How Drug Addiction Affects the Brain
By Jill Gonzalez
The brain regulates all of our bodily functions. It allows us to process our experiences; have thoughts, feelings and emotions; and it allows us to respond to the activities around us. The brain is, without a doubt, the most
complex organ in our bodies.
The different parts of the brain act in conjunction with each other to regulate our bodily functions, as well as our movements. Although scientists do not fully understand exactly what makes each part of the brain function, they do know that various parts of the brain are responsible for regulating, coordinating and performing specific activities.
When people use over-the-counter, prescription or illegal drugs, the different areas of the brain are directly affected. In some cases, particularly with the use or abuse of illegal drugs, life-sustaining functions can be directly impacted in a very negative way.
The Brain and Drugs
There are three primary areas of the brain that are directly affected by drug use:
- Cerebral cortex: This part of the brain is divided into areas that are responsible for controlling specific functions. These areas allow us to experience our senses (sight, smell, taste and hearing), and they also control our ability to think and make decisions.
- Brain stem: This part of the brain controls our most essential functions, including breathing, sleeping and heart rate.
- Limbic system: The brain's reward circuit lies in this area. There are a number of different brain structures that are linked here that regulate and control our ability to experience pleasure. When we do something that causes us to feel pleasure, we are automatically motivated to repeat those behaviors, whether they happen to be harmful for us or not. Whether we are doing something that comes naturally to us (such as eating) or doing something that is not natural to our existence (such as using drugs), the limbic system becomes activated by whatever activity causes us to feel pleasure. In addition, both our positive and negative emotions are regulated in this area of the brain, which is why mood-altering drugs can have such an impact on users.
Chemical Effects on the Brain
When we take drugs, they interfere with the way our nerve cells send, receive and process information. This happens even if we only use certain drugs or medications as they are prescribed to us, and for only a limited period of time.
With repeated use of a drug, our naturally well-balanced brain systems are disrupted. This means that, over time, our natural needs will be replaced by the drive and determination to acquire more of the drug that has become our focal point for receiving pleasure.
Specifically, the chemical level of dopamine surges in our brains whenever we use drugs that cause us to feel pleasure. If the pattern is repeated enough, the brain remembers it and starts to increasingly want the process repeated over and over again. Unfortunately, there is no specific or magical number of uses that suddenly triggers an addiction in people.
In some cases, people become addicted to drugs with only one use; in other cases, people have to use a drug regularly for weeks or months before a drug addiction develops.
The Power of Drugs
The reason that taking drugs is more powerful than any activity that we might participate in "naturally" is because drugs release as much as 10 times the amount of dopamine that any type of natural reward will release in the brain's pleasure center. In addition, the effects of taking drugs generally last much longer than any natural activity.
Over time, the brain will start to develop an appreciation only for the drug(s) that result in long-term feelings of pleasure. This may have an end result that causes a person to be unable to experience pleasure from any type of activity other than taking drugs. In other words, nothing will make an addict happy other than using drugs.
Because the brain systems are actually altered with drug use, recovery is a very difficult process and relapse is common among addicts. Drug cravings, weakened impulse control and strong memories that are drug related all play a role in making it difficult for addicts to stop using drugs.
In fact, many healthcare professionals now think of drug addiction as a chronic disease because relapse occurs in much the same way that it does with illnesses such as asthma or diabetes. Looking at drug addiction in this light allows us to realize that treatment for drug addiction must be thought of as long-term, and patients must approach their own road to recovery as a unique process that requires a lifelong commitment.
