Addiction
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A: What happens to my brain when I repeatedly use an addictive substance?
B: When you repeatedly use an addictive substance, your brain may adjust to account for its regular presence. This is called tolerance. It diminishes the drugâs effect and means more is required to produce the same experience. Alcohol, for instance, increases the transmission of chemical messengers like endorphin and GABA, which promote sensations of pleasure and calmness.
A: What happens if I stop using alcohol?
B: Your brain will adapt to its presence. So when you donât use it, your brain receives fewer signals from those pleasure-and-calm-inducing neurotransmitters, which impacts your energy and mood. In addition to the unique effects each addictive substance has, all of them alter the release of dopamine in a brain region called the nucleus accumbens. This area is part of the brainâs reward pathway, which is sensitive to experiences that give you pleasure and drives you to repeatedly seek them out. The reward pathway is essential to our well-being, but addictive substances also exploit it
A: How can they do that?
B: When you are repeatedly using a substance and your body has adapted to its presence, you may develop dependence, where the drug is necessary for you to function comfortably. Meanwhile, repeated use can decrease the influence of the brainâs cortex which is responsible for driving deliberate desicion-making and limiting impulsive behaviors. It can also increase the influence of the brainâs sub-cortex, which is crucial in habit learning and impulsivity. Together, these changes can make you feel a lack of control over how youâre using a substance. This can mean suffering in other facets of your life and taking risks to continue using it. If the substance leaves your system, your bodyâs equilibrium is disrupted, so they may experience cravings that motivate thoughts and behaviors of seeking and using the drug. If they continue without the substance, they may experience withdraw
A: Do all substances have the same addictive level?
B: It depends on how fast the drug reaches your brain and stimulates the reward pathway. The faster it does, the more addictive it is. How susceptible you are to substance use disorder also plays an important role
A: How does that affect me?
B: This is due to a mix of life experiences and genetically inherited traits, though neither predetermines addiction. Trauma and mental health conditions appear to make you more susceptible, and overall, using addictive substances before 18 is considered a strong risk factor
A: Why is that?
B: This is in part because the reward pathways of younger brains are especially sensitive. Many of the genetic factors at play remain unknown, but some genes do seem to track with certain substance use disorders. At the same time, some genes actually make people more resistant to substance use disorders
A: How can I detox from a substance that my body has become dependent on?
B: It can be extremely difficult and in some cases, abruptly quitting can also be physically risky. So it isnât always advised
A: Is there any way I can quit my addiction?
B: Beyond detoxing, quitting is often a long-term process. Itâs aided by treatment plans that prioritize addressing underlying conditions, developing new associations with experiences previously linked with drug use; and creating safe, supportive environments. Ultimately, both addiction and recovery are the results of the brain with an incredible ability to adapt from experience