What Causes Addiction?

What causes addiction is a question with no universal answer, whether it’s what causes prescription drug addiction, alcoholism, or addiction to illicit drugs.

While drug use is often voluntary at first, full-blown addiction can develop for a variety of reasons. If you or someone you love is dealing with addiction, it is vital to find an addiction hotline and reach out to a treatment center like our Orange County rehab.

Beyond this, we’ll also explore why some people can use substances without ever becoming addicted, while others develop alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder following a period of recreational use.

What is the Reason for Addiction?

If you abuse any addictive substance, your brain experiences structural and functional changes. This altered state can take some time to normalize.

If your brain circuitry has not been altered by addiction, you will typically experience positive feelings from normal rewarding behaviors like eating great food, relaxing with friends and family, or exercising. These activities naturally make you feel good, and you are likely to repeat them to experience the positive feeling again.

If you abuse substances, these substances trigger the release of large amounts of dopamine in the areas of your brain that govern reward. Dopamine is a chemical that occurs naturally in the body. As a neurotransmitter, dopamine carries, amplifies, and balances signals between nerve cells and target cells.

Addiction occurs when using a substance hijacks these circuits, intensifying the urge to consume increasingly more of the substance to benefit from the same rewarding effects. When this manifests as a substance use disorder, you will face the following:

1. You will need more of the substance to feel euphoric effects, which become increasingly elusive.
2. If you stop using the substance, you’ll experience withdrawal symptoms, which can be extremely uncomfortable.

By this point, you’ll need to use the substance just to feel normal and to prevent the acute discomfort of withdrawal.

Using alcohol or drugs to moderate your mood can impact three core areas of the brain:

1. Cerebral cortex: Responsible for executive functions like planning and decision-making.
2. Brain stem: Controls heart rate, breathing, and sleeping.
3. Limbic system: Governs emotional reward circuitry, pleasure, and motivation.

The type of substance also contributes to addiction. Opioids, for instance, directly target brain receptors, making this drug class highly addictive.

Where addiction was once viewed as a moral failing, most healthcare professionals now support the brain disease model of addiction.

While addiction is widely accepted as a chronic and relapsing disease, some prefer to describe it as a condition. Calling it “a chronic and relapsing condition” emphasizes treatment through behavioral change and helps individuals feel more in control.

The disease model states that initial use may be voluntary, but neurobiological changes diminish behavioral choice over time. Regardless of the term used, brain changes from substance abuse also contribute to:

• Cravings
• Distress during abstinence, which contributes to relapse

Why Do Some People Become Addicted to Drugs While Others Don’t?

While the disease model is based on sound science, it is not without limitations. Why do some people become addicted after exposure while others do not?

Psychologist Bruce K. Alexander notes that the disease model claims:

1. Almost everyone who uses cocaine or heroin beyond a baseline becomes addicted.
2. Addiction is caused by exposure to the drug.

Alexander argues that historical data does not support these claims, citing widespread opiate use in the 19th century with less than 1% of the population addicted. Even before restrictive laws, opioid use was declining.

Many environmental and genetic factors account for differences in susceptibility. Research shows that genes contribute up to 50% of addiction risk, while environment shapes behaviors and influences substance use.

What is the Cause of Alcohol Addiction?

Alcoholism has no single universal cause.

There are dozens of risk factors at play when it comes to whether or not you develop alcohol use disorder after sustained alcohol use, misuse, or abuse. These risk factors vary from person to person.

The risk factors are both internal and external, and their scope makes it almost impossible to predict with certainty whether an individual will develop alcohol use disorder.

Even if alcohol use begins voluntarily, dependence and addiction can set in, diminishing personal choice as the altered brain attempts to manage the dopamine surge triggered by alcohol abuse.

The following factors all contribute as potential causes for alcoholism:

• Genetics
• Psychological factors
• Personality
• Drinking history
• Environment

Genetics

While the genetic component of addiction is complex and not fully understood, research suggests up to half of addiction potential is rooted in genetics.

This goes beyond the environment. Biological children of those with alcohol use disorder are substantially more likely to develop alcohol use disorder, regardless of how they were raised.

Psychological factors

Psychological conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorder increase your risk of developing alcohol use disorder.

Many people use alcohol to self-medicate. While it may provide short-term relief, this approach does not resolve underlying issues and can worsen symptoms over time.

Personality

Individuals more likely to disregard risk are at higher risk of developing alcoholism than risk-averse individuals. Like genetics, personality factors interact in complex ways that influence addiction risk.

Drinking history

A long history of alcohol abuse increases the likelihood of developing alcohol use disorder. Heavier drinking correlates with higher risk, and the brain changes induced by alcohol are cumulative.

Environment

If you are in an environment that normalizes or celebrates alcohol use – for example, a college fraternity – you are more likely to adopt similar behaviors, increasing your risk for alcohol-related problems.

Result of Addiction

Addiction can lead to dangerous complications and adverse health outcomes, impacting your life, family, and community.

Physical effects include cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke or heart attack, and in severe cases, overdose and death.

Mental health can also be affected, potentially causing depression, anxiety, psychosis, and increased suicidal ideation.

The best approach is prevention, but if addiction has developed, engaging with professional treatment is crucial to streamline recovery.

Overcoming Addiction at Renaissance Recovery

Even if you’re unsure about the exact causes of drug addiction or alcoholism, recognizing a substance problem and seeking help is the first step toward sustained recovery.

At Renaissance Recovery’s rehabs in Florida and California, we offer personalized, evidence-based outpatient programs, including intensive outpatient programs and partial hospitalization programs (PHPs).

Our treatments combine:

• Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
• Individual and group counseling
• Talk therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

These treatments reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings while helping explore the root causes of addiction. Addiction may not be curable, but it is treatable. Renaissance Recovery provides comprehensive support and aftercare to build a strong foundation for lifelong recovery.

To begin, reach out to Renaissance Recovery at 866-330-9449.

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424849/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5672554/
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3506170/
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6375498/