To have an addiction is to have a chronic dysfunction of the brain system which involves the rewards, motivation and memories. It is how your body craves a substance or behaviour, especially if this causes a compulsive or obsessive search for a reward and comes with not caring about the consequences. People suffering from alcohol addiction for example may need to go to alcohol rehab to try to recover. 

Someone who is currently experiencing an addiction will be unable to keep themselves away from the substance or stop doing what they are addicted to. They will display a lack of any self-control over it, and will have a huge desire for the substance or behaviour they are addicted to. The person will not realise nor care about how their behaviour could be causing issues, and they will have a lack of an emotional response to them. 

Over time, daily life can be seriously affected by addiction. People who experience it are likely to be in cycles of relapse and remission. This means that they have periods of use varying from mild to intense, and stages where they try to stop. 

 

What causes addiction?

Addictive substances such as drugs and certain behaviours can have a ‘high’ that feels pleasurable, both physically and psychologically. People tend to use more and more of a particular substance or engage in these behaviours for longer and more often to achieve the same high. It becomes very difficult for them to stop. 

 

How does the brain respond to this?

Some people can try drugs, alcohol or certain behaviours and never go back to it, whilst others become addicted very quickly. This can be partially due to the frontal lobes of the brain. The frontal lobe allows a person to delay their emotional reaction to rewards or gratification, while those with addiction their frontal lobe works differently and gives them gratification immediately. 

Other areas of the brain can also play a role in becoming addicted. The anterior cingulate cortex and the nucleus accumbens, that are associated with pleasurable sensations, can heighten a person’s response when they are exposed to addicted things. 

Other causes of addiction can be from chemical imbalances in the brain or mental health disorders including schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. These can lead to people looking for coping strategies which sometimes is addiction. 

Experts also believe that early and repeated exposure to such substances and behaviours can play a significant role in what causes someone to become addicted. Traumatic experiences can also lead to addiction through finding a coping mechanism.