Drug Addiction In The Brain

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

The disease model of addiction rests on three primary assumptions predisposition to use a drug, loss of control over use, and progression (Krivanek, 1988, p.202). These physiological alterations cause an undeniable desire to take more drugs (McNeece & DiNitto, 2012). Addicts are viewed as individuals with an incurable disease with drug addiction as the symptom. The disease model argues users cannot be held accountable for their addictions (Kirvanek, 1988).

It is believed that certain individuals are predisposed or vulnerable to addiction based on biological, psychological and social influences. The euphoric high produced by many addictive substances is the result of overstimulation of the “pleasure center” of the brain. This is the same area that controls emotions, fear, self-control and overall feelings of wellness. The presence of these foreign chemicals creates a response that the brain will crave as soon as it fades. The brain’s chemistry works against its own health, as it rewires its decision making faculties around the primary goal of finding and taking more of the drug” (1). Many people mistakenly believe that psychological addiction is somehow less serious or real than physical addiction. The psychological aspects of addiction are much more challenging to repair and recover from than the physical addiction. Psychological addiction can last for years or even a lifetime.

Addiction has a significant influence when the individual consumes a substance and employs in an activity that can be gratifying and the extended utilization becomes compelling and disrupts with the activities of daily living, obligations, comparatively, performance in the job, relationships, or health. Individuals who utilize various medications used in substance abuse may not be apprehensive of their demeanor; they may not be cognizant that their actions are disorderly and precipitating complications for themselves and the people around them Psychology Today (2015). A lot of drugs are addicting. Addiction is a lingering, recurring condition indicated by besetting drug pursuing and utilized in defiance of negative ramifications and by resilient distortion in the brain. Individuals who are addicted have robust yearning for the drug, making it laborious to cease usage. Medications used in substance abuse heightens the danger to injury or fatality from narcotized driving or defiling conditions such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Hepatitis from perilous sexual habits or

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes addiction as a, “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). Long-term use can effect and change a person’s ability to learn, judge, and make decisions. Stress, memory issues, and behavior problems are also common side effects of extended drug use. There is not one single factor that can determine if a person will become addicted drugs. However, certain risk factors have been identified as predicting higher probabilities of addiction because of a person’s biology, environment, and development. Adolescents who abuse

In society, drugs have been the downfall for many people. There are many reasons that a person may use drugs such as: peer pressure, relief of stress, increased energy, to relax, to relieve pain, to escape reality, to feel more self esteem, and for recreation ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). What is it that causes the obsession and compulsion to use drugs? Why can some people stop and others go on to become addicts? Addiction is often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011).

There are many things one may do to control their addiction. Addiction was derived from a Latin term that means "enslaved by" or "bound to." Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of the brain. Anyone may become addicted to any particular substance, thing, or activity. Some common addictions are food, exercise, gambling, sex, shopping, work, internet, and drugs. A drug is any chemical that has a psychological effect on the brain when consumed. Alcohol, caffeine, aspirin, and nicotine are all examples of drugs commonly used. One can become addicted to anything. From piercings, to music, to even plastic surgery. When a person becomes addicted to something, they cannot control how they use it, and they become dependent on it to cope with daily life. The way we survive is based on a reward system. When we do something that aids our survival as eating, or exercise, our brain releases a chemical called dopamine or "the feel good chemical." Particular drugs, activities, and things release dopamine. When one likes it a lot, the dopamine is released in higher doses. Since it releases high amounts of dopamine, our body builds a tolerance to the amount of dopamine, and it takes more and more to reach the desirable effect. To control addiction, one must change their environment, figure themselves out, and change their way of thinking.

The U.S. government currently gathers data concerning drug-related medical emergencies in major metropolitan hospitals through a program called the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN).Therefore, two basic types of information are reported. Consequently, the first concerns the number of times an individual visit an emergency department these drug-related ED visits involve a wide range of drug-related situations: suicide attempts, malicious poisoning, overmedication, and adverse reactions to medications, as well as the use of illicit drugs, the use of dietary supplements, and the nonmedical use of prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs (Levinthal, C. F. 2012). Moreover, the second type of information concerns the number of drug-related deaths, as determined by a coroner or medical examiner. However, the proportion of drug-related ED visits involving alcohol use requires some explanation.

1. Define: drug, drug addiction, narcotic drugs, depressants, stimulants, opioids, cannabinols, hallucinogens, inhalants and over the counter drugs.

Nonmedical prescription drug abuse has been the rise, in small towns such as in West Virginia. Treatment submissions for Nonmedical prescription drugs have increased 430 percent in the last decade. Law enforcement is trying to keep up with this increase in drug abuse; However, when they move to shut a supplier down, the suppliers just set up in a new location (Nieves, 2012).

In the eyes of the public, the word addict stirs up a negative image: a person of low moral character who willfully chooses to engage in questionable behavior. This image is perpetuated in the media; on a recent episode of E.R., the chief surgeon criticizes another doctor for allowing a heroin addict (who has been treated for an abscess) to exchange a dirty needle, explaining "we donât want these low-lives hanging around the hospital." The social stigma attached to addicts reflects the great gap that exists between scientific knowledge and public perception of addiction. Just as mental illness was viewed as a social problem instead of a medical issue until the last several decades,

The definition provided above is accessible and easy to understand; however, it initiates false beliefs among individuals because it fails to acknowledge that drug addiction is a mental health problem. Moreover, when words such as, “dependence”, “control” and “craving” are used to define drug addiction, it leaves an impression to the reader that addicts are indeed “people who cannot control their impulses.” Consequently, when we fail to recognize that drug addiction is a mental health problem, our focus is diverted towards the physical aspect of drug addiction. This could cause the belief among individuals that drugs alone cause the addiction. It is essential to acknowledge that there are chemical hooks in drugs; however, individuals need to understand that drugs alone do not cause the addiction. We need to identify and distinguish the “root cause” of addiction and ask ourselves: what caused the individual to take the drug in the first place?

They assume addicts lack moral principles or self-discipline and that they can quit by simply deciding to. The reality is, people who have struggled with substance abuse have often found it extremely difficult to quit due to the physical and/or mental addiction. Drug have the ability to change the brain patterns and cause health complications, making things harder in the long-term and may determine life or death. Fortunately, because of more research, there are more ways to back out of an addiction and seek help through an enduring and extensive treatment. Factors that affect the likelihood and speed of developing an addiction are environmental and individual factors, including genetics and

The disease model: This theory states that an individual who abuses drugs requires medical treatment rather than moral punishment or exhortation. This theory also justifies spending money to research substance abuse in the same way that money is spent to research other diseases. However, usually the term disease is reserved for a state in which we can identify an abnormal biochemical or physical condition. No abnormal biochemical or physical condition has been found in the case of substance addiction, although mounting evidence suggests that some individuals are genetically predisposed to addiction more so than others. Nevertheless, this theory continues to appeal to researchers, and an intensive effort is always being made to identify the physiological “switch” that establishes addiction after exposure to a drug (Lee, 2010).