Drug Abuse Center

Drug addiction is a complex illness.
It is characterized by intense and, at times,
uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive
drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of
devastating consequences.
Many people do not realize that addiction is a brain
disease. While the path to drug addiction begins with
the act of taking drugs, over time a person’s ability to
choose not to do so becomes compromised, and seeking
and consuming the drug becomes compulsive. This
behavior results largely from the effects of prolonged drug
exposure on brain functioning. Addiction affects multiple
brain circuits, including those involved in reward and
motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control
over behavior. Some individuals are more vulnerable
than others to becoming addicted, depending on genetic
makeup, age of exposure to drugs, other environmental
influences, and the interplay of all these factors.
Addiction is often more than just compulsive drug
taking—it can also produce far-reaching consequences.
For example, drug abuse and addiction increase a
person’s risk for a variety of other mental and physical
illnesses related to a drug-abusing lifestyle or the toxic
effects of the drugs themselves. Additionally, a wide
range of dysfunctional behaviors can result from drug
abuse and interfere with normal functioning in the
family, the workplace, and the broader community