Alcohol Rehab Services near Lancaster, CA

Despite years of research and education to the contrary, many still believe addiction is a choice. There remains an unfortunate misconception that those who use or become addicted to alcohol do so out of a lack of morality or willpower. Some continue to believe that an individual struggling to defeat addiction can do so merely through conscious choice and willpower. The reality of addiction is much different. Addiction is a complex disease that changes the brain in ways that make quitting voluntarily immensely challenging. By definition, addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive substance use or substance seeking that becomes difficult to control, despite obvious adverse consequences. While the initial decision to use may be voluntary, ongoing, and repeated substance use can lead to changes in the brain’s chemistry that challenge the addict’s self-control around resisting substances. The changes are persistent, which is why addiction and substance use disorders are considered “relapsing diseases.” 

Alcohol has an adverse effect on the brain’s reward centers. When alcohol enters the body, the brain floods the body with dopamine, a neurotransmitter known to cause feelings of euphoria and happiness. Surges of dopamine resulting from addiction cause reinforcement of the pleasurable yet unhealthy behaviors related to drinking excessively. This leads someone struggling with addiction to repeat this behavior consistently and an effort to replicate these feelings.