Over 35 million people worldwide suffer from Substance Use Disorder, commonly known as addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as a “chronic,relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite consequences”.
Addiction affects brain processes that surround stress, rewards and self control. The overexposure of drugs to the brain causes changes in the areas of the brain that control judgement, decision making, learning, and behaviour control.
Drugs like Cocaine are stimulants that increase self confidence and energy levels, while Heroin induces feelings of relaxation and satisfaction. Once the drugs take control, you depend on them to feel good, to do better, to feel better, and eventually even to feel ‘normal’.
How do drugs affect our brain?
Inside our brain, networks of neurons send signals to each other to communicate vast amounts of important information. Neurons release transmitters into the synapses between the cells, in order to relay a message. Some drugs (Marijuana, Heroin) have chemical structures that match those of natural neurotransmitters and are able to activate neurons and relay abnormal messages to the brain.
The Basal Ganglia is a part of our brain that deals with positive forms of motivation, routine and recognizing the pleasurable effects of healthy activities like eating, exercising, sex, etc. This area of our brain forms reward circuits that get activated when these activities are performed, to effectively anchor feelings of pleasure and happiness with having performed that activity. In theory, this encourages us to do the activity more often and experience healthy highs.
When introduced, drugs over activate the circuit, producing continual highs followed by feelings of withdrawal and depression. With time, the circuit adapts and desensitises, taking away the pleasure that once came from healthy activities. This leads to relying on the drug for feeling anything at all.The Extended Amygdala - a part of our brain responsible for feeling anxiety and stress, becomes overly sensitive and intensifies feelings of anxiety without the drug.
Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter in our brain, one whose job is to get us to repeat healthy behaviour, enforce routine, and reinforce beneficial behaviour. Everytime the reward circuit is activated, dopamine sends a signal to remember and associate the euphoric high with that activity. Drugs force released levels of dopamine, making it easier to take drugs more often and connect happiness and pleasure with drug consumption. Released dopamine makes it easy to repeat the activity mindlessly and subjecting to addiction.
Remember to make conscious, responsible decisions when dealing with substances - because it’s never just your life getting affected.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please reach out to someone you trust, and ask for help. We have helpline numbers and rehab centres (in India) linked on our resource page <3
Source : “Preface.” National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3 Aug. 2021, https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/preface.
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