How addictions develop

[Storyteller.]

How addictions develop
By Robin (PSY)

Why is it so difficult to stop using some drugs, such as nicotine, cannibis, alcohol, and caffeine? Why does one person become addicted to these and other substances, while another person does not? How much of a substance needs to be used in order for an addiction to develop, and how long does it take for an addiction to develop? The answers to these questions vary depending on a number of factors, so this article aims to provide broader explanations in order to promote a greater understanding for how addictions to substances can develop.

The brain

Before we talk about addictions, we need to have a general understanding of how the brain works. The human brain is a complex organ that regulates how your body functions. For example, if you're crossing a street and a vehicle suddenly swerves toward you, the brain will send signals telling your body to react quickly in order to avoid the oncoming vehicle. All of this happens in the blink of an eye, and if the brain is impaired, your body will not function as well as it should. The human brain also interprets whatever is happening around you. An impaired brain may not be able to determine if spending the night alone with a stranger is a good or bad idea. Finally, the human brain shapes your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Everyone has experienced sleep deprivation, which makes thinking clearly more difficult. Someone who is sleep deprived may also feel irritable and behave abnormally because the brain is not getting what it needs.

There are three areas of the brain that are important to focus on when talking about addictions: the brain stem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. The brain stem controls very simple yet critical body functions, such as a person’s heart rate, breathing, and sleeping capabilities. The limbic system is often associated with the “reward circuit” in the human brain. The limbic system allows a person to experience pleasure, and these feelings of pleasure motivate us to repeat certain actions. The limbic system also enables us to accurately perceive what other people are expressing emotionally. Finally, the cerebral cortex does a variety of things. It allows us to process information obtained using our senses (sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste), and it also powers our ability to problem-solve and make good decisions.

The brain is able to carry out these numerous functions by communicating with other areas of the body using neurons. These neurons rely on neurotransmitters, chemicals in your body that are able to pass along messages from one neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters need to attach to receptors in the neurons in order to pass along these messages, and if neurotransmitters or these receptors are affected, important information may not be communicated to other areas of the brain or body.

The drugs

When we talk about “drugs” in this article, we are referring to any chemical substance that a person can abuse and eventually become dependent on, both legal and illegal. Because drugs contain chemical properties, they can communicate with the brain’s neurons, just like neurotransmitters (the brain’s natural chemicals) can. Some drugs can mimic neurotransmitters and fool the brain into perceiving messages differently, which affects the brain and body’s ability to function properly. Other drugs affect the neurotransmitters or receptors directly, which disrupts the ability to pass along messages.

Many drugs affect the “reward circuit” that was described earlier in this article. Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter that your brain relies on. It regulates a number of things, including movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. If a drug’s chemical properties affect this particular type of neurotransmitter, a person may be overstimulated and experience euphoric effects. That person may enjoy the feelings of pleasure so much that they continue to seek out the drug, and with time, the brain can become dependent on those feelings of pleasure.

The “reward circuit” is important, because it teaches us to repeat activities that lead to feelings of pleasure and/or sustaining of life. Babies learn that drinking their mother's milk relieves feelings of hunger, and as a result, they repeat the action of drinking their mother's milk in order to continue experiencing that relief. As human beings grow older, their brains continue to store information on which activities lead to positive feelings. Addiction can occur when the “reward circuit” is activated by the chemical properties of the drugs and is taught that these drugs lead to feelings of pleasure, just as the brains of babies are taught that their mother's milk leads to feelings of pleasure.

What sets drugs apart from other things that give us pleasure, such as a mother's milk? It all comes down to how the dopamine is affected. Studies have shown that some drugs lead to the release of two to ten times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards do. As a result, the pleasure experienced when using drugs far outweighs the pleasure experienced when enjoying normal activities. This may encourage some people to seek out these drugs more frequently, in order to continue experiencing the unnatural feelings of pleasure caused by the excess of dopamine.

The result

The human brain and body constantly strive for internal stability. The body attempts to maintain a consistent temperature of approximately 98.6° Fahrenheit, a blood pH level of approximately 7.365, and so on. When drugs are taken, the homeostasis of the brain and body may be thrown off for a while; however, with continued use, the brain and body will begin to adjust to the drug. As the brain and body adjust to the chemical properties of the drug, the feelings of pleasure may not be experienced as readily. This may lead a person to take larger amounts of the drug, or use the drug more frequently, in order to overcome homeostasis and experience the pleasurable effects of the drug. Additionally, because of how the “reward circuit” works, a person’s ability to experience pleasure when performing other activities may decrease as well. An addict may feel “depressed” or “flat” whenever they are NOT using drugs. This may lead to an even greater increase in the amount and frequency of the drug’s use, in order to compensate for the overall lack of pleasurable feelings.

The brain stem and cerebral cortex, two areas of the brain mentioned earlier in this article, can also be affected by certain drugs. Overdosing on a depressant (such as alcohol) due to an addiction can interrupt the functioning of the brain stem. Since the brain stem controls a person's breathing and other important body functions, this can lead to suffocation or the heart stopping. The cerebral cortex is frequently impaired by drugs, which is why addicts may not use good judgment and make bad decisions, even when the potential consequences are severe.

Getting help

Addictions may develop gradually or rapidly, depending on a number of factors. Once an addiction to a substance develops, it can be very difficult to stop using the substance on your own. Fortunately, there are many ways to get help, whether it is for yourself or for someone you care about. Worldwide organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous offer free support groups for addicts, and there are also organizations such as Al-Anon and Alateen that offer free support groups for family members and friends of addicts. Mental health professionals who specialize in addiction treatment can provide individual, couple, family, and support group sessions for addicts and their loved ones. Many of these professionals accept health insurance plans and offer sliding-scale fees to help lower the costs for these sessions. Finally, there are a variety of organizations and treatment centers that provide inpatient and outpatient support that fall under a variety of price ranges. If you are not sure where to start your search for help, consider calling your regular doctor's office and asking for a list of local resources.