiologic disease characterized by impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and cravings. DEPENDENCE: A psychological craving for, habituation to, abuse of, or physiologic reliance on a chemical substance . TOLERANCE: A need for a markedly increased amounts of substance to achieve intoxication or desired effect. W ITHDRAW : Substance specific syndrome that occur after stopping or reducing the amount of substance over a prolonged period of time The ScienceVirtually all substance abuse and addiction involves the use of substances that produce brain reward. Brain reward is a key concept that has replaced the older notion that a drug had abuse potential because of its ability to produce withdrawal on abrupt discon- tinuation. Drugs that do not produce brain reward are not abused. Prescription drugs that are abused directly or indirectly provoke an acute release of dopamine from the mid- brain (the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accum- bens) to the forebrain. This dopamine release is re- sponsible for the brain reward, which can lead to abuse and addiction in susceptible individuals. Although all people experience the dopamine surge in response to these substances, there appears to be at least a qualitative, and perhaps quantitative, differ- ence in the surge and resulting brain reward among individuals prone to addiction. The nature of these dif- ferences is not well understood For more information, please visit the S’eclairer website at www.seclairer.com or call us at 724.468.3999
- 2. References: www.UpToDate.com www.proquest.com Alcoholism risk factor assessment (CAGE questions): C: Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking? A: Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking? G: Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking? E: Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover (Eye opener)? 2/4 answered “yes” shows clinical significance Do YOU fit any of these criteria? •Cravings or a strong urge to use or follow through with the addiction • Has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop • Continued habit despite knowledge to having persistent or recurrent problems that have been caused by the addiction • Preoccupation of the addiction • Has committed illegal acts such as forgery to finance the addiction • Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of the addiction • Distortions in thinking, most notably denial • Tolerance • Withdraw