The Systemic Model of the Brain Disease of Addiction: A Holistic and Comprehensive Theoretical Perspective

ABSTRACT Addiction is a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon impacting not only individuals but also their proximal family members. We introduce a theoretical model that integrates research and clinical insights across biopsychosocial domains to explain the development, manifestation, and systemic effects of addiction. Rooted in the understanding of addiction as a brain disease, the model emphasizes the role of neurochemical processes in the midbrain, particularly dopamine‐driven survival mechanisms, in the progression of both substance and behavioral addictions. Genetic predisposition, coupled with internal wounds and external behaviors, accelerates compulsive and impulsive behavioral response patterns. Through the family systems theory perspective, this theoretical model can be extended to family dynamics and highlights how family members, through exposure to fear, stress, trauma, and attachment wounds often exhibit comparable compulsive and impulsive behaviors. This model underscores the systemic impact of addiction on individuals and families, offering a foundation for improved treatment interventions rooted in family systems theory.