ADDICTION OVERVIEW
Addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institute of Health, is defined as, “a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.† It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.”
Addiction is often defined clinically as a chronic, relapsing disorder—a pattern of compulsive substance or behavior use that continues despite harm. Science tells us it changes the brain, altering motivation, memory, reward, and self-control. Experts like the American Society of Addiction Medicine remind us it is not a failure of character or willpower; it is shaped by genetics, psychology, environment, and society. Diagnosis comes with criteria, checklists, and careful observation, but the clinical language can never capture the full experience of living it.
For those who endure it, addiction is deeply personal. It often begins in pain—trauma, loss, emptiness, or fear. Sometimes it hides behind achievement or silence. Sometimes it is loud, chaotic, impossible to ignore. It can feel like a desperate grasp for relief, a quiet unraveling, or a coping mechanism that once worked but eventually failed. It is rarely neat. It rarely fits expectations.
Recovery, when it arrives, is never about “just trying harder.” It is about surrender. About honesty—with yourself and with those around you. About connection, accountability, and learning to be present in life without numbing, without running. It is about reclaiming autonomy, slowly learning to live fully in a world that once felt unbearable.
Addiction is both an intimate struggle and a societal one. Its reach extends beyond the individual, touching families, communities, and cultural systems. Healing requires more than treatment: it requires compassionate care, trauma-informed therapy, supportive networks, and a collective willingness to dismantle stigma. Understanding addiction in all its complexity—both the science and the lived human experience—allows us to hold empathy, offer support, and create space for meaningful recovery.