Drug abuse is a chronic disease that changes the way your brain works. Treatment can reverse these harmful changes and help you regain control over your life.
Everyone has the ability to make a positive change in their lives. Recognizing that your drug use is a problem is the first step.
Addiction is a chronic disease
The brain changes when you use substances or engage in certain activities. This causes changes in the brain systems involved in reward, motivation and memory. As a result, you may need more of the drug or activity to feel the same effect and can't stop using it even when it is harmful or dangerous to yourself.
Addiction is a chronic disease, like diabetes and heart disease. Treatment can help you manage the symptoms and prevent relapse.
Some people recover from a mild substance use disorder with little or no treatment, while others need intensive care and lifelong management of their addiction. Regardless of their level of recovery, individuals with addiction deserve access to high-quality treatment and a wide range of recovery supports.
Genetic risk factors account for 40 to 60% of the vulnerability to addiction, but it is also influenced by environmental and behavioral factors. The interplay of these factors determines the specific trajectory and morbidity of an addiction, as well as the pharmacotherapeutic approach.
It affects the brain
The brain is a critical organ that regulates temperature, emotions, decision-making, breathing and coordination. Drug abuse changes the brain chemistry and alters a person’s perception of the world.
Addiction can affect multiple parts of the brain, including the brain stem, limbic system and cerebral cortex. These areas are involved in the reward circuit and help people feel pleasure.
Repeated drug use disrupts these areas, which can lead to experience-dependent learning and abnormal brain circuits that result in maladaptive patterns of behavior, according to NIDA.
Drugs that stimulate the nucleus accumbens, a cluster of nerve cells below the cerebral cortex, over-activate the brain’s reward circuit. This weakens the circuit’s connectivity to other areas of the brain, resulting in decreased ability to control impulses and make decisions.
It affects the body
When you abuse drugs, they have a serious impact on your physical health. They also cause mental issues and increase your risk of contracting an infectious disease.
Drugs affect the reward system in your brain, flooding it with a chemical called dopamine that triggers feelings of pleasure and drives you to take more of them to chase the high. This leads to addiction and a cycle of drug use.
Some drugs have long-term effects that affect your health, including damage to your liver and kidneys. They can also interfere with your body’s ability to regulate temperature.
Drugs can also lead to gastrointestinal problems, including stomach ulcers. They can also suppress respiratory function, putting you at greater risk for overdose. Additionally, injecting drugs puts you at greater risk for needle borne diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
It affects the mind
Addiction can have a profound effect on your brain, including how you think, feel, and behave. It can even change the way you experience things that you once thought were normal and pleasurable.
Drugs hijack the brain’s natural processes by overstimulating dopamine, a chemical that produces feelings of pleasure and well-being. This stimulation also causes your neurons to become addicted to the substance, which means they need more and more of it just to maintain a feeling of euphoria.
In the long run, this type of dependency is often accompanied by other physical and mental side effects, from impaired memory and concentration to problems with mood, motivation, and decision-making.
The best way to fight addiction is by recognizing its presence in your life and getting help. There are many resources available to you, including health care professionals and drug abuse counselors. Talking with someone early in your addiction can make a big difference.
