Recent research has confirmed that addiction is a genetic, biological brain disease

Recent research has confirmed that addiction is a genetic, biological brain disease (see the NIDA website for an array of research articles on the subject). In fact , addiction is called a “Primary Disease” because it is not caused by anything else and must be treated first before any other issues are going to improve. Addiction causes a long-lasting chemical imbalance in the brain. Actually, addiction causes depression, anxiety/panic attacks, trouble sleeping, an inability to cope with grief/trauma, and a whole host of other issues. Addiction is oftentimes misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorder, Major Depression, and many other so-called “co-occurring” disorders due to the physician’s lack of understanding of addiction and its symptoms (more on this in the Dual Diagnosis section). If a person seeks help for these issues, but continues to use/abuse addictive substances, their mental illness issues/symptoms are not going to improve and will likely worsen.