Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center in Silver Firs
What Is Addiction to Drugs? Your brain and behaviour are both impacted by addiction. Substance addiction makes it unable to resist the impulse to use the drug, regardless of how harmful it may be. The sooner you receive treatment for drug addiction, the better your chances are of avoiding some of the disease's more serious side effects.
Not simply heroin, cocaine, or other illicit narcotics are involved in drug addiction. Alcohol, nicotine, sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs, and other legal substances can all cause addiction.
Opioids, which are narcotic painkillers, can also lead to addiction, whether they are purchased legitimately or illegally. In the United States, this issue has pandemic proportions. Two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths in 2018 were caused by opioids.
You could initially decide to use a medication because you enjoy how it makes you feel. You could believe that you have control over how much and how frequently you use it. However, medicines over time alter how your brain functions. These bodily alterations may last for a long period. They cause you to lose control and may prompt harmful actions.
Although it is common for people to relapse, this does not necessarily mean that the treatment was ineffective. A patient should continue treatment for any chronic health problem and adjust the therapy according to their response. The same applies to other chronic diseases. This is also true for other chronic conditions.
What are the changes in brains of people who take drugs?
Majority of drugs affect the brain's "reward system," which results in pleasure and floods the brain with the chemical messenger dopamine. A functioning reward system encourages people do the things that are important for their success, such eating and spending quality time with loved ones. Dopamine levels in the reward circuit can cause dopamine to spike, which can encourage dangerous and pleasant behaviors like drug abuse. The reward circuit then forces individuals to continue the activity.