Addiction is a complex medical condition that affects how the brain functions. Understanding the science behind addiction can help reduce stigma, strengthen prevention efforts, and increase awareness of why addiction is not simply a matter of willpower. Alcohol and other drugs can affect important areas of the brain, including the limbic system, which helps regulate survival instincts and reward, and the cortex, which plays a role in decision-making and impulse control. Repe

Addiction is a medical condition that affects the brain and changes behavior. Understanding how addiction impacts the brain is an important step toward preventing substance use disorders, reducing stigma, and supporting individuals on their path to recovery. Substance use can affect areas of the brain responsible for decision-making, motivation, and reward. Over time, repeated substance use can change how the brain functions, making it increasingly difficult for a person to

by Jessica Hulsey In my book Understanding Addiction, I dig into key topics about addiction and answer common questions that family members and caregivers have about substance use disorders (SUD), the medical term for addiction. It isn’t an excerpt from a medical textbook or a scientific journal. Instead, I’ve sat down with physicians and researchers in the addiction field to translate the science into understandable terms that I hope you find helpful. A Medical Condition The

Cannabis use is a growing public health concern as cannabis use becomes more common across the United States. While many people perceive cannabis as low-risk, regular or heavy use can lead to a cannabis use disorder (CUD) and a range of negative physical, mental, and social health outcomes. Cannabis Use Disorder by the Numbers An estimated 64.2 million people aged 12 or older in the U.S. used cannabis in 2024, a roughly 20.7% increase from 2021. [1] In 2024, 20.6 million peop

Explore facts and statistics on alcohol use disorder, including health impacts, mortality, and treatment gaps in the United States.

Understanding the science of substance use disorders (SUD), including prevention, treatment, and recovery, is critical to how individuals and communities respond to addiction. Yet despite decades of research, misconceptions about SUDs remain widespread, shaping not only how people think and act towards individuals who are struggling, but also how patients seek care. Strengthening addiction literacy—the ability to access, understand, and apply information about SUDs—is essenti

A new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence examined the relationship between childhood adversity, genetic risk, and the severity of withdrawal symptoms from tobacco, alcohol, and opioids. The study used data from more than 10,000 participants collected through a multi-site collaboration across academic institutions, including Yale University, UConn Health, the University of Pennsylvania, the Medical University of South Carolina, and McLean Hospital. “ACEs are an i

As fentanyl continues to impact communities at an unprecedented rate, understanding its potency and dangers is critical to reducing harm. By raising awareness and promoting life-saving measures like naloxone, we can work toward preventing overdoses and saving lives. This video explainer highlights the alarming increase of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, overdose risks, the increase in counterfeit pills containing fentanyl nationwide, and the importance of naloxone access and

Addiction is a chronic health condition affecting over 48 million people nationwide. Addiction has biological components, such as the effects on the brain, as well as psychological and social components. These three domains – the biopsychosocial – recognize that there are multiple pathways to addiction, such as genetic predisposition, psychiatric and psychological factors, and unhealthy coping skills. In addiction treatment, clinicians work to build individualized treatment p

Teen developed and narrated video explainer on protecting the adolescent brain Narrated by Conner Nickel Research shows that 90% of...

Throughout the last decade there has been a sharp increase in methamphetamine and cocaine use as well as cocaine and methamphetamine...

Stimulants include illicit drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as prescription drugs such as Ritalin® and Adderall® ​ What...

basic principles of health required by all: sleep, nutrition, exercise, sunshine, and positive content.

The Opioid Prevention Campaign is a public health media campaign to help prevent adolescent substance use.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) frame substance use disorder as a medical condition. Yet many continue to ask whether addiction is a disease, so we asked the country’s top expert on addiction, Dr. Nora Volkow, the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “It’s actually been strange to me that people have a diffic

Because substance use disorder is a progressive disease, intervening in the early stages greatly improves outcomes.

Substance use disorders get worse over time. The earlier treatment starts the better the chances for long-term recovery.

Patients are diagnosed with a specific type of disorder based on the primary substance that they misuse.

Research has shown that the words we use to describe SUD and recovery have a significant impact on those struggling and how they are treated

Healthcare providers often categorized conditions as either chronic or acute. So what’s the difference?