Is Addiction a Brain Disease?

An article authored by Dr Sally Satel has been published on The Conversation website titled " Is addiction a brain disease?"  Sometimes referred to as the "hijacked brain" hypothesis, the theory that addiction is a brain disease is based on our understandings of the changes that occur in the brain when exposed to substance use for a period of time.  However, in this article, Dr Satel states: "Addiction is not a problem of the brain: it is a problem of the person."  She goes on to provide an overview of research into this area, which is sometimes framed as the "disease versus choice" dichotomy.  Dr Satel goes on to describe the benefits of treatments that rely on improving a client's ability to make choices and develops their sense of self-control.

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