The addiction definition as defined by ASAM highlights that addiction is really a chronic brain disorder rather than just a behavioral problem to do with an excess of drugs, alcohol, gambling or sex.
When we look at compulsive and compulsive behaviors in family or friends, or even public figures like politicians or celebrities, the focus is only about the substance usage or behaviors being the problem. But these outward behaviors are in fact symptoms of an underlying disorder which involves different parts of the human brain, as reported by the addiction definition from ASAM, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the country’s biggest professional society of physicians devoted to the treatment and prevention of addiction.
Read the full-length article: Addiction Definition As Defined By ASAM
Addictions Infographic by National Council for Behavioral Health
