Addiction is a progressive disorder. If addiction is untreated, it generally gets worse, not better. Spouses who wait for their husbands to "get better" will eventually notice that the severity of the addiction will worsen over time, not go away.In medicine, the word chronic is the opposite of acute, the latter word meaning having a rapid onset and a short course. Although addiction may have a rapid onset for some people, it is generally of long duration. Thus, addiction is described as chronic.

Addiction is a primary disorder. Addiction is described as primary, meaning it is not merely the symptom of some other medical or psychiatric problem such as anxiety. Other problems (such as anxiety) may be the reason for someone's initial drug use.But once the process of addiction begins, the addiction is viewed as a primary disorder that requires treatment as a separate and independent problem.

Addiction is a disease. A disease is a pathological (or abnormal) condition accompanied by several characteristic symptoms and signs that are exhibited by most people who have that condition. Diseases generally have a predictable prognosis; in other words, the course and end result of the disorder can be predicted. Many diseases (such as cancer) have hereditary, behavioral, and environmental causes and influences. Disease also means an involuntary disability, meaning that state of illness is not deliberately pursued.

Addiction involves craving and compulsion. Compulsion is the overwhelming preoccupation, desire, or drive to use a psychoactive drug. This compulsion may take the form of obsessive thinking about the next drug use experience or planning to obtain additional drugs. 4 Drug compulsion may take the form of simple drug hunger or of drug-seeking or drug-hoarding behavior.

Loss of control. Addiction invariably involves the loss of control over drug consumption or loss of control over drug-induced behavior, or both. Because the loss of control worsens over time, people in early stages of addiction may have some control over their drug use, but the control generally fades with time. There are exceptions, such as maintenance alcoholism. In addition to uncontrolled drug use, loss of control may emerge as the loss of control over drug] influenced behavior such as impulsive actions, verbal or physical violence, and impulsive sexual behavior.

Continued use despite adverse consequences. A hallmark feature of addiction is the tendency for continued drug use despite adverse consequences. Drug-induced problems, such as arrest for driving while intoxicated, would prompt many people to stop or alter their drug use. In contrast, addicted people literally can't "just say no," and continue to use drugs despite job loss, family trauma, or health problems.

Distortions of thinking. The most common distortion in thinking caused by addiction is denial. Denial can take many forms: denial that a drug problem exists, denial that the problem is severe, and denial that help is required. People with addiction generally deny that the adverse consequences they experience are caused by their drug use. Rather, they often believe that they use drugs because of these problems. . .