HSC Chapter 9_ Drug Use and Addiction _ Study
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9_ DrugQuestions
Use
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&Addiction
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Guide, Practice Questions & Exam Review 2026_2027
HSC Chapter 9: Drug Use and
Addiction | Study Guide, Practice
Questions & Exam Review 2026/2027
HSC Chapter 9_ Drug Use and Addiction _ Study
HSCGuide,
Chapter
Practice
9_ DrugQuestions
Use
Pageand
1 of
&Addiction
Exam
95 Review
_ Study
2026_2027.pdf
Guide, Practice Questions & Exam Review 2026_2027
,HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 2 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
addiction
ADDICTION
The most serious drug-related risks are addiction and impairment of daily activities. The
drugs most often associated with addiction and impairment are psychoactive drugs—those
that alter a person's experiences or consciousness. In the short term, psychoactive drugs
can cause intoxication, a state in which, sometimes, unpredictable physical and emotional
changes occur. A person who is intoxicated may experience Page 215potentially serious
changes in physical functioning. His or her emotions and judgment may be affected in ways
that lead to uncharacteristic and unsafe behavior. Recurrent drug use can have profound
physical, emotional, and social effects.
Although addiction is most often associated with drug use, many experts now extend the
concept of addiction to other behaviors. Addictive behaviors are habits that have gotten out
of control, with resulting negative effects on a person's health. The most characteristic
feature of addiction is a loss of control caused by a disruption in the brain's system that
regulates motivation and reward. It manifests as an unrelenting pursuit of a physical or
psychological reward and/or relief through substance use or behaviors, such as gambling,
despite unwanted consequences. Addiction involves craving and the inability to recognize
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 2 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
,HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 3 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
significant risk or other problems with behaviors, interpersonal relationships, and emotional
response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and
remission. Without treatment, addiction is progressive and can result in disabling or deadly
health consequences.
Looking at the nature of addiction and a range of addictive behaviors can help us
understand similar behaviors when they involve drugs.
What Is Addiction?
Today scientists view addiction as a chronic disease that involves disruption of the brain's
systems related to reward, motivation, and memory. Dysfunction in these systems leads to
biological, psychological, and social effects associated with pathologically pursuing
pleasure or relief by substance use and other behaviors. The American Psychiatric
Association (APA) defines addiction as a "complex condition, a chronic brain disease that
causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences." In addition to disorders
related to drugs, the APA also includes a new category of behavioral addictions such as
gambling disorder and Internet gaming disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the standard classification system used by mental health
professionals.Page 216
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 3 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
, HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 4 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
Although experts now agree that addiction is more fully defined by behavioral
characteristics, they also agree that changes in the brain underlie addiction. One such
change is tolerance, in which the body adapts to a drug so that the initial dose no longer
produces the original emotional or psychological effects. This process means the user has to
take larger and larger doses of a drug to achieve the same high. The concept of addiction as
a disease process, one based in identifiable changes to brain cells and brain chemistry
rather than a moral failing, has led to many advances in the understanding and treatment of
drug addiction.
As noted, many researchers now view activities like gambling, eating, exercising, and sex as
potential behavioral addictions, and some scientists assert that these activities release brain
chemicals that cause a pleasurable rush in much the same way that psychoactive drugs do.
The brain's own chemicals thus become the "drug" that can cause addiction. These theorists
suggest that all addictions—whether to drugs or to pleasurable activities—have a common
mechanism in the brain. In this view, addiction is partly the result of our own natural wiring.
The view that addiction is based in our brain chemistry does not imply that people are not
responsible for their addictive behavior. Many experts believe it is inaccurate and
counterproductive to think of all bad habits and excessive behaviors as diseases. All
addictions involve an initial voluntary step, and other factors such as lifestyle, personality
traits, and environmental factors play key roles in the development of addiction.
