ADDICTION
Addiction was a term used to describe a devotion, attachment,
dedication, inclination, etc. Nowadays, however, the term addiction is used
to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific
activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state
or social life. The term is often reserved for drug addictions but it is sometimes
applied to other compulsions, such as problem gambling, and compulsive overeating.
Factors that have been suggested as causes of addiction include genetic, biological/pharmacological
and social factors.
While addiction or dependency is related to seemingly uncontrollable urges,
and arguably could have roots in genetic predispositions, treatment of dependency
is conducted by a wide range of medical and allied professionals, including
addiction medicine specialists, psychiatrists, and appropriately trained nurses,
social workers, and counselors. Early treatment of acute withdrawal often includes
medical detoxification, which can include doses of anxiolytics or narcotics
to reduce symptoms of withdrawal. An experimental drug, ibogaine, is also proposed
to treat withdrawal and craving. Alternatives to medical detoxification include
acupuncture detoxification. In chronic opiate addiction, a surrogate drug such
as methadone is sometimes offered as a form of opiate replacement therapy. But
treatment approaches universal focus on the individual's ultimate choice to
pursue an alternate course of action.(1)