What is Addiction?

• Addiction is a chronic brain disease that is more about the neurology of the brain rather than the outward manifestations of behavioral problems and poor choices, according to a group of addiction medicine professionals at the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Addiction is about brains - not alcohol, drugs, sex or gambling. It's about the underlying neurology of the brain, not about outward behavior.
• Drug addiction is a complex brain disease. It is characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences.
• Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence.