The Mechanics Behind Drug Addiction

What is Drug Addiction?

We enjoy a lot of things in life. Whatever we enjoy, we like to repeat. We often eat our favorite food. We repeat doing our hobbies because we enjoy them. But even with the things that we enjoy, if we overdo them, it can be harmful. Eating too much of our favorite food can cause health problems. Committing too much time on our hobbies will leave us with no time for anything else. In the case of addiction, we might end up ignoring these consequences. Addiction is a dangerous disease. In many cases, someone suffering from addiction may not even know that they have it until it’s too late. Drug addiction is something that has plagued many people all over the world. There are millions of drugs created over the years. While a lot of them were intended to have beneficial effects to us like improving our health or treating pain, if taken too much, they can result in permanent damages. Many drugs damage our bodies when abused. Many can harm our vital organs and even affect our behavior. And yet, under the spell of addiction, our brain rejects the idea of stopping what's causing the damages. Even worse, when we do stop, we are slammed with withdrawal symptoms that could be uncomfortable or even painful.

What Causes Drug Addiction?

As mentioned earlier, we like to repeat what we enjoy. We are programmed to continue what gives pleasure while avoiding anything that caused harm. Certain drugs stimulate the part of our brain responsible for pleasure. The brain remembers this effect and thus we are convinced to repeat the process. However, the brain slowly becomes tolerant of the chemicals in the drugs. This means that gradually, the effects of the drug become weaker. In order to feel the same pleasure as before, the brain demands more of it. Addiction causes our brain and body to be dependent on the drug. In severe cases, our brain and body are convinced that it cannot feel pleasure unless we take the drug. The natural way the body signals pleasure malfunctions. The body and brain won’t be able to naturally feel pleasure anymore. The only way it can feel pleasure is when the drug is taken. In perspective, addiction is similar to hunger. The only difference is that hunger is actually a natural process in the body. Our body has a way to create nutrients to function. Food is needed because our body cannot always create enough nutrients that it needs. Food supplies the nutrients that body cannot produce. Therefore, we feel hunger. On the other hand, addiction forces the body to believe that it also cannot feel pleasure without the drugs. It makes us believe that we need the drugs more than anything else.

Which Neurotransmitter is Involved in Drug Addiction?

Our nervous system sends and receives signals through neurons, which make up our nerves. They react to the chemicals in our bodies and send a message or command. The chemicals that stimulate the neurons are called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters are linked to how our brain and body become addicted to drugs. Neurotransmitters produce many reactions to our body, including pleasure which we can become addicted to. Our body naturally creates neurotransmitters that are triggered by many activities, including eating and exercise. Drugs stimulate or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters that the neurons accept. This triggers specific states of mind such as thrill and arousal. With our brains believing that these are good things, it seeks to repeat the same process. It is one of the drivers of addiction.

Here are some neurotransmitters that are triggered by drugs that many become addicted to:

• Acetylcholine

This neurotransmitter affect movement, motivation, sleep, and memory function. This transmitter can be called the "mother transmitter" because it also triggers the creation of fresh neurotransmitters. The absence of acetylcholine causes slower reflexes in aging individuals. Drugs that stimulate this neurotransmitter are PCP, hallucinogens, marijuana, and stimulants.

• Dopamine

This regulates movement, energy, and pleasure. This neurotransmitter also manages the flow of information in the brain. Ever had an epiphany? A sudden blast of rapid thought? That’s a spike of dopamine at work. Every drug that can affect pleasure, stimulate this neurotransmitter. This includes heroin, marijuana, and opiates.

• Endorphins

Endorphins are well-known for giving pain relief and a “reward” feeling. This is our body’s stress buster. When our bodies receive too much tension or damage, the body releases this to keep the brain from firing off depressive and aggressive neurotransmitters. Chocolate triggers the release of this transmitter, making it the perfect food for the stressed and heart-broken. Opioids and depressants trigger this neurotransmitter.

• Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

This stimulates judgment, impulsiveness, and arousal. An inhibitory transmitter, this transmitter prevents neurons from over-firing. When you’re in a panic or in rage, this transmitter is released, allowing you to calm down. Thinking calm thoughts also trigger the release of GABA along with its partner, Serotonin. Depressant drugs, Alcohol, and marijuana trigger this neurotransmitter.

• Norepinephrine or Noradrenaline

This triggers alertness, energy, pleasure, and arousal. It can also be called adrenaline, which activates during times of crisis (fight or flight.) These transmitters keep you awake, attentive and ready to tackle the world. Stimulants affect this neurotransmitter.

• Serotonin

This neurotransmitter regulates our mood and impulses. Serotonin is the “anti-transmitter transmitter,” which is abundant if you’re depressed or sad. Ironically, Serotonin helps with your sex drive, which may explain why some people ignore everything else when they see a “potential partner.” Alcohol, stimulants, anti-depressants, and hallucinogens affect this neurotransmitter.

How does Drug Addiction Affect the Brain?

A lot of the drugs in the market, both pharmaceutical and black market, affect the nervous system. They trigger many parts of the brain that function a state of mind. While they are initially meant to have positive effects like relieve pain, drug addiction can turn these effects into permanent health problems. Pleasure and euphoria may be the brain's initial response to drugs, but long-term effects can be problematic. In low or moderate doses, drugs can cause disorientation, hallucinations, nausea, numbness, and a sense of detachment from self. When abused, drugs can induce memory loss, anxiety, paranoia, and aggression. Then comes the heavier effects, ones that are potentially irreversible. The brain believes in the saying “If you don’t use it, lose it.” When you don’t use a certain part of your brain, it “devolves” or deactivates that area in the brain to focus on other working tasks. How does this apply to drugs? If for example, you take LSD, a pleasure-inducing drug, your brain sees that it has sufficient feel-good chemicals and doesn't need anymore. The brain stops producing them until it's really needed. Now, an addict would constantly take the drug, which in turn keep the brain from making more of the feel-good chemicals. Do this long enough, and the brain will deactivate the parts that send the feel-good signals. This means the addict will never feel pleasure apart from taking drugs. Nothing in their life will give them any satisfaction. There are chemical therapies that can reverse these, but they are expensive and the reversal is not always successful.

What is the Difference Between Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction?

Is there even a difference? They are both related to using drugs and both of them will eventually reduce or destroy your quality of life. The answer is yes, they are different. What makes them indiscernible is that they go hand in hand.

Key differences:

• Drug Abuse

In essence, drug abuse is identified when you go out of your way to use drugs, and it starts to impede your relationships and way of life. One such example is someone going as far away from their family or friends when using drugs, in order to keep their habit undisturbed. Another is when drugs begin to replace a person’s usual “pleasurable habits” like their hobbies. That is drug abuse.

• Drug Addiction

Put it simply, it’s similar to how people can’t start their day without a cup of coffee. Addiction happens when the body gains tolerance to the substance, experiences withdrawals without it, and the user takes more than usual to achieve the same effect. Drug abuse is more of a behavioral change in a person, whilst addiction is the physical changes that undergo when a person takes drugs. In some cases, they are separate. One can abuse drugs and not be addicted or vice versa. The fact remains, however, that each one leads to the other. Addiction leads to abuse and abuse leads to addiction. Addiction is almost always hidden. Often, the only time you can spot an addiction is when you start seeing the effects. Even then it’s not easy to tell if it’s truly an addiction or something else. Either way, when left unattended, addiction can spiral out of control. When the addict loses all control over their addiction, the only way they can recover is through the help and compassion of others. If you’re an addict, it’s not too late to change. Help is abundant and there’s no shame in improving yourself. If you know someone who's an addict, help them. If you can’t and confrontation is impossible or risky, there are groups that can help you, help them.

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