An addiction is not something that everyone who uses drugs will develop. But it can happen to anyone, at any age. The following factors may increase your chances of developing addiction: Your family tree Your chance of becoming addicted is almost half due to your genes. Your parents and siblings are more likely than you to become addicted to alcohol or drugs. Addiction can affect both men and woman equally. Childhood drug use. Drug abuse can cause brain development to be disrupted in children's early years. Your chances of becoming addicted to drugs later in life may rise if you begin using drugs early. Mental illnesses Addiction is more common in those who are depressed, anxious, have difficulty paying attention, and are always worried. In an attempt to feel better you might turn to medication. A history of trauma makes it more likely that you will develop an addiction. Relationship problems: If you have had family problems in your childhood and are now estranged with your siblings or parents, you are more susceptible to developing an addiction.
Addiction symptoms include: A desire to use the substance daily or frequently. You may be taking more drugs than your body needs and for a longer duration than you thought. Keep the medication close at hand and purchase it even if it isn't affordable. Even if drugs cause problems at work or make you lash out at your friends and family, it is important to not use them. Spending more alone time. Neglecting to take care of yourself and caring more about your appearance. Stealing or lying, or engaging with risky behaviours such as driving under the influence, or having hazardous sexual relations. You spend the majority of your time using, obtaining, or recovering from the effects of the drug. If you are trying to quit, it will make you sick.
What happens to your brain when you consume drugs? The Effects on Your Brain: Drugs can have a profound effect on your brain. Your brain is designed to encourage you to repeat the situations that make it feel good. You'll be motivated to do the same thing again and again.
The brain's reward circuit is affected by most drugs. These drugs can cause euphoria and flood it with dopamine. A functioning reward system encourages people to do the things that are necessary to thrive. Dopamine surges in the reward circuit encourage the reinforcement of harmful but enjoyable behaviours, such as using drugs. This prompts people to do the same thing over and over again.
The brain adjusts as a result of continued drug use by decreasing the ability of reward circuit cells to respond to the drug. This decreases the feeling of high, relative to when they first took the drug. This is known as tolerance. To get the same high, they could take more of it. This brain adaptation often leads to the person being less able or unable to enjoy other activities, such as food and sex.
Most medications work by flooding brain's reward network with the chemical messenger dopamine. Dopamine boosts in reward circuit reinforce undesirable but dangerous behaviours, which causes people to repeat the activity over and above.
Drug addiction can be treated and managed.
There is good news: drug addiction and use are preventable. The key role of teachers, parents, and healthcare providers in educating young people is to prevent drug use and addiction.
What is Drug Addiction and How Does It Work? Addiction is a mental illness that can alter your brain and behavior. If you're addicted, you will find it difficult to resist the urge to use drugs, regardless of the potential harm. You will avoid more serious consequences if you seek help for drug addiction as soon as you can.
A person who continues to use drugs will adapt to the drug by reducing their reward circuit cell response. This will continue as long the individual continues to take drugs. This process, called tolerance, causes the individual's high to decrease compared with when they first took it. They might then try to recreate the same high with more of the chemical. Due to brain alterations, an individual may not be able to enjoy the same pleasures as they once did, such a eating, sexual activity or social interaction.
Other chemical systems and brain circuits are also altered over time, which can result in cognitive and behavioral changes such as learning and memory, judgement, decision-making and stress. Many drug users continue to use drugs even though they recognize the dangers of addiction.
Why is it that some people are able prevent drug dependence while others develop tolerance to it? There is no one trait that predicts whether someone will develop drug addiction. A person's likelihood of developing an addiction is dependent on many factors. The higher the probability of an addict developing from drug use, the more predisposing factors they have.
Long-term drug use can also cause brain chemical pathways and function changes. They can impact your ability to think clearly, judgement, decision-making capacity, memory, learning abilities, and even capacity. It can be difficult for you to resist the temptation to use drugs in uncontrollable ways when these brain changes are combined.
Addiction is defined by the inability to stop. It should not be a threat to your health. It should not be used if it is causing financial, emotional or other problems for you or your loved ones. Even if you are trying to stop using drugs, your desire to obtain and use them may dominate your day.