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Abstract
Approximately 200 million people in the United States have an addiction disorder that significantly disrupts employment, family relationships, financial stability, and personal health. As a result, addiction has become one of the most critical health care challenges presently facing the American health care system. Research in the last five years has provided substantial evidence that addiction is a neuro-biological condition rooted in genetic factors. During the addiction process neurologic changes occur that are responsible for tolerance, craving, and relapse. It appears that once addiction becomes chronic, the brain enters an addicted state that may be irreversible without pharmaceutical intervention. Such alterations in neurochemistry-rather than poor volitional control-account for why addiction is characterized by a chronic, relapsing-remitting course. This paper discusses (a) the neurobiological factors underlying the addiction process, (b) available pharmaceutical treatment, and (c) how recent research regarding the neurobiology of addiction affects occupational therapy's role in addiction rehabilitation. A case study follows that illustrates how occupational therapists can contribute to addiction intervention.
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