Addiction Awareness And Substance Abuse

While not everyone that uses a drug will become addicted, addiction awareness needs to be raised because addiction can affect anyone, treatments do not always work, and substance abuse destroys lives. Addiction has the ability to overpower any one person no matter what the substance or behavior may be. People can become addicted to drugs, gambling, sex, and even technological devices. Addiction is classified as an uncontrollable desire for a substance, and addicts will not feel a sense of relief until the desire is fulfilled (Berger 9). There are no reasonable explanations as to why people form the addictions that they do. Gilda Berger, author of Addiction, explains that, “There is no single characteristic or constellation of traits that is inevitably associated with addiction” (Berger 17). In other words, people form addictions not because of certain configurations, but because of certain behavioral patterns they become accustomed to. No two addictions are necessarily identical or have the same effects on addicts. …show more content…
Compulsivity, on the other hand, is when a desire is felt, and the person will not feel relieved until they decide to give into that specific desire (Koob 1). Generally when most people feel compelled they do not act; they only allow the desire to linger in the back of their mind until it’s physically impossible to ignore. Impulsivity is usually the first behavioral effect, whereas compulsivity is the longer lasting and ending behavioral