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 4 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
HSCGuide,
Chapter
Practice
9_ DrugQuestions
Use
Pageand
1 of
&Addiction
Exam
95 Review
_ Study
2026_2027.pdf
Guide, Practice Questions & Exam Review 2026_2027
HSC Chapter 9: Drug Use and
Addiction | Study Guide, Practice
Questions & Exam Review 2026/2027
HSC Chapter 9_ Drug Use and Addiction _ Study
HSCGuide,
Chapter
Practice
9_ DrugQuestions
Use
Pageand
1 of
&Addiction
Exam
95 Review
_ Study
2026_2027.pdf
Guide, Practice Questions & Exam Review 2026_2027
,HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 2 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
addiction
ADDICTION
The most serious drug-related risks are addiction and impairment of daily activities. The
drugs most often associated with addiction and impairment are psychoactive drugs—those
that alter a person's experiences or consciousness. In the short term, psychoactive drugs
can cause intoxication, a state in which, sometimes, unpredictable physical and emotional
changes occur. A person who is intoxicated may experience Page 215potentially serious
changes in physical functioning. His or her emotions and judgment may be affected in ways
that lead to uncharacteristic and unsafe behavior. Recurrent drug use can have profound
physical, emotional, and social effects.
Although addiction is most often associated with drug use, many experts now extend the
concept of addiction to other behaviors. Addictive behaviors are habits that have gotten out
of control, with resulting negative effects on a person's health. The most characteristic
feature of addiction is a loss of control caused by a disruption in the brain's system that
regulates motivation and reward. It manifests as an unrelenting pursuit of a physical or
psychological reward and/or relief through substance use or behaviors, such as gambling,
despite unwanted consequences. Addiction involves craving and the inability to recognize
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 2 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
,HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 3 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
significant risk or other problems with behaviors, interpersonal relationships, and emotional
response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and
remission. Without treatment, addiction is progressive and can result in disabling or deadly
health consequences.
Looking at the nature of addiction and a range of addictive behaviors can help us
understand similar behaviors when they involve drugs.
What Is Addiction?
Today scientists view addiction as a chronic disease that involves disruption of the brain's
systems related to reward, motivation, and memory. Dysfunction in these systems leads to
biological, psychological, and social effects associated with pathologically pursuing
pleasure or relief by substance use and other behaviors. The American Psychiatric
Association (APA) defines addiction as a "complex condition, a chronic brain disease that
causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences." In addition to disorders
related to drugs, the APA also includes a new category of behavioral addictions such as
gambling disorder and Internet gaming disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the standard classification system used by mental health
professionals.Page 216
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 3 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
, HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 4 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
Although experts now agree that addiction is more fully defined by behavioral
characteristics, they also agree that changes in the brain underlie addiction. One such
change is tolerance, in which the body adapts to a drug so that the initial dose no longer
produces the original emotional or psychological effects. This process means the user has to
take larger and larger doses of a drug to achieve the same high. The concept of addiction as
a disease process, one based in identifiable changes to brain cells and brain chemistry
rather than a moral failing, has led to many advances in the understanding and treatment of
drug addiction.
As noted, many researchers now view activities like gambling, eating, exercising, and sex as
potential behavioral addictions, and some scientists assert that these activities release brain
chemicals that cause a pleasurable rush in much the same way that psychoactive drugs do.
The brain's own chemicals thus become the "drug" that can cause addiction. These theorists
suggest that all addictions—whether to drugs or to pleasurable activities—have a common
mechanism in the brain. In this view, addiction is partly the result of our own natural wiring.
The view that addiction is based in our brain chemistry does not imply that people are not
responsible for their addictive behavior. Many experts believe it is inaccurate and
counterproductive to think of all bad habits and excessive behaviors as diseases. All
addictions involve an initial voluntary step, and other factors such as lifestyle, personality
traits, and environmental factors play key roles in the development of addiction.
HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction.pdf Page 4 of 95 HSC ch.9 drug use and addiction
