She was only twenty-two and had her whole life ahead of her. Dana Reisman was a member of her high school swimming team, a junior high and high school cheerleader, a great student, and a wonderful daughter. Dana Reisman had everything going for her until she lost her courageous battle. Diane was a victim of addiction, lost in a tornado, followed by treatment and relapses before succumbing to an overdose. Diane left in her path heartache and pain for all who knew and loved her. Dianes story is much like the story of countless other young men and women, who daily struggle with the surmounting setbacks of addiction. According to Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a website helping families grappling with substance abuse, Twenty-three million Americans are currently addicted to alcohol or other forms of drugs. Only one in 10 of them (2.6 million) receives the treatment they need. The Center on Addiction, a science-based, nonpartisan, non-profit organi
zation, defines addiction as a complex disease that involves the compulsive use of one or more substances. Addiction works by disrupting regions of the brain that are responsible for reward, motivation, judgment, learning, and memory. Addiction is destructive and can cause many problems in the workforce, school, families, and friends. Addiction affects the ability of someone to be at their full capacity. Addicts eventually exist to find their next fix, instead of flourishing and intertwining in the life around them. Addiction drives the addicted deeper and deeper into the dark abyss, regardless of the consequences of their loss. Addiction requires treatment, and the struggle is for life. While many people believe that addiction is a choice since no one forces them to partake, they can stop whenever they like. Research proves that addiction is a disease that impairs regions of the brain associated with pleasure and rewards and requires treatment.