Addiction is a medical condition that is characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. It can be thought of as a disease or biological process leading to such behaviors. The two properties that characterize all addictive stimuli are that they are reinforcing (i.e., they increase the likelihood that a person will seek repeated exposure to them) and intrinsically rewarding (i.e., perceived as being positive or desirable).
List of Addictions to Substances:
Many people ask, "what is alcoholism?" Alcoholism is a disease characterized by the habitual intake of alcohol. The definition of alcoholism is chronic alcohol use to the degree that it interferes with physical or mental health, or with normal social or work behavior. Alcoholism is a disease that produces both physical and psychological addiction. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that reduces anxiety, inhibition, and feelings of guilt. It lowers alertness and impairs perception, judgment, and motor coordination. In high doses, it can cause loss of consciousness and even death. Alcoholism is a disease that damages the brain, liver, heart, and other organs (short-term, long-term effects of alcohol). Spotting the signs and symptoms of alcoholism is not always easy. Alcoholism is a disease that can be seen through drinking-related arrests or job loss, but they tend to happen late in the disease. Many signs occur earlier, yet are harder to detect. These signs include:
Other signs and symptoms closely matching the definition of alcoholism are:
Drug addiction is not a character flaw or a lack of willpower but is actually a mental illness and should be treated as a medical issue, just as any other illness.Drug addiction has a number of different definitions, varying by medical body. The commonality among drug addiction definitions, however, is the inability to stop using the drug in spite of numerous attempts. The symptoms of drug addiction include:
Drug addiction, as a term, is not defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Instead of drug addiction, the DSM uses the term "drug dependence" and also includes "drug abuse." Both of these are considered to be substance use disorders.