Addiction is a brain disease that is characterized by drug tolerance, dependence, loss of control, and withdrawal. How is the human brain so susceptible to drugs of abuse? How do drugs of abuse alter our brain chemicals and change the way we feel and act? This book describes the mechanisms of action for the most commonly abused drugs, what happens to the motivational and behavioral centers in the brain when drugs are abused, and current and future treatments for addictive behaviors. --From the back cover