How Is Addiction Defined?
Addiction defined:
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a “compulsive drug seeking and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.”1
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a progressive and fatal. It gets worse over time because of the way tolerance intensifies.
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a “chronic relapsing disease,”2 because long-term drug use alters the brain’s structure and function. These brain changes remain “months and years after the last use of drugs,”3 and leave the brain vulnerable to relapse long after withdrawal and treatment.4
For how the definition has evolved, click on How The Definition Has Changed to Reflect New Discoveries.
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1. Addiction is a Brain Disease, and It Matters, Science, Oct. 3, 1997.
2. Addiction is a Brain Disease, and It Matters, Science, Oct. 3, 1997.
3. A Range of Research-Based Pharmacotherapies for Addiction, Science, Oct. 3, 1997.
4. Addiction is a Brain Disease, and It Matters, Science, Oct. 3, 1997.