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Is Addiction A Disease?

Jul 9 2019
Categories:Addiction News

“You’re sick, you need help.”

If you’re struggling with substance abuse, you might have heard this line before. And if you’re reading this, you might be wondering whether you are actually suffering from a disease that can be treated. Is addiction really a disease, or is it just an excuse concocted to place the blame on anything but the addict?

There have been many different studies on addiction and how substance abuse affects the brain and the body. According to several experts, addiction can be considered a disease because using these substances changes the brain in a way that makes drug use a compulsive action, way beyond the user’s voluntary control. In short, the behavior becomes a matter that is not controlled by choice, because the brain is already resistant to any control.

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One of the early proclamations that addiction is a brain disease was made more than twenty years back by Alan Leshner, who was the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at that time. Leshner published an article which stated that drug addiction is a brain disease because it is tied to changes in brain function and structure.

Inside the addict’s brain

AddictionAccording to a 2016 report by Vivek Murthy, M.D., addiction is a chronic illness that is accompanied by significant changes in the brain. While first-time and early subsequent uses of the substance are voluntary and conscious actions by the users, continued use, however, develops into tolerance. Tolerance happens when the same amount of the substance is not providing the same effect which pushes the user to take more in order to feel the same level of pleasure as before.  This becomes a habit that leads to addiction as constant activity progressively changes the brain. In the same year, an article by Dr. Michael Bierer, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, stated that when addicted people develop the impaired ability to resist drug and alcohol use, this is connected with the insufficient function of their brain’s prefrontal cortex. This is the area of the brain that is involved in making significant executive decisions including delaying reward, self-monitoring, and evaluating what is important based on what you think versus what you may be compelled to do by your libido.

The impact on the brain can also cause people to find it hard to stop cravings and easily give in to relapse triggers such as the smell of alcohol or being in a place where you normally use drugs. The earlier in your life you use drugs, the harder it is to quit, especially if you started during the adolescent age when the brain is not yet fully developed.

The brain’s chemicals also play a big part when it comes to addiction. When a person is using drugs, the brain is flooded with neurotransmitters called dopamine, which is responsible for making you feel happy and in boosting your mood. When you experience an abnormally high boost of dopamine due to drugs, this can make your brain somehow insensitive to usual pleasure sources such as watching a good movie or spending time with friends.

Some experts also believe that there may be a genetic reason for addiction, which applies to people who naturally have a low number of dopamine receptors in their brain since birth. These people may find it hard to experience pleasure from natural dopamine sources so they are more likely to use drugs and other substances to heighten their pleasure.

There are also those who accidentally become drug addicts because they take medications that have high addiction potential. This was said to be one cause of the opioid epidemic, wherein good people got addicted to opioids because many were unaware that painkillers can be highly addictive.

Why is it important to understand that addiction affects the brain?

AddictionUntil now the stigma attached to addiction exist. People struggling with substance abuse are seen as irresponsible, immoral individuals who only think about themselves. The sad thing is that this perception does not only apply to people currently abusing substances, but also to those who are already seeking or have completed rehabilitation. It makes it difficult for addicts to turn their lives around when they are constantly faced by judgment and discrimination. If society understands addiction better and how it affects the brain of a person, this can potentially encourage more people to help addicts seek treatment, rather than shunning them and pushing them further into their addiction. The focus should shift on how to treat these individuals so they become productive members of the community again.

Recovery: A choice you control

Substance abuse often starts as a conscious choice by the users but many times, being addicted to these substances goes beyond their control. It becomes a brain-altering habit that impacts their health and wellbeing. On the other hand, being under the claws of addiction is not purely a biological process. The choice to recover is yours and yours alone. Addiction is a disorder that can be treated as long as you possess the willpower to pursue recovery. It will not be an easy process but with the proper treatment plan, addiction recovery is possible.

There are people who may be in the early stages who could still be successful in cutting out their bad habit. However, the reality is, it is not often enough just to say “stop”.  A person struggling with substance abuse needs proper care and treatment in order to overcome this damaging condition on a long-term basis. Some may even need medically assisted detox in order to properly heal.

If you are struggling with substance abuse, make the right choice for your health and your future. Contact Anaheim Lighthouse today to learn more. Help is available today.

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Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
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This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

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    Anaheim Lighthouse Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • anaheimlighthouse.com
    • July 3, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to