Maclay Rehabilitation Center
Drug Information
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The Problem
Alcoholism is an illness in which there is preoccupation with alcohol and loss of control
over its consumption. Most chronic alcoholics are doomed without treatment.
Drug Addiction
Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs
change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse
and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as
morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop
taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often
underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the
brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower.
Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in
the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help
people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug
seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to
those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs
leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for
most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the
brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to
make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is
addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to
counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows
that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is
the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are
tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical,
psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug
abuse.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart
disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic
diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again.
Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be
reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain
control and recover.
What Happens To Your Brain When You Take Drugs?
Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the
way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two
ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical
messengers, and/or (2) by overstimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain.
Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, have a similar structure to chemical
messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain.
Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to “fool” the brain’s receptors and
activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.
Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to
release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters, or prevent the normal
recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between
neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message that ultimately disrupts
normal communication patterns.
Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the brain’s reward system by flooding the
circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain
that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The
over stimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors that are
linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc), produces euphoric effects
in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that “teaches” people
to repeat the behavior of abusing drugs.
As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in
dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine
receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit is
lessened, reducing the abuser’s ability to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously
brought pleasure. This decrease compels those addicted to drugs to keep abusing
drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. And, they may
now require larger amounts of the drug than they first did to achieve the dopamine
high—an effect known as tolerance.
Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well.
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to
learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain
attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate
non conscious (conditioned) learning, which leads the user to experience uncontrollable
cravings when they see a place or person they associate with the drug experience, even
when the drug itself is not available. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals
show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making,
learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an
abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse consequences in
other words, to become addicted to drugs.
Why Do Some People Become Addicted, While Others Do Not?
No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs.
Risk for addiction is influenced by a person’s biology, social environment, and age or
stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance
that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:
Biology. The genes that people are born with––in combination with environmental
influences––account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender,
ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse
and addiction.
Environment. A person’s environment includes many different influences––from family
and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer
pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly
influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a person’s life.
Development. Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental
stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a
double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier
that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And
because adolescents’ brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision
making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors,
including trying drugs of abuse.
Alcoholism is an illness in which there is preoccupation with alcohol and loss of control
over its consumption. Most chronic alcoholics are doomed without treatment.
Drug Addiction
Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs
change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse
and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as
morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop
taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often
underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction—that it is a disease that impacts the
brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower.
Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in
the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help
people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug
seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to
those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs
leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for
most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the
brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to
make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs.
It is because of these changes in the brain that it is so challenging for a person who is
addicted to stop abusing drugs. Fortunately, there are treatments that help people to
counteract addiction’s powerful disruptive effects and regain control. Research shows
that combining addiction treatment medications, if available, with behavioral therapy is
the best way to ensure success for most patients. Treatment approaches that are
tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical,
psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life without drug
abuse.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart
disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And, as with other chronic
diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin abusing drugs again.
Relapse, however, does not signal failure—rather, it indicates that treatment should be
reinstated, adjusted, or that alternate treatment is needed to help the individual regain
control and recover.
What Happens To Your Brain When You Take Drugs?
Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the
way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two
ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical
messengers, and/or (2) by overstimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain.
Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, have a similar structure to chemical
messengers, called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain.
Because of this similarity, these drugs are able to “fool” the brain’s receptors and
activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.
Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to
release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters, or prevent the normal
recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signal between
neurons. This disruption produces a greatly amplified message that ultimately disrupts
normal communication patterns.
Nearly all drugs, directly or indirectly, target the brain’s reward system by flooding the
circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain
that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The
over stimulation of this system, which normally responds to natural behaviors that are
linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc), produces euphoric effects
in response to the drugs. This reaction sets in motion a pattern that “teaches” people
to repeat the behavior of abusing drugs.
As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in
dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine
receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit is
lessened, reducing the abuser’s ability to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously
brought pleasure. This decrease compels those addicted to drugs to keep abusing
drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. And, they may
now require larger amounts of the drug than they first did to achieve the dopamine
high—an effect known as tolerance.
Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well.
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to
learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain
attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate
non conscious (conditioned) learning, which leads the user to experience uncontrollable
cravings when they see a place or person they associate with the drug experience, even
when the drug itself is not available. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals
show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making,
learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an
abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse consequences in
other words, to become addicted to drugs.
Why Do Some People Become Addicted, While Others Do Not?
No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs.
Risk for addiction is influenced by a person’s biology, social environment, and age or
stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance
that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:
Biology. The genes that people are born with––in combination with environmental
influences––account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender,
ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse
and addiction.
Environment. A person’s environment includes many different influences––from family
and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer
pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement can greatly
influence the course of drug abuse and addiction in a person’s life.
Development. Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental
stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a
double challenge. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier
that drug use begins, the more likely it is to progress to more serious abuse. And
because adolescents’ brains are still developing in the areas that govern decision
making, judgment, and self-control, they are especially prone to risk-taking behaviors,
including trying drugs of abuse.
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