The 5 most important things to know about addiction

Team Udayavani, Apr 18, 2020, 5:33 PM IST

Addiction is an overwhelming brain disease that can take over our lives and damage our relationships and careers. Understanding addiction is an important step towards treating this disease.

Here are the 5 most important things to know about addiction

People struggling with addiction are not bad, they do bad things to maintain their habit. They are just very sick as addiction is a brain disease that rewires the cerebral cortex resulting in poor judgment and impulse control.

Overcoming addiction means overcoming both craving and compulsion, extremely difficult forces to contend with. And it is not simply about willpower.

An addicted person experiences high levels of shame and are not comfortable in their bodies.

Addictions cannot be fixed within a month or a year, it takes time as they are complex and involve physical, emotional, and socials issues.Although medication may prove to be a helpful part of the treatment plan, it will not provide all that is necessary for successful recovery.

You can recover from addiction, some people are able to quit on their own, but treatment programs that address the physical, emotional, and social aspects of addiction may prove to be more successful in the long run.