Why study addiction?

Simply using the term “addiction” in everyday conversation evokes frightening feelings and calls to mind images of drug abusers who have lost everything in life in search of what has become the individual’s only happiness in life. Even using such a term, “happiness,” is a stretch: An addict’s mind is so obsessed with his or her given substance that not having that pleasure forces the individual to face a somber, terrifying, and overall dismal existence. While viewing the repercussions of such destructive chemicals elicits a certain feeling of uneasiness, recent popular culture has harnessed the fears of a nation. The modern American entertainment industry has gone so far as to create an enterprise centered upon the consequences of drug abuse and addiction. Television shows such as HBO’s Addiction, A&E’s Intervention, and VH1’s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew (as well as its Spin-off, Sober House) highlight the effects of drugs in the United States and shed light upon the familial and personal destruction that ensues following an individual’s downward spiral into the world of drug addiction. However, the consequences of drug addiction extend far beyond the lucrative entertainment industry. According to Uys and Reissner,

Addiction to drugs of abuse represents a major worldwide public health concern, affecting all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups. Worldwide 2009 estimates of the number of people with a substance abuse problem range from 18-38 million, while recreational users of illicit drugs are in the range of 172-250 million. Estimated total financial costs of addiction collectively for illegal drug abuse, alcoholism, and nicotine addiction in the United States alone exceed $500 billion annually.