What causes addiction? It’s a fair question that many people don’t know the answer to. What they don’t understand is that biological and psychological factors affect the development of addiction. In fact, experts are still trying to fully understand the causes of addiction and why some people are more susceptible than others.
What Causes Addiction?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy explanation for addiction. However, that makes sense because addiction isn’t an easy topic to explain. In order to define what causes addiction, it’s important to touch on a few key points.
Biological Factors
Over the past 50 to 60 years, experts have started to understand the biological factors that contribute to physical dependence. These factors affect not only humans but also animals. Experts say that biological factors are easy to understand when people consider the pursuit of happiness.
For example, people naturally pursue what makes them happy or feel good. Unlike some animals, however, most people aren’t slaves to their primal urges. They can control these urges and move beyond biological limitations.
What happens when someone can’t control these urges? What happens when biological factors become the forces that drive people? In these cases, people are more likely to develop an addiction. It explains why individuals can develop an addiction to any activity that creates joy, not just substances.
When people engage in an activity that they find fun, the brain releases endorphins. These chemicals trigger a reward response in the brain. It’s natural for people to seek this reward response to continue the release of endorphins. In fact, it’s the reason that they can develop addictions to gambling, shopping, and sex.
Psychological Factors
Biological factors aren’t always the sole cause of addiction. Sometimes, other mental health issues lead to its development. Some examples include mood, cognitive and behavioral disorders. In order to overcome this cause of addiction, people have to deal with the underlying mental health illnesses.
It’s important to know that some people simply have addictive personalities. This falls under the psychological factors that contribute to addiction. In order to heal and manage their overall well-being, they have to improve their emotional and cognitive function. That’s why important to find a dual diagnosis treatment center in Portland to help you address both issues.
Let Us Help You Determine the Cause of Your Addiction
It’s not always easy to understand what causes addiction. However, Crestview Recovery can aid you in determining and addressing the cause. We strive to offer affordable care, and some of our programs include:
- Trauma therapy program
- Intensive outpatient program
- Cognitive behavioral therapy program
- Group therapy program
- Extended care program
Don’t let addiction rule your life any longer. Let us teach you more about what causes addiction. Reach out to 866.262.0531 to find out how to stop addiction in its tracks.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
