Many people live under the assumption that they are not susceptible to addiction, and that addiction will hit the weak-willed and morally degenerate. Negative stereotypes of alcoholics and drug addicts can contribute to these assumptions. Even many of those who suffer from addiction to deny their problems and continue to see addiction as something that only affects "other" people. Addiction is a physiological state, however, and because human beings share the same basic chemistry of the brain, anyone can become an addict.
While mental or emotional disorders can lead to the first use of a substance addict, a full-fledged addiction is a clinical, neurological disease. Like other clinical diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, addiction can strike anyone. The physiological processes that have a person of casual use tolerance, dependence are the same for everyone. Here are the stages of a person's brain is developing an addiction:
Dopamine release
Most drugs cause the human brain to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that creates a feeling of euphoria, pain relief, and a feeling of well-being. Dopamine is part of the same feedback mechanism that forces the man to look for food, sex, and most of the other nice things. When a person has an experience that leads to a release of dopamine, the brain creates physical neurological pathways that constrain the similar behavior in the future. Unfortunately, this happens even when the experience is as harmful as drug use.
Tolerance
Users can be forced by their neurological pathways to continue to take medication, but they will eventually develop a tolerance to it. In his attempts to mitigate the effects of a foreign substance, the body of a frequent user down-regulate the production of dopamine in response to a given drug. Therefore, the user must take increasingly higher amounts of feel the same euphoric effect. A chemically modified brain always seeks the powerful euphoria, however, if a dosing cycle of higher and higher sets in.
Addiction
Although the human body first "fighting" in developing a drug tolerance, brain chemistry will eventually change. If the use of a drug is repeated often enough, the central nervous system begins to accept it. Dopamine production is down-regulated again, and the brain now relies on medication to stimulate certain receptors necessary for normal body functioning. In fact, the brain of a drug user at this point actually starts to perform "normally" under the influence of the foreign substance. Drug withdrawal from the body of the shock of the brain and lead to high stress for the drug.
Addiction
What many people call a full length shot is just a severe case of addiction, characterized by certain behaviors. Addicts are constantly looking for drugs, to the point that they lose control over when and where they get high, and they will ignore the physical, social and emotional consequences of their abuse.
Relapse
Since addiction is a permanent neurological disease, relapses are common and even expected between recovering addicts. Many addicts struggle through endless cycles of drug use, intensive treatment, and relapse. People who have never experienced addiction can see relapse as a sign of lack of will, but it is much closer to the inevitable relapses often experienced by cancer patients.
Everyone from all walks of life is susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, deciding to face the problem and ask for help. Click on the links below for a toll-free confidential consultation with one of our trained specialists. We are here around the clock to help you .......
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