Safe from Drugs

Posts Tagged ‘Drug abuse’

Other drugs, like cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause nerve cells to release vast amounts of natural neurotransmitters or can block the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is necessary to cut the signal between neurons. This results in a greatly amplified message that ultimately disrupts normal communication patterns

Almost all drugs, directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding it with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure. Typically, this system responds to natural behaviors related to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc..), But when it is overstimulated by the drug produces feelings of euphoria. This reaction initiates a pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the behavior of drug abuse.

When 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, the impact of dopamine on the reward circuit is lessened, thereby limiting the pleasure that the user is able to derive not only drugs but also of things that previously caused him pleasure. This decrease compels the addict to continue abusing drugs in an attempt to make dopamine function back to normal. However, they may now require larger amounts of drugs to raise the dopamine to normal levels early. This effect is called tolerance.

The long-term abuse causes changes in other chemical systems and circuits in the brain. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When drug abuse alters the optimal concentration of glutamate, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Drugs of abuse facilitate subconscious learning (conditioned), which makes the user feel uncontrollable desire to use drugs when you see a place or a person associated with them, even though the drug itself is not available. Imaging studies of the brain of drug addicts show changes in brain areas critical to the trial, the decision-making, learning, memory and behavior control. Taken together, these changes can cause the addict to become addicted to drugs, ie the look and compulsive use despite adverse consequences. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people do not understand how or why some people become addicted to drugs. They may wrongly assume that drug users have no moral principles or sufficient will and that they could stop using drugs if they were only willing to change their behavior. In fact, addiction is a complex disease and stop using drugs does not occur with the simple intention. In fact, because drugs change the brain in a way that promotes its compulsive abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are willing to do so. Thanks to scientific advances, we now know much more accurately how drugs work in the brain and we know that the drug itself can be successfully treated, thus helping an addict stop using drugs and regain a productive life.

Drug abuse and addiction have negative consequences for both individuals and society. By some estimates, the total cost of substance abuse in the United States, including costs associated with lost productivity, health and crime, exceeds 600 billion dollars annually. This figure includes approximately $ 181 billion for illicit drugs, $ 1 193 billion by tabaco2 and $ 235 billion by alcohol.3 Despite how overwhelming it is these figures fail to fully address the true impact of drug abuse and drug addiction on public health, including family breakdown, job loss, failure in school, domestic violence and child abuse.

What is drug addiction?

Drug addiction is a chronic disease of the brain, often relapsing, characterized by the compulsive seeking and drug use despite harmful consequences to the addict and those around him. While it is true that the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, over time the changes occurring in the brain can affect self-control and the user’s ability to withstand intense impulses to take drugs.

Fortunately, there are treatments that help to counteract the destructive effects of the strong addiction. Research shows that the best way to ensure success for most patients is a combination of drugs to treat addiction with behavioral therapy. You can achieve a sustained recovery and a life without substance abuse using approaches designed to treat drug abuse pattern specific to each patient together with any medical, psychiatric or social concurrently.

Like many other chronic, relapsing diseases such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease, drug addiction can be treated successfully. However, like other chronic diseases, it is also common to have the addict relapses and return to drug use. These recurrences, however, does not mean failure. Rather they are a sign to be reinstated or adjusted to treatment or alternative treatment is necessary for the person to regain control and recover.