Talia Vazquez

Dr. Sarah Carter

RC1000-164
Spring 2023

Annotated Bibliography

“Is Addiction a Disease or Choice?” Brookdalerecovery.com,

brookdalerecovery.com/is-addiction-disease-or-choice/.

This article talks about the stigma toward drug addiction and whether or not it is a choice
or a disease. According to the article, the reason behind this stigma is the kinds of people who
suffer from drug addiction, they are typically people of lower social and economic class, or just
people who are viewed as “lesser-than.” This article was written by Brookdale Addiction
Recovery Center, which has a 5 star recovery program with people who are specialists in drug
addiction and rehabilitation. This is a reputable source due to their knowledge on the topic. I
chose this source because the conversation that surrounds “choice v. disease” will be one of the
topics I cover in my review.

American Addiction Centers Editorial Staff. (2018, November 30). History of Drug Abuse.
DrugAbuse.com. https://drugabuse.com/addiction/history-drug-abuse/

This article talks about the history of drug abuse and addiction, where it stems from, how
long it has been an issue, and the creation of programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics
Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, and Marijuana Anonymous. In 1864, the New York State
Inebriate Asylum was created to treat alcoholism as a mental health condition. Drug abuse and
addiction has been an issue in the United States since the 1800s. Soon after, it was almost
eradicated, but it had a sudden increase in the 1980s, when there was a large import of cocaine
and marijuana. Then, in the 1990s there was an increase in heroin usage. This article is a
reputable source because it was written by a well-known addiction recovery center called
American Addiction Center. Also, they have medical and editorial experts looking over their
content to guarantee it is well-written and correct. I am choosing to use this article for my
research because studying the history of a topic is important to the present issue.
Nestler, E. J. (2004). Molecular mechanisms of drug addiction. Neuropharmacology, 47, 24–32.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2004.06.031

This journal article talks about gene expression and how drug abuse can cause
long-lasting effects on the brain, like addition. This journal focuses on two transcription factors,
which are proteins that regulate the transcription of genes, that play a role in drug-induced
changes in gene expression. Both are activated, but have opposing effects of drug addiction.
CREB (one of the two transcription factors mentioned) has an effect that forms tolerance and
dependence. Meaning, the body will build up an endurance to the drug, making it harder for the
person to feel the effects of the drug, and leads them to take larger doses. This will also make the
person dependent on it, which can be based on happiness, relief, euphoria, etc. ΔFosB (the other
transcription factor) makes the person sensitive to the drug for a longer amount of time. This
journal article is credible because it was supported and funded by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse, along with several references from other scholarly journals. I chose this journal article
because understanding the science behind drug addiction is the main point of my review, and this
article absolutely covers that.

Wise, R. A., & Koob, G. F. (2013). The Development and Maintenance of Drug Addiction.
Neuropsychopharmacology, 39(2), 254–262. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2013.261

‌ This journal article covers the conversation of positive versus negative reinforcement in
drug addiction. Positive reinforcement meaning that the person began using the drug because of
the euphoric feeling they got from using it. Negative reinforcement means the person began
using the drug to alleviate pain. According to addiction theory, addiction begins with positive
reinforcement, the user gets a sense of euphoria, happiness, etc. and becomes addicted to that
feeling. This is an acceptable journal article to use because the authors were given a grant from
the National Institute of Health, and also have dozens of sources and references from
experiments and studies that were held and confirmed. I am using this article in my review
because the social and emotional aspects of drug addiction are important to understanding
addiction.

The Science of Addiction. (n.d.). Www.shatterproof.org.

https://www.shatterproof.org/learn/addiction-basics/science-of-addiction

‌ This article puts drug addiction into very simple terms. When we do anything
pleasurable, our body releases a chemical called dopamine, also known as the “happy drug.”
Dopamine is also released when someone partakes in drugs. This tells the brain that this action
should be rewarded and repeated, hence, why it is so hard to stop doing drugs. Overtime, with
consistent usage of narcotics, the brain becomes less receptive to pleasure and happiness, and
less dopamine is released. Their bodies no longer release a normal amount of dopamine. After a
prolonged period of time, addicts are not doing drugs to feel happy, they are doing it to feel
normal. This article also talks about how some people get addicted to drugs and some people do
not, why is this? There are both biological and environmental factors that may put someone more
at risk for addiction. The foundation responsible for writing this article is called Shatterbox,
which was started by a father who lost his son to drug addiction. This is a quality source of
information because this foundation works hands-on with people who suffer from addiction.
They are working on ending the stigma, transforming addiction treatment, and raising money to
help addicts in-need. I decided to include this article mostly due to the fact that it covers the risk
factors of addiction and why some people are more prone than others.