Addiction is described as a disease of what?

• A. Compulsion
• B. Tolerance
• C. Withdrawal
• D. Craving

Answer: (A)

Addiction is best understood as a disease of compulsivity—the brain undergoes changes that create a persistent, compulsive drive to seek and use substances, even when the person wants to stop or knows it causes harm. This relentless urge leads to repeated drug-seeking and taking as a habitual pattern, which is the hallmark of the disorder. Tolerance describes needing more of the substance to achieve the same effect, which is a physiological change but does not by itself define the disease. Withdrawal refers to the symptoms that occur when use stops, again a consequence of the addiction but not the defining disease feature. Craving is a powerful symptom, the intense desire to use, but compulsion best captures the persistent, hard-to-control nature of the behavior that characterizes addiction as a disease.