How can drugs affect your brain

The brain is fragile but durable. Even after being damaged by drugs, your brain is able to repair itself in a number of ways, which can include:. The brain is really good at rewiring itself and modifying its connections. In addition to that, you can use other parts of your brain to maintain key functionality while you recover from addiction. Many of them are in active recovery and are ready and willing to help you recover from drug addiction and strengthen your brain.

Addiction is not a lifestyle choice. This affects their health and wellbeing as well as their quality of life. While most people associate addiction with illegal recreational drugs, over-the-counter medication, cigarettes , alcohol and opioids, which include pain-relief medication that is available legally with a prescription, are also addictive.

Persons may also become addicted to exercise and food. Opioid addiction has reached crisis proportions across the world, since these pain medications are prescribed often, even though they could lead to addiction if they are used for a prolonged period of time. Always check the side effects of prescribed medication, and if there is a risk of addiction, discuss other options with your doctor. It was once thought that surges of the neurotransmitter dopamine produced by drugs directly caused the euphoria, but scientists now think dopamine has more to do with getting us to repeat pleasurable activities reinforcement than with producing pleasure directly.

The feeling of pleasure is how a healthy brain identifies and reinforces beneficial behaviors, such as eating, socializing, and sex. Our brains are wired to increase the odds that we will repeat pleasurable activities. The neurotransmitter dopamine is central to this. Whenever the reward circuit is activated by a healthy,. This dopamine signal causes changes in neural connectivity that make it easier to repeat the activity again and again without thinking about it, leading to the formation of habits.

Just as drugs produce intense euphoria, they also produce much larger surges of dopamine, powerfully reinforcing the connection between consumption of the drug, the resulting pleasure, and all the external cues linked to the experience. For example, people who have been drug free for a decade can experience cravings when returning to an old neighborhood or house where they used drugs. Like riding a bike, the brain remembers. For the brain, the difference between normal rewards and drug rewards can be likened to the difference between someone whispering into your ear and someone shouting into a microphone.

Just as we turn down the volume on a radio that is too loud, the brain of someone who misuses drugs adjusts by producing fewer neurotransmitters in the reward circuit, or by reducing the number of receptors that can receive signals. As a result, the person's ability to experience pleasure from naturally rewarding i. What is drug addiction? What factors increase the risk for addiction?

These include: Home and family. Peers and school. Friends and acquaintances who use drugs can sway young people to try drugs for the first time. Academic failure or poor social skills can also put a person at risk for drug use.

Early use. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, research shows that the earlier a person begins to use drugs, the more likely they are to progress to more serious use. This may reflect the harmful effect that drugs can have on the developing brain. It also may be the result of early biological and social factors, such as genetics, mental illness, unstable family relationships, and exposure to physical or sexual abuse.

Still, the fact remains that early drug use is a strong indicator of problems ahead—among them, substance use and addiction. Method of use. Smoking a drug or injecting it into a vein increases its addictive potential. Both smoked and injected drugs enter the brain within seconds, producing a powerful rush of pleasure.

However, this intense "high" can fade within a few minutes, and the person no longer feels good. Scientists believe that this low feeling drives people to repeat drug use in an attempt to recapture the high pleasurable state. Can you die if you use drugs? Are there effective treatments for drug addiction? Generally, there are two types of treatment for drug addiction: Behavior change helping people learn to change behaviors that trigger drug use Medications helping people manage cravings for some drugs, such as tobacco, alcohol, heroin, or other opioids Length of Treatment Most people who have become addicted to drugs need long term treatment and, many times, repeated treatments—much like a person who has asthma needs to constantly watch the effects of medication and exercise.

Motivation for Treatment Most people go into drug treatment either because a court ordered them to do so or because loved ones wanted them to seek treatment.

How do I know if someone has a drug problem? The signs listed below may suggest a developing problem, which you should discuss with an adult you trust: hanging out with different friends not caring about your appearance getting worse grades in school missing classes or skipping school losing interest in your favorite activities getting in trouble in school or with the law having different eating or sleeping habits having more problems with family members and friends Questions to Ask: Do You Have a Problem?

Answering yes to any of the following questions may indicate a problem: Have you ever ridden in a car driven by someone including yourself who had been using alcohol or drugs?

Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to relax, to feel better about yourself, or to fit in? Do you ever use alcohol or drugs when you are alone? Do you ever forget things you did while using alcohol or drugs?

Do family or friends ever tell you to cut down on your use of alcohol or drugs? Have you ever gotten into trouble while you were using alcohol or drugs? What should I do if someone I know needs help?