Addiction comes by the various neuroadaptive alterations that take place in different circuits in the brain. Evidence implies that the long lasting changes in the brain are responsible for the distortions of emotional and cognitive functioning that addicts are characterized of more specifically the mandatory to use drugs. Addiction is a major, chronic disease of the brain, memory, motivation, and any other related circuitry. Addiction impacts interaction and neurotransmission in the reward structures of the brain. Alcohol addiction can be described as a disease because the concept that addiction is a disease is taught in addiction training programs (Carlson, 2010).

The implication when addiction is not a disease is that it is a character defect that dictates the decision making process of an individual. Addiction can be qualified as a disease an individual demonstrates a sense of not able to consistently abstain from something they are addicted to. Addiction can qualify as a disease is someone has an increased craving or hunger for substances such as drugs or any rewarding experiences. Addiction can also qualify as a disease if it impairs the behavioral control and also causes the emotional dysfunctional response of an individual. On the other hand, addiction cannot qualify to be a disease when someone is able to abstain from it, cannot affect their behavior and an individual is able to control their hunger or craving for something. For instance, shopping addiction cannot be described as a disease but it can just qualify to be personal character. The craving to shop can be controlled without affecting an individual while addiction to drugs such as cocaine can be described as a disease because the addicts lack the ability to abstain (Carlson, 2010). Drug addicts are taken to rehab centers where they receive treatment and care so that they can be able to quit the addiction.

Cancer can be described as a disease based on the definition of the disease. Cancer is a disease because it is an abnormal condition that exists in an organisms interrupting the normal functioning of the body. Cancer patients undergo pain and weakness. Cancer has a disease exhibits signs and symptoms that makes it to be categorized as a disease. Cancer is one of the highest diseases that kill many people in the world. Cancer causes death the same other diseases can also cause loss of live to an individual. It causes stress and affects the normal functioning of the body organs (Carlson, 2003).

Mental illness cannot be described as medical diseases. This is because they do not involve scan, X-rays, brain scan, and testing of chemical imbalance that can be used to show verification that mental disorder is truly a physical condition. It is believed that psychiatrists repackaged the behaviors and emotions as a disease in as marketing campaign to sell drugs. Almost all the mental illness do not require any lab tests, and for any abnormality to be categorizes as a disease, it should be tested in the lab and the results obtained should be used for drug prescription. Mental illnesses only require a psychiatrists observing the patient and determining the condition of the patient (Goodkin, 2008). Then the psychiatrists prescribes drugs for the patient with no any process of lab test, or scan involved.

In a nutshell, the paper has discussed addiction is cause by the long lasting changes that take place in the brain. Addiction can qualify to be a disease if it impairs the normal functioning of the individual and it cannot qualify as a disease if the craving of an individual for something can be managed. Cancer is also a disease because it interrupts the normal functioning of the body. Lastly, mental illness cannot be described as a disease because it does not involve lab tests.