Despite these advances, we still do not fully https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ understand why some people develop an addiction to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug use. This booklet aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing scientific information about the disorder of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug use and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat substance use disorders. As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a medical disorder that affects the brain and changes behavior. We have identified many of the biological and environmental risk factors and are beginning to search for the genetic variations that contribute to the development and progression of the disorder.
Addiction primarily affects the Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow brain’s reward system, altering the natural dopamine pathways responsible for pleasure and reinforcement. You might seek help from a doctor, a mental health professional, or an addiction care specialist before approaching a loved one with an intervention. Researchers have found that much of addiction’s power lies in its ability to hijack and even destroy key brain regions that are meant to help us survive.
Genetic and Molecular Factors
This first drug exposure increases the release of a molecule (neurotransmitter) called dopamine, which conveys the feeling of reward. The increased changes in dopamine levels in the brain reward system can lead to further neuroplasticity following repeated exposure to drugs of abuse; these neuroplasticity changes are also fundamental characteristics of learning. Experience-dependent learning, including repeated drug use, might increase or decrease the transmission of signals between neurons. Neuroplasticity in the brain’s reward system following repeated drug use leads to more habitual and (in vulnerable people) more compulsive drug use, where people ignore the negative consequences.
The Role of Spirituality in Overcoming Addiction
A subsequent 2000 paper by McLellan et al. 2 examined whether data justify distinguishing addiction from other conditions for which a disease label is rarely questioned, such as diabetes, hypertension or asthma. It concluded that neither genetic risk, the role of personal choices, nor the influence of environmental factors differentiated addiction in a manner that would warrant viewing it differently; neither did relapse rates, nor compliance with treatment. The authors outlined an agenda closely related to that put forward by Leshner, but with a more clinical focus. Their conclusion was that addiction should be insured, treated, and evaluated like other diseases. This paper, too, has been exceptionally influential by academic standards, as witnessed by its ~3000 citations to date.
What happens to the brain when a person takes drugs?
The key differences between a brain struggling with addiction and a normal brain are evident in both brain structure and function. On the other hand, the brain of a person not addicted to any substance has greater control over impulses and decision-making processes. Our first decision to use a drug may be triggered by curiosity, circumstances, personality, and stressful life events.
- That capacity is called neuroplasticity, and it is the basis of all learning and change.
- Imaging-based biomarkers hold the promise of allowing this complexity to be deconstructed into specific functional domains, as proposed by the RDoC initiative 54 and its application to addiction 55, 56.
- Large surges of dopamine “teach” the brain to seek drugs at the expense of other, healthier goals and activities.
- In the first stage, the individual’s occasional drug taking becomes increasingly chronic and uncontrolled.
- Also, the person will often need to take larger amounts of the drug to produce the familiar high—an effect known as tolerance.
Therapy
For instance, they have established that the genetic underpinnings of alcohol addiction only partially overlap with those for alcohol consumption, underscoring the genetic distinction between pathological and nonpathological drinking behaviors 50. Interpreting these and similar data is complicated by several methodological and conceptual issues. First, people may appear to remit spontaneously because they actually do, but also because of limited test–retest reliability of the diagnosis 31.
The intertwining nature of addiction and mental health can create a vicious cycle, where one exacerbates the other. For instance, withdrawal from substances can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression, further complicating the mental health landscape. Consequently, treatment must address both conditions concurrently, as ignoring one can lead to worsening symptoms of the other. Factors such as genetics, environmental influences, and adverse life experiences can contribute to this exacerbated state, making specialized treatment plans essential.
- The choice to try a drug is a decision that that is centered in the executive portion of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.
- The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and impulse control, becomes less effective in people with an addiction, making it harder for them to resist cravings.
- Addiction can undermine formerly strong relationships, creating an atmosphere of distrust and provoking feelings of betrayal.
- The biological basis of addiction helps to explain why people need much more than good intentions or willpower to break their addictions.
- Addiction can be seen as hacking the brain by drugs—a way to create a direct path to feeling good.
Genetics, environmental influences, and mental health also contribute to the risk of developing a substance use disorder. As highlighted by Psychology Today, there isn’t a single route to addiction; rather, a multitude of elements can lead someone down that path. A crucial aspect of addiction lies within the brain’s reward system, which complicates the recovery process.
This research is expected to reveal new neurobiological targets, leading to new medications and non-pharmacological treatments—such as transcranial magnetic stimulation or vaccines—for the treatment of substance use disorders. A better understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying substance use disorders could also help to inform behavioral interventions. Another person may take a substance to relieve negative feelings such as stress, anxiety, or depression.
Regardless of the substance or behavior, addiction makes real, measurable changes to your brain. Researchers are still unpacking new ways that being addicted can affect cognitive function. Addiction is a natural language concept, etymologically meaning enslavement, with the contemporary meaning traceable to the Middle and Late Roman Republic periods 115. As a scientific construct, drug addiction can be defined as a state in which an individual exhibits an inability to self-regulate consumption of a substance, although it does not have an operational definition.