A misconception about addiction that most people tend to have is that addiction is a result of one’s personal choice or will. What people don’t know or find it hard to believe in is that addiction is a disease where the brain is affected and is caused to work differently. Moreover, people have different levels of susceptibility to falling into addiction.
Genetics, gender, and having a mental health issue contribute to one’s vulnerability to substance abuse. Social and economic factors like stress, peer pressure, being a victim of physical and sexual abuse, financial crisis, relationship problems, and others are external influencers that lead an individual’s likelihood of initiating substance use and abuse.
More so, some people have difficulty distinguishing whether what they are experiencing is just a frequent liking to the use of a substance or an addiction.
To understand addiction further and how it develops inside your brain, here is an example of a type of addiction and its progression:
Drug addiction
There is a variety of drugs that people become addicted to. It can be a stimulant drug addiction, depressants addiction, painkiller addiction, and more. Although they differ in its effects on your nerve activity, the process of how it works in your brain is common:
- A chemical release from the drug starts to affect your neurons. For some drugs, it can mimic neurotransmitters. While on the other hand, some drugs can cause stimulation of the brain’s reward system. Both of these reactions lead to the dopamine system being majorly affected. This results in a pleasurable feeling for the user and affects other chemical systems. This includes epinephrine, GABA, and other neurochemicals. However, more than just the brain’s reward system, the changes in brain chemistry also affects areas that are responsible for decision-making, emotions, judgment, and behavior controls.
- Continuous use of drugs and other substances cause changes in one’s brain activity that leads to tolerance. Most people use drugs for pleasure, for mental stimulation and alertness, and for calming one’s nerves. As the person’s brain becomes more tolerant, a person feels less of the effects he/she was expecting to have in using a drug. Thus, this individual may be compelled to increase the amount he/she usually takes.
- Chemical reactions alter neurological pathways and make the brain adaptive to the constant intake of drugs. Certain behaviors are developed as a reaction to this change in brain chemistry.
- After a series of substance abuse, the brain develops long-term or permanent changes. Additionally, the physical and emotional manifestations of drug abuse may become evident. Some of the physical signs are weight loss, tooth decay, bloodshot eyes, itching, puffy face, dilated pupils, and sometimes a change in the color of one’s skin. For emotional signs, some of these are loss of interest be it in hobbies, social activities, and other things a person can be passionate about. Apathy and complacency are also effects of brain chemistry changes due to substance abuse.
Although an individual may undergo treatment and recover successfully, brain activity and even physical changes to it may still persist and manifest and he/she may take necessary programs to be consistent in this recovery.
