Addiction

Addiction is a term that has many different thoughts on where it begins. Addiction is to be considered a chronic, lifetime disease that affects millions of people all over the world. Knowing what happens while one is going through an addiction and ways the addiction is impacting the individual, family and society on both neurological and physiological views. In this paper we will learn the variances on opioid addiction and sexual addiction. Two different addiction that can be found together. Knowing what to look for if you suspect a loved one falling into the grips of an addiction, can have a huge impact on catching the addiction early, to getting the treatment that they will need.

Variances of addictive substances

Addictive substances can be and has a wide range on why the addiction can start in the first place. Between an addiction such as one to an opioid addiction and the addiction to sex can be link together. Which came first? The addiction to a drug or the addiction to sex? While substance dependence is diagnosed on the basis of the presence of a specific aggregation of behavioral symptoms, other psychiatric symptoms are, typically, associated with addictive behavior (Pani, Pier P.) Sexual Addiction can be linked to a substance addiction as well, in the video “Sex and Pornography Addiction and Symptoms” it was said that many female/male porn stars where sexually assaulted at a young age and the feeling of pleasure leads to a sexual addiction in adult life. The video was very eye opening into how a substance addiction and non-substance addiction can go hand in hand. While many drug addiction can stem from a trauma in childhood assaults, the drug addiction help numb the pain and emotions tied to the past. Sexual addiction, is also linked to other mental health disorders besides just the pleasure of sex and pornographic movies and magazines. Addictive substances have a way of changing the way our brain and body response to everything we do in life.

Neurobiology and Physiology Effects

Close links existing at the neurobiological and physiopathologic levels between the core symptoms of addiction, such as craving and lack of control, and other psychiatric manifestations belonging to the domain of anxiety, mood, and impulse control disorders. Chronic repeated use of these drugs hijacks normal motivated behaviors via the dysregulation of brain reward circuitry (Hyman et al., 2006). The brain is where all the neurons lie and control every move, thought and way of life. Addiction can “hijack” the brain and cause permanent damage to these neurons. Drug addiction changes the way the brain functions and impacts how the body perceives pleasure. These effects of drug addiction are because the drug repeatedly floods the brain with the chemicals dopamine and serotonin during drug use. The brain adapts and comes to expect, and depend on, these