AddictionMan struggled with drug addiction as early as 5000 BC, when people in Asia Minor used a "joy plant" derived from the poppy seed (Hansen, Venturelli and Fleckenstein, 2010). Illicit drug use and addiction, between “medical, economic, criminal and social impact,” is estimated to cost Americans nearly half a trillion dollars annually. Additionally, 100,000 people lose their lives each year due to illicit drug use (Volkow, 2010). Chronic, relapsing, compulsive, compelling, and impulse are just some of the words used to describe the commonly known “brain disease.” such as addiction (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). Drug addiction knows no boundaries and affects men and women of all ages and socio-economic levels. Babies, adolescents, adults, and parents are all negatively affected by the use and abuse of legal and illicit drugs (Volkow, 2010). “Morally defective and lacking willpower” is no longer the standard when describing the addict. The consequences of continued abuse of a drug can lead to increased tolerance as well as serious dependence (Volkow, 2010). The initial choice to take a medication is voluntary, but the disease it inflicts on the brain is sometimes a lifelong battle that destroys the body from the inside out as well as family and friends (NIDA, 2011). Several areas of the brain are affected by drug abuse. The brainstem controls our heart rate, breathing and sleep (Volkow, 2010). The limbic system determines our ability to receive and enjoy pleasure. This is important because pleasurable, repetitive actions encourage behaviors such as eating, which are essential for sustaining life. Normal behavior triggers...... middle of paper ......ett Publishers.Interlandi, Jeneen; Kelley, Raina. What drug addicts need. Newsweek, 3/3/2008, Vol 151 Issue 9, p 36-42. National Health Information Center (NHIC). Health Information Resource Database. (nd) Retrieved March 31, 2011 from .Volkow, Nora. D. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Addiction: “Drugs, Brains and Behaviors – The Science of Addiction.” » (2010) Retrieved March 31, 2011 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA InfoFacts: Nationwide Trends (nd). Retrieved March 31, 2011, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA InfoFacts: Understanding Abuse and Addiction (March 2011). Retrieved April 3, 2011 from .