Drug Abuse & Addiction: Effects on Brain, Risk Factors, Signs

In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives. Drug addiction, or substance use disorder, is a mental health condition that can have lifelong impacts.

They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite. Despite the name, these are not bath products such as Epsom salts. Substituted cathinones can be eaten, snorted, inhaled or injected and are highly addictive. These drugs can cause severe intoxication, which results in dangerous health effects or even death.

When to seek emergency help

There are no substances (or activities) that universally or uniformly cause people to become addicted. And the vast majority of people exposed to most substances (or activities) considered addictive do not in fact develop addiction to them. Rather, a very complex array of cultural factors, social factors, and situational factors mingle with psychological factors, biological factors, and even personal values to influence the possibility of addiction. Orlando Recovery Center is a facility located just outside of downtown Orlando. Our facility treats drug and alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders in a safe, comfortable, compassionate environment. Care levels include medical detox, residential treatment, partial hospitalization programming, intensive outpatient programs, and aftercare planning.

Their genetic makeup inclines them to develop such personality traits as thrill-seeking. Their craving for risk and novelty takes the fear out of drug use and the huge dopamine boost powerfully reinforces the motivation to seek the reward over and over again. Studies show that those who are high in the trait of neuroticism—they are prone to experiencing negative emotions—are overwhelmed by minor frustrations and interpret ordinary situations as stressful. Neuroticism is linked to a wide array of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders as well as substance abuse. Neuroticism is also linked to a diminished quality of life, another factor that could increase the allure of substance use. Neuroscience research supports the idea that addiction is a habit that becomes deeply entrenched and self-perpetuating, rewiring the circuitry of the brain as it is repeated.

This article will define drug addiction, outline signs and symptoms, present possible causes, and provide treatment options. Drugs interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process crack vs coke signals via neurotransmitters. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter in the body.

Withdrawal Symptoms

If someone struggles in school or they have poor social skills, they may be more at risk of developing a substance use disorder. Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. Drugs and alcohol activate the pleasure center of the brain repeatedly, sometimes flooding the brain with the dopamine neurotransmitter. A person’s brain eventually adjusts to the presence of drugs or alcohol by producing fewer neurotransmitters in the reward circuit or reducing the number of receptors available to receive signals. This can decrease someone’s ability to experience pleasure from naturally rewarding activities, like food, hobbies or sex. Someone who uses drugs or alcohol regularly might feel depressed, unmotivated or lifeless when they aren’t using substances.

1. This too amplifies or disrupts the normal communication between neurons.
2. Now, the person needs to keep taking drugs to experience even a normal level of reward—which only makes the problem worse, like a vicious cycle.
3. Their genetic makeup inclines them to develop such personality traits as thrill-seeking.
4. Since there is a functional change to brain circuits, addiction is considered a brain disorder.
5. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs.

According to doctors and researchers, addiction has similarities to other chronic diseases. For example, if someone has heart disease, it affects the normal and healthy function of the organ, like addiction affects the brain. If untreated, they may get worse and lead to sometimes fatal health consequences. Addiction is complex and influenced by several factors, including genetics, environment and interactions with brain chemistry. Understanding what makes drugs addictive and how they impact the people who use them can help reduce the stigma around this disease and get people the help they need. One of the brain areas still maturing during adolescence is the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain that allows people to assess situations, make sound decisions, and keep emotions and desires under control.

Signs and symptoms of inhalant use vary, depending on the substance. Some commonly inhaled substances include glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids and household aerosol products. Due to the toxic nature of these substances, users may develop brain damage or sudden death. Synthetic cannabinoids, also called K2 or Spice, are sprayed on dried herbs and then smoked, but can be prepared as an herbal tea. Despite manufacturer claims, these are chemical compounds rather than “natural” or harmless products.

You can also get addicted to prescription or illegally obtained narcotic pain medications, or opioids. In 2018, opioids played a role in two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths. The brain is often likened to an incredibly complex benzodiazepines and intricate computer. Instead of electrical circuits on the silicon chips that control our electronic devices, the brain consists of billions of cells, called neurons, which are organized into circuits and networks.

Recognizing unhealthy drug use in family members

Examples include methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also called MDMA, ecstasy or molly, and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, known as GHB. Other examples include ketamine and flunitrazepam or Rohypnol after the high the dea — a brand used outside the U.S. — also called roofie. These drugs are not all in the same category, but they share some similar effects and dangers, including long-term harmful effects.

Treatment approaches tailored to each patient’s drug use patterns and any co-occurring medical, mental, and social problems can lead to continued recovery. When you’re addicted to drugs, you can’t resist the urge to use them, no matter how much harm the drugs may cause. The earlier you get treatment for drug addiction (also called substance use disorder) the more likely you are to avoid some of the more dire consequences of the disease. Drug addiction, or substance use disorder, is a serious mental illness that affects a person’s health, relationships, finances, and well-being. People with substance use disorder usually struggle with relapse for their entire lives and often go through continuous cycles of intoxication, withdrawal, and preoccupation with the substance.

Most drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit,” causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. Many people don’t understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to.

Also known as a substance use disorder (SUD), addiction involves uncontrolled use of drugs or alcohol despite negative, harmful consequences. As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally isn’t a cure. However, addiction is treatable and can be successfully managed. People who are recovering from an addiction will be at risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medicines with behavioral therapy ensures the best chance of success for most patients.