Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. The individual pursuing reward or relief by substance use and other behaviors is addiction. The addiction is impairment in behavioral control, craving, inability to abstain and diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. Like other chronic diseases, addiction can involve cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death.

Behavioral addiction or non-substance-related addiction is a recurring compulsion condition whereby a person engages in a specific activity despite harmful consequences to the person's health, mental state, or social life. Behavioral addiction is harmful or deviant if it results in negative consequences for the person addicted and those with whom they associate. The type of behaviors which some people have identified as been addictive include gambling, food, sex, pornography, computers, video games, internet, work, exercise, spiritual obsession, pain, cutting and shopping. Addiction severely alters brain areas critical to decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control, which may help to explain the compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction.

Scientific studies demonstrate that the right mix of behavioral therapy, medication when available and personal support can help addicted people navigate the road to recovery. Learn how to pick an appropriate treatment approach. Addiction treatment is just the beginning. Long-term recovery requires a lifetime commitment to healthy decisions and actions. While relapse is common, families can prepare for it. Learn techniques to enhance the odds of long-term recovery.

Behavioral treatments help engage people in drug abuse treatment, provide incentives for patients to remain abstinent, modify the attitudes and behaviors associated with drug abuse and improve every day life skills by teaching people how to handle stressful circumstances. Environmental cues may trigger intense craving for drugs and prompt another cycle of compulsive abuse. A number of behavioral therapies are effective in addressing substance abuse. Doctors developed cognitive behavioral therapy as a method of preventing relapse when treating a patient with problem drinking. Later cognitive doctors adapted behavioral therapies to help individuals addicted to cocaine. Cognitive behavioral strategies stem from the theory that learning processes play a critical role in the development of maladaptive behavioral patterns. Individuals learn to identify and correct problematic behaviors by applying a range of different skills to stop drug abuse and to address other problems that often exist with it. Therapies for treating alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine exist.

Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine is a medical model emphasizing the systematic use of information about an individual patient to select or optimize that patient's preventative and therapeutic care. Personalized medicine is the products and services that leverage the science of genomics and proteomics and capitalize on the trends toward wellness and consumerism to enable tailored approaches to prevention and care. Over the past century, medical care has centered on standards of care based on epidemiological studies of large cohorts. Personalized medicine seeks to provide an objective basis for consideration of such individual differences. Traditionally, personalized medicine has been limited to the consideration of a patient's family history, social circumstances, environment, and behaviors in tailoring individual care.