• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Treatment Research Institute

Empowering Families to Understand and Address a Child's Substance Use.

  • Helplines for immediate support
  • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resource Criteria
  • Get Informed
    • Learn About Addiction
    • Medication and Therapies
    • Facts and Definitions
  • Support Your Child
    • Prevention
    • Intervention
    • Treatment
    • Recovery
  • Support Yourself
    • Support Groups
    • Helplines
  • Engage
    • Community Toolkit
    • Advocacy and Legislation
  • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Resource Criteria
  • Get Informed
    • Learn About Addiction
    • Medication and Therapies
    • Facts and Definitions
  • Support Your Child
    • Prevention
    • Intervention
    • Treatment
    • Recovery
  • Support Yourself
    • Support Groups
    • Helplines
  • Engage
    • Community Toolkit
    • Advocacy and Legislation
Home/Resources/Addiction As A Brain Disease: The Disease Model of Addiction

Addiction As A Brain Disease: The Disease Model of Addiction

  • Article
  • Scientifically Informed
Parents of young adolescents (12-16),   Parents of older teens/young adults (17-25),   Parents of adult children,   Teachers or community support personnel

This resource provides information about why addiction is defined as a disease, like diabetes or cancer, by most medical associations; it describes how the use of drugs or alcohol impacts how the brain functions, and answers the common question “why is willpower often not enough?”

 

View This Resource
Tip

Use this as one of your resources to learn the basics about addiction and understand its course and impact on brain and social development. If you think your child is using drugs or alcohol, you may want to review the resource, “I Think My Child Is Using”.

How to Use

Read the overview about addiction as a brain disease then scroll down to the bottom of the page to check out the related material, including the “addiction is a disease video.”

Who Should Use

Anyone who is interested in learning the basics about addiction as a brain disease should read this overview including: parents of young adolescents (12-16); parents of older teens/young adults (17-25); parents of adult children; adolescents/young adults; and teachers/community support personnel.

Scientific Background

The information in this resource was adapted from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse’s report, Addiction Medicine: Closing the Gap Between Science and Practice. The Center is a national organization focused on assessing the impact of all addictive substances in all sectors of society.

The full report and a detailed citation list can be found here.

 

Rate this Resource

Treatment Research Institute
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
With grant support from the National Institutes of Health

Treatment Research Institute
150 South Independence Mall West
600 Public Ledger Building
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215.399.0980
www.tresearch.org

Home | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2016 Treatment Research Institute. All rights reserved. Site design & development by Cheeky Monkey Media