The Causes of Drug Addiction
Akin to alcohol abuse, drug addiction has become a critical problem in the world. Although, age doesn't really matter to be an addict, but the prevalence is noted mainly in youngsters. There are a huge number of theories suggested by different researchers, scientists and theorists, however, none of them have come into a single conclusion to define the exact causes of drug addiction.
In fact, different people explain drug addiction in different ways. Some believe it is genetically predisposed, while others consider it nothing but mental illness. Some also oversimplify it by arguing and relating it to the product of unhealthy lifestyle and risky peer interaction during adolescence period. Many people view it as a disease, while many think it as an inherited illness that make people tend over addiction. Let us explore few most common explanations identified as the causes of drug addiction.
Brain Disease Hypothesis
Brain disease is identified as one of the major causes of drug addiction. It is hypothesized as a specific type of brain disorder that develops over time initially started as a result of voluntary behavior of abusing drugs. Drugs interact with different areas in the brain and alter the level of consciousness, mood, perception and emotional states. Prolonged usages of drugs can alter the function and structure of the brain in a long-lasting fashion that can stick with even after the person stops using drugs. According to this view, addiction is a quintessential bio-behavioral disorder.
Genetic Predisposition
This hypothesis has also received much popularity. Many people consider genetic predisposition may play significant role contributing as one of the major causes of drug addiction. Some researchers also claimed that they have mapped some of the genes responsible for drug abuse. However, there is still a debate on identifying the exact genes, their location and their possible functions on human behavior in general. Whatever is the possibility to identify all of the genes responsible for addictive behavior, it is confirmed that gene and heredity play an important role to make someone vulnerable towards addiction.
Socio-Philosophical Model
Today, most of the drug treatment centre and rehabilitation centers function on the belief that social and philosophical factors are the primary causes of drug addiction. If an addict's belief system can be altered, he can be free from his drug addiction problem. Although the proponents of this hypothesis consider addiction is a disease, but their conflicting view stems from the conventional idea of associating addiction as a result of bad personal choices, anti-social behavior or weak character. These are not useless till they can motivate people to improve their lifestyle. But the deep-rooted problem of addiction needs more attention than to consider such superficial views propagating as an individual mode of treatment.
