Addiction is something many people face throughout the world whether it’s alcohol or drugs and many people question whether it’s actually a disease one can be diagnosed as or is that just an excuse. In March of 2011, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations constructed a survey  on people from the age of 12 and up and found that 23.5 million people needed to seek help for a drug or alcohol addiction. The numbers are baffling and still little has been done to rid the world of addiction. Just like any other disease, such as cancer or heart disease, addiction claims the lives of many each year but people still look at it as a personal problem and shed a negative light on the addicts.
Alan I. Leshner came out with his own views on addiction and sparked a new thought process surrounding the cause of addiction. His main idea was that people need to distinguish addiction as a chronic brain disorder with its own behavioral and social aspects that characterize as a disease vs. a choice. In doing so, the healthcare system and the way people view addicts will be forever changed. For example, a standard treatment program  for addicts can cost up to $20,000 a month and it used to not be covered by insurance but more recently insurance companies have come to understand addiction in a truer form so they offer to pay expenses for any inpatient or outpatient treatment. In 2008, the Affordable Care Act, Mental Health Parity, and Addiction Equity Act   were passed and they enforce that all insurance companies must offer financial coverage for any issues involving mental and behavioral health, and substance abuse treatment. The reputation of addicts has evolved extremely and people are beginning to realize that addiction is a disease that unfortunately affects millions of people.

The reasoning behind addiction being classified as a disease all has to do with the human brain. Nora D. Volkow and Joanna S. Fowler published an article, “Addiction, A Disease of Compulsion and Drive: Involvement of the Orbitofrontal Cortex,” explaining the brain science behind a human’s addictive nature. In the shortened version, these two scientists basically said, “the addictive state involves disruption of circuits involved with compulsive behaviors and with drive.” The disruption of these circuits then lead to the dysfunction of the orbitofrontal cortex. Studies show that when drug users are tested closely after their last intake, their orbitofrontal cortex is hyper metabolic, proving that it is not a choice for a person to be an addict but it is something prescribed in their brain and once it’s activated you must fight to suppress it.

Despite scientific evidence, people still choose to believe addiction is a choice and saying it’s a disease is just a cop out. Psychiatrist and professor, Tim Holden believes addiction is not a disease because it doesn’t fall under the right criteria. In his words, “Addiction is self-acquired and is not transmissible, contagious, autoimmune, hereditary, degenerative or traumatic.” At most, Holden believes addiction is just a response to an underlying disease such as depression. It is palpable that people have a hard time seeing addiction as a disease when a person is “voluntarily” doing drugs or drinking alcohol but they need to realize there is so much more that goes into it.

Unfortunately, millions of people face addiction each year and seek medical help for it. It is still up in the air whether it should be viewed as a disease or not, but there is significant research to back up the fact it is a brain disorder. Understanding addiction is very important for the public and doctors because it is something everyone should avoid.