Disease Model of Addiction

Why is it important to understand the disease model of addiction before understanding the family systems model of addiction?
Understanding the disease model of addiction before the family system model of addiction is paramount because it concentrates on addiction as the primary problem an individual faces when they lose their ability to control the use of a particular substance. Unlike the family system model, which considers addiction a symptom of significant issues in the patient’s family or the world they relate to, the disease model considers addiction a primary chronic disease affecting the brain’s reward, motivation, memory, and other circuits. Thus, it tries to establish how the individual developed the addiction and how they are affected before a focused treatment regimen is developed, focusing only on the patient. Hence, this model makes the patient the focal point of the treatment, which is crucial before implementing the family model, which seeks to facilitate the recovery of ...