Drug addictions are a set of neurobiologically connected, chronic, and relapsing medical and psychiatric diseases characterized by persistent and compulsive use despite significant harmful consequences. Continued use of the addictive agent result in neuroadaptation, with these changes persisting long after use is discontinued. The World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 185 million users of illicit drugs, 1.3 billion tobacco smokers and 2 billion alcohol users worldwide (1). In addition to often immense damages to the individual, the economic costs of drug addiction are substantial. In the United States alone, this has been estimated annually at $181 billion for illicit drugs, $168 billion for tobacco and $185 billion for alcohol, and includes burdens on the health and criminal systems, as well as loss of productivity among the workforce (2).
