EFFECT 

S OF DRUG
"Effects of Drug Use." 
USE & ADDICTION
 
Drugs are chemicals. Different drugs, because of their chemical
structures, can affect the body in different ways. Depending on the drug, it
can enter the human body in a number of ways, including injection,
inhalation, and ingestion. The method of how it enters the body impacts on
how the drug affects the person. For example: injection takes the drug
directly into the blood stream, providing more immediate effects; while
ingestion requires the drug to pass through the digestive system, delaying
the effects.

Most drugs directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by

flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present
in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition,
motivation, and feelings of pleasure. When drugs enter the brain, they can
actually change how the brain performs its jobs. These changes are what
lead to compulsive drug use, the hallmark of addiction.

Drugs are chemicals that affect the body and brain. Different drugs
can have different effects. Some effects of drugs include health
consequences that are long-lasting and permanent. They can even continue
after a person has stopped taking the substance.
There are a few ways a person can take drugs, including injection,
inhalation and ingestion. The effects of the drug on the body can depend on
how the drug is delivered. For example, the injection of drugs directly into
the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while ingestion has a delayed
effect. But all misused drugs affect the brain. They cause large amounts of
dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions, motivation
and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and produce a “high.” Eventually,
drugs can change how the brain works and interfere with a person’s ability
to make choices, leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over
time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency, or drug addiction.
 My Reflection

Start noticing how much addiction, narcotics, and alcohol come up in

conversation with friends and family, and you may be shocked. When I
started working at the Council on Chemical Abuse about two years ago, I
was in the same boat. Let me explain why my perspective on addiction has
shifted. We've always laughed (or at least I have) about being addicted to
something at one point or another, whether it's our favorite food or our
smart phones. The distinction between kidding and the seriousness of
addiction is what I've noticed. Addiction consumes an individual, and the
resulting real misery is unmistakable.

Addiction has long been a fact of life for humans. We've seen the
damage it can do, but it's now changing our everyday lives more than ever.
With our country's ongoing upload problem, we read about it on the radio, in
the latest sitcoms, in newspaper stories, during presidential debates, and at
the dinner table almost every day. Because of the physical features that
come with upload use, it could be easier to spot signs and effects in
someone who is addicted to it. What about someone who is addicted to
video games, the Internet, spending money, eating, drinking, work, or sex?
Is it any less of an addiction or any less serious because there is no “drug”
involved? I don't believe so.

As defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is

“a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related
circuitry.” By definition, addiction does not apply to just drugs and alcohol,
but anything that affects individuals to the point where they cannot function
without that substance or behavior. An individual who is addicted to heroin
and an individual addicted to gambling can have equally serious conse-
quences because of their “drug of choice.” An individual addicted to
gambling, shopping or pornography may not show physical signs, but those
obsessive behaviors can still lead to isolation, unemployment, homelessness
and arrest, much like an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Now, addicts cannot overdose on gambling at a casino, or watching

pornography, like they can overdose while using heroin or alcohol, but the
effects while engaging in drug use or a behavior are similar. What is
happening in the brains of those who have behavioral addictions, such as
gambling, gaming, shopping, (compulsively) eating, etc., is the same as in
the brain of someone getting high off of a drug. The limbic system, or what
we call the pleasure center of the brain, reacts when we are doing
something we find enjoyable. Addiction “hijacks” the brain, and the drug or
the behavior is equated with survival. An individual addicted to a behavior
like gambling or gaming is thinking about engaging in that behavior more
than his or her own basic needs. Before eating, sleeping, showering and
connecting with loved ones, their addiction comes first.

We should not dismiss the addicted individual, and think it is not “as
bad” to be addicted to a behavior as to a drug. For someone addicted to
gambling, the shame, guilt and relational consequences can be very real. As
with drugs and alcohol, the addiction reaches a point where the addict no
longer really enjoys the behavior, yet there is an uncontrollable, repeated
urge to continue the behavior despite negative consequences. Addiction does
not discriminate against any person. Whether it is gambling or heroin, when
the brain reaches the point of addiction, the individual’s life will be taken
over. The good news is that there is hope! Addiction is a treatable disease,
and there is help available for those caught in the trap. Recovery is possible
from all addictions!