The Science of Addiction

 Now, it’s understood that addiction is a medical disorder that changes the brain and changes behavior. Many biological and environmental risk factors have been identified and the search has begun for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of substance use disorders. Despite these advances, it’s important to recognize that we still don’t fully understand why some people develop an addiction or exactly how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug use. Here in today’s episode we'll be diving deeper into the science of addiction, discussing what an addiction is, what influences these substances have on our brains, why some people develop addictions and others don’t, and resources there are available to help with addiction recovery through Grand Valley’s Alcohol and Other Drugs Services.