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Drug Addiction as a DiseaseDrug addiction as a disease is a concept most people find hard to accept, but thanks to modern technology, scientists now realize that an addiction is a disease of the brain.How Drugs Affect the BrainThrough technology such as PET scans, scientists now realize that when someone abuses any type of drug, such as prescription pain medications, marijuana, cocaine, heroin or even by sniffing glue, the pleasure part of the brain is radically affected. Drugs work in two ways. They imitate the natural chemical messengers in our brains and they over stimulate our brain’s reward circuit.
Dopamine OverloadVirtually all drugs target the reward system of our brains by flooding those areas with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls our emotions, motivations, movements and - most importantly - our feelings of pleasure. The way it works normally is when we do something necessary for survival, like eating, dopamine is released, making us feel good.But when you abuse drugs, the brain is flooded with large surges of dopamine. The amount is overwhelming, so the brain adapts by producing less dopamine as well as fewer dopamine receptors in the reward part of the brain. That means dopamine has less of an impact over the long run, and the person abusing drugs no longer gets the pleasure he used to - not only from drugs but from all other areas of his life. Now to get the dopamine function back at a normal level, the user has to take even more drugs. This is how you can develop a tolerance to drugs and become addicted. Drug Addiction as a DiseaseThe National Institute on Drug Abuse now sees drug addiction as a disease of the brain rather than a weakness in character. Continually affect the dopamine levels in the human brain, and eventually the brain will respond by sending intense impulses to take more drugs.It's the reason the addict will neglect family, friends, a career and even food for their drugs. It also explains why the addict will often suffer relapses. RecoveryAnd although scientists have shown that drug addiction is a disease, it doesn't take the addict off the hook completely. Addicts may experience the impulse to take drugs for years, and suffer a relapse occasionally. But they can learn to change their behavior. It won't happen overnight, but with work it is possible. |
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We'll let you know about the latest happenings in treatments for drug addiction, effects of different drugs and where you can go to get help. In the future we'll also have real life drug addiction stories and how others are getting off drugs. This ezine is your source for what's going on with surviving drug addiction.