Addiction: Addiction is possible whenever ingesting a substance causes the basic pleasure and reward circuits in the brain to activate. Addiction is an illness that requires treatment, because people with addictions cannot stop on their own. Symptoms of addiction include a person's inability to stop using the substance, devoting a lot of time and effort toward obtaining, using, and recovering from the substance's effects, discontinuing important social, employment, and recreational activities due to preoccupation with the substance, developing tolerance for the substance, and developing withdrawal symptoms.
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Drug Dependence and Abuse Drug dependence is the physical need for a certain substance. Drug abuse and dependence comprise a huge public health problem with no easy treatment available.
Expert Views and News
- New Gene Variant Linked to Opioid Addiction
- Why Are Cocaine Habits So Hard to Break?
- Marijuana Raises Risk of Dying From Hypertension
- Ohio First State to Sue Opioid Manufacturers
- Pain Med Prescribing Down Second Year in Row
- Pueblo, Colorado, May Push Back on Legal Pot
- Neuroscience Framework for Diagnosing Addictions
- Prince Died From Fentanyl Overdose
- Buprenorphine 'Underused' in Primary Care for Pain
- Vivitrol Cuts Relapse Risk in Opioid Addicts
- Opioids: What Patients -- and Doctors -- Think
- Seniors: The New Face of Addiction
- 'Krokodil' Drug FAQ
- Addiction a Risk After Weight Loss Surgery
- Teen Drinking and Driving Down, CDC Says
- Teens Over 1/3 of New Prescription Drug Abusers
- E-Cigarettes Don't Harm Heart, Study Shows
- Pot Use in Teen Years May Lower IQ, Study Shows
- Cancer-Causing Chemical in Smokeless Tobacco ID'd
- Ecstasy Pills Cause Memory Problems
- Are E-Cigarettes Here to Stay?
- Vaccine May Block the Effect of Nicotine
- Smoking Gene May Reveal Why Some People Smoke More
- One Baby per Hour Born Drug Dependent
- FDA: Tobacco Companies Must Reveal Harmful Chemicals
- Sleeping Pills Called "as Risky as Cigarettes"
- Whitney Houston's Death Raises Addiction Questions
- Nicotine Patch May Improve Memory in Pre-Dementia Patients
- Long-Term Treatment May Be Best Way to Help Smokers Quit
- Video Game Playing Alters the Brain?
- As Economy Goes Down, Drinking Goes Up
- Drinking Is on the Rise Among U.S. Women
- Genes Play Role in How Alcohol Affects Men and Women
- Teens: 50% Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs
- Why Smokers Gain Weight When Quitting
- Why Some Smokers Have a Harder Time Quitting
- Nicotine-Free 'Fake' Cigarettes May Help Smokers Quit
- Charlie Sheen Substance Abuse: FAQ
Addiction Topic Guide - Visuals
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Addiction Topic Guide – Related Topics
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