Synthesis Paper
Thesis Statement: Drug Addiction Affects the Brain Balance of a Person
Outline:
Introduction
Meaning of Addiction
Causes of Drug Addiction
Cases of Drug Addicts
Body
Affects the Brain’s Natural Balance
Changes the Brain’s Chemistry
Affects Brain’s Structure and Functioning
Affects Brain’s Communication Patterns
Affects the Human Senses
Affects Areas of Brain
Limbic System
Cerebral Cortex
Conclusion
Drug Addiction Hijacks the Brain
Effective Treatment on Drug Addiction
A Synthesis Paper on the
Effects of Drug Addiction to the Brain
John Siegfred L. Alulod
11 – Boyle
Effects of Drug Addiction to the Brain
Drug Addiction according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, despite harmful consequences. Repeated drug use leads to brain changes to an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes can be persistent, so drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease.
Specific causes of addiction differ from person to person, generally people start using drugs to escape or mask pain. The rush of pleasure from drugs provides temporary solace from suffering, often which stems from trauma, mental illness, low self-esteem, poverty, relationship problems, loss of a loved one, stress, chronic pain or medical conditions. But whatever their reason for starting, the disease will usually spiral more out of their control.
In a case of addiction, all of the elements have an important role to play in the development of the drug abuse issue. Due to cultural variations, the proportion of individuals who develop a drug or behavioral addiction within a specified time period varies over time. Many of the victims of drug abuse are teenagers because they are the most vulnerable persons but there are also many cases among adults. Some of the drug addicts are being taken care by rehab centers for their recovery.
Addiction interferes with an important biological process called homeostasis. All biological systems maintains a "normal" balance, known as homeostasis. The brain functions as the "overseer" of this balance. Drugs addictions lead to changes in this normal balance. When the brain has difficulty maintaining balance, the brain makes adjustments by creating a new balanced set-point called allostasis. These changes account for many behaviors associated with addiction such as: 1) the powerful need to obtain drugs despite the harm, 2) the difficulty of quitting, and 3) the obsessive, consuming nature of addictions. This is because addiction caused the brain's balance to change to accommodate the addiction.
This brain's communication system is constantly changing and adapting. The neuron is the primary unit of communication within the brain. The different parts of the brain communicate with each other using electrical signals and special chemical messengers called neurotransmitters lay in wait. Besides neurotransmitters, there are also larger neuromodulators and neuropeptides. These also play a distinct role in the addiction process. Some neuropeptides that are relevant to addiction are: 1) opiates made by the brain itself (called endorphins), 2) stress hormones, and 3) peptides associated with feeding and anxiety. Some neurotransmitters are sensitive to specific drugs. All drugs in varying degrees affect neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine. Stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine have a particularly strong effect on dopamine. However, as previously mentioned both neurotransmitters and receptors play a role in the addictive process.
The brain is composed of many different regions and structures. Each of these different regions and structures serves different purposes. Addictions can alter these regions and structures and subsequently can alter the way brain regions function. We would discuss the regions and structures that are affected by the addictive process. These are the examples of the brain's role in commonly observed problems associated with addiction: Impaired decision-making, drug cravings, stress regulation and withdrawal.
Due to the damage cause of drugs the neurons can makes new communication route around the damaged area. This ability is known as neuronal plasticity. New neural pathways are formed as addiction develops. This is because addiction chemically altered the brain's communication system. Unfortunately, the brain's ability to be adaptive is also at the root of addiction. The brain adapts to the strong effects of addictive drugs and activities. When it does, changes occur in the brain regions associated with reward, memory and emotion, decision-making, and stress regulation.
Also our five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell) gather and transmit information about our environment. Since drug abuse can alter brain’s functioning it can also damage the areas of the brain that is in-charge with the human senses.
The cerebral cortex a part of the brain is divided into areas that control specific functions. Different areas process information from our five senses. It is the thinking center of the brain. The drugs impair these abilities and alter its function because of the brain’s ability to respond to addiction. Also a part of the brain, limbic system contains the brain’s reward circuit. It controls and regulates our ability to feel pleasure. Feeling pleasure motivates us to repeat behaviors that are critical to us and makes us proactive. The limbic system is also activated by drugs of abuse. In addition, the limbic system is responsible for our perception of other emotions, both positive and negative, which explains the mood-altering properties of many drugs.
Addiction exerts a long and powerful influence on the brain or simply hijacks it and that manifests in three ways: craving for the object of addiction, loss of control over its use, and continuing involvement despite adverse consequences. The brain hijacks these following functions of the brain: Pleasure principle. The brain registers all pleasures in the same way, whether they originate with a drug, a reward, a sexual encounter, or a satisfying meal. Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens is so consistently tied with pleasure that neuroscientists refer to the region as the brain's pleasure center. Addictive drugs provide a shortcut to the brain's reward system by flooding the nucleus accumbens with dopamine. The chance that the use of a drug will lead to addiction is directly linked to the speed and intensity which it promotes dopamine release. Learning process. Recent research suggests that Dopamine not only contributes to the experience of pleasure, but also plays a role in learning and memory. According to the current theory about addiction, dopamine interacts with another neurotransmitter, glutamate, to take over the brain's system of reward-related learning. The reward circuit in the brain includes areas involved with motivation and memory as well as with pleasure. Repeated exposure to an addictive substance or behavior causes nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex.That is, this process motivates us to take action to seek out the source of pleasure. Tolerance and compulsion. The brain adapts over time in a way that actually makes the activity less pleasurable. Addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Addictive drugs can release two to 10 times the amount of dopamine. In an addicted person, brain receptors become overwhelmed and responds by producing less dopamine or eliminating dopamine receptors. As a result of these adaptations, dopamine has less impact on the brain's reward center. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine "high" because their brains have adapted — an effect known as tolerance. The hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response — intense craving.
To solve the problem of drug abuse, the problem of drug abuse needs to be publicized and help given to drug users. These and more interventions like family counseling, community and youth programs, harsher punishment to drug traffickers, communication etc. Can help the victims of drug addiction to bring prevent and recover their hijacked brain from drug addiction. Effective treatment is needed through rehab centers and with professional help. Drugs have been seen to be harmful not only to users but also to the people related to them. The harmful effects include health complications, low productivity, low grade performance, fatalities, loss of employment, and economic burdens amongst other effects. Society is responsible for the problem of drug abuse and interventions should be implemented to discourage the use of drugs. These include good communication with people, stricter laws against drug trafficking, counseling and community programs which publicize the problem and effects of drug use. This will help ensure that everyone are safe and free from drug addiction.
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