The term "addiction" is used in many perspectives to describe a mania, compulsion or excessive psychological dependence, such as drug addiction. In medical science, an addiction is a chronic neurobiological disorder that has psychosocial, genetic and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: the continued use of a matter despite its harmful effects, compulsive behaviours and preoccupation with the use of a drug for non-therapeutic purposes.
When people are addicted to drugs, they seem to get a rush from the drugs. It stimulates their system and has an impact on their emotions as well as feelings of pain. They tend to become detached from their jobs and family and lose ambition. With the passage of time, their system becomes immune to the drugs and the rush is not there anymore. For this the addicts tend to increase their dosage.
Awareness programs have been initiated on a large scale to keep people from using such harmful stuff, however, those who get addicted for any reasons, do drugs despite the knowledge about their destructive effects.
The addictive strength of drugs varies from substance to substance, and from person to person. Frequency and time of doses are critical factors for developing a drug addiction. The larger the dose is, the greater the risk is that the usage may become an addiction.
When a person takes a drug, it stimulates his brain by deluging it with dopamine. Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter which is found in the brain and is fundamental for the standard functioning of the central nervous system. Overflow of dopamine produces an ecstatic state and the person feels immensely pleased. This gratifying effect compels the user to replicate the action.
When a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain adapts to the overwhelming surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by dropping the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. As a result, the impact of dopamine on the reward circuit is tapered, reducing the capacity of the abuser to enjoy the drugs and the things that previously brought pleasure. This decrease in pleasure forces the drugs addicts to keep abusing drugs in order to attempt to bring their dopamine function back to normal. They may want larger amounts of the drug than they did earlier, in order to achieve the dopamine high. A person who feels more relaxed and happier in his life has fewer chances to use psychoactive substances. A society that has a population that is "addiction-prone" due to genetics or emotional pain, and has an easy access to drugs, is a society prone to addiction.
Every human being reacts in his own way to different kinds of drugs. Those who are stressed, depressed or in any sort of emotional or physical pain have a greater tendency of using and getting addicted to drugs as compared to those who lead a comfortable, happy and relaxed life. Those who have drug abuse running in their genetic history are also prone to addiction. The environment, ethnicity, pre-existing mental disorder and gender also play a crucial role in vulnerability of a person to drug addiction.
Genetic and environmental factors act together with critical developmental stages in life of a person to affect addiction vulnerability, and adolescents experience a dual challenge.
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Posted under depression
This post was written by James Handforth on April 8, 2010
