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Addiction as a Disease:
Addiction is a term that has traditionally been used to refer to psychiatric syndrome that is caused by illicit drug use. Actually, addition is the only psychiatric condition whose symptoms are regarded as an illegal activity. In most cases, this term is described on the basis of drug use, which is the main focus of many research and treatment programs. Generally, drug addiction has significant negative effects on individuals using the drug and those around them such as family and friends. Family and friends are usually forced to watch their loved ones wilt away in illicit drug use. While addiction has traditionally been regarded as a psychiatric condition, there are numerous debates that have emerged on whether it’s a disease or merely an immoral act by a selfish individual. My standpoint is that addiction is actually a disease because of the observations I have made on how illicit drug use takes control of the addict. I have watched my brother battle prescription drug addiction and eventually passed away from an overdose at the age of thirty-two years. As a result, I believe that addiction is a disease because it changes the functioning of the addict’s brain. In essence, studies have demonstrated the effects of chemical substances on the brain and how addiction affects feelings, thoughts, and actions.
Understanding Addiction:
For more than two decades, there has been extensive debate and controversies on how to understand the extreme use of consciousness-altering drugs or substances. In some quarters, the excessive use of drugs has been understood as a bad habit, immoral act, sin, and crime. On the other hand, the extreme use of drugs and substances has been regarded as a disease, especially ...

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... is a chronic reversing disease that needs to be treated like other diseases since it affects the functioning of an addict (Stanbrook, 2012). An individual’s continued use or abuse of drugs causes changes in other brain chemicals and circuits. In some cases, addiction contributes to impaired cognitive function by affecting brain segments that are critical for decision making, memory, judgment, and learning.
Conclusion:
Addiction is a condition that develops from a simple immoral act or increased dependency on drugs for normal functioning of the body. While it has traditionally been considered as a condition brought by behavioral problems, addiction is a disease of the brain as evident in the findings in neuroscience, genetics, and biological studies. The condition is a disease because of the significant effects it has on the structure and function of the brain.