Addiction: the only illness that makes you think you are not ill.

5 Jul 2023 | 5 min read

There are still many misconceptions about addiction. People with an addiction are often labelled weak or irresponsible, as though a lack of willpower were the cause. Science takes a different view: addiction is recognised as a chronic brain disease that can affect almost anyone.

Anyone who wants to overcome an addiction cannot do so through willpower alone. External professional support is often the path to recovery.

Scientific research shows that addiction affects the brain. Areas involved in reward, memory, learning, judgement and motivation become disrupted. Addiction is also included in the DSM-5, the manual containing international criteria for mental disorders.

A person with an addiction is therefore not weak, but ill. Many people with an addiction are successful in other areas, but changes in the brain make it difficult to stay away from substances through willpower alone.

The brain’s reward system plays a major role in addictive behaviour. Alcohol, cocaine and other substances have a powerful effect on dopamine, a chemical involved in pleasure and reward.

Frequent use reduces the number of dopamine receptors. As a result, increasingly more is needed to experience the same effect. People begin using more often, taking larger amounts or combining substances.

Addiction has physical, psychological and spiritual aspects. It is therefore also described as a disease of body, mind and spirit. To gain control over addiction, recovery must address all these dimensions.

Recognition as a disease is important because treatment is possible and addiction care may, in many cases, be covered by health insurance. Additional conditions and sometimes a personal contribution apply to treatment abroad.

Genetic predisposition accounts for a large proportion of the risk of alcohol use disorder. This does not mean that someone with a predisposition will automatically develop an addiction. Addiction often arises through an interplay of hereditary factors, environment and psychological strain.

A distressing event, such as parents separating at an early age, may contribute to the development of addiction when combined with a genetic predisposition.

Peggy-Sue’s philosophy is that addiction is fundamentally incurable, but that a person can live in recovery. Abstinence, a new way of life and changing addictive behaviours are central to this.

Even after a long period of abstinence, a person remains vulnerable to relapse. A single beer can reactivate old patterns. The brain immediately begins devising reasons to use again.

With many chronic diseases, people are aware of their diagnosis. With addiction, that awareness is often absent. The addiction becomes a blind spot, even when the harm to the home, relationships, work or health is clearly visible.

That denial can become life-threatening. This is precisely why professional help and a clear intervention are often necessary. Peggy-Sue firmly believes that there is a solution for a large proportion of people with an addiction.

Do you need help for yourself or a loved one? Stichting Peggy-Sue verslavingszorg GGZ can help. Get in touch so that Peggy-Sue can explain its approach and the available options.