How does addiction work

However, not everybody who misuses a substance has addiction. For example, a person who drinks alcohol heavily on a night out may experience both the euphoric and harmful effects of the substance. There is substance addiction and non-substance addiction. Some examples of non-substance addiction include:. Someone with addiction will continue to misuse the substance or activity in spite of the harmful effects it has.

The primary indications of addiction are:. When a person has addiction and stops taking the substance or engaging in the behavior, they may experience certain symptoms.

For those who have become physically dependent on a substance, abrupt discontinuation may provoke many unpleasant symptoms, and, in some cases, it may be fatal. Anyone using substances, even socially, should discuss them with a doctor to ensure safe use and monitor for signs or symptoms of addiction. However, a person with addiction may not be ready or willing to seek professional medical help, regardless of the negative impacts it is having on their health and wellness.

If a person experiences a substance overdose, those around them should seek emergency medical assistance immediately. A person who has recovered from an overdose may want to seek professional help to treat their addiction. When a person is ready and wants help with their addiction, they may wish to contact a medical professional to discuss options for treatment. These options include rehab, therapy, detox, and medication.

Medicinal advances and progress in diagnosis have helped the medical community develop various ways to manage and resolve addiction. Treatment can take a long time and may be complicated.

Addiction is a chronic condition with a range of psychological and physical effects. Each substance or behavior may require different management techniques. A person with addiction can find many organizations that may help them. A person can also call a hotline for help with their addiction. Addiction is a serious, chronic dependence on a substance or activity. The prevalence of addiction costs the U.

They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to.

In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives.

Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. These brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease—people in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased risk for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds.

Most drugs affect the brain's "reward circuit," causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again.

As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. This reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug—an effect known as tolerance. They might take more of the drug to try and achieve the same high.

These brain adaptations often lead to the person becoming less and less able to derive pleasure from other things they once enjoyed, like food, sex, or social activities. Long-term use also causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well, affecting functions that include:.

Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Life Science.

Inside the Mind. The Human Brain. How Addiction Works. Our understanding of addiction, including dependency on substances like heroin shown above , has increased tremendously over the past three decades. See more drug pictures. Addiction as a 'Brain Disease' " ". Marijuana acts as neurotransmitter, attaching to dopamine receptors and causing the release of dopamine in the brain. The Victorian Era: Corsets and Morphine.

Addiction Symptoms " ". Physical: In an addicted person, tolerance for a substance will increase meaning he will need more of a substance to get the "high" he seeks , or it will decrease meaning it will take less of the substance to obtain the high. The addict will also display withdrawal symptoms when he discontinues use of the substance.

These symptoms include sweating , hand tremors, trouble sleeping, nausea, physical agitation, anxiety, hallucinations and seizures.

Or, the addict will use more of the substance or another substance to reduce or eliminate these symptoms. Behavioral: The addicted person will most likely have a history of attempting to stop using the substance or engaging in the behavior without much success. He will also use more of the substance or spend more time using the substance than he intends to, and will also spend a lot of his time getting, using and recovering from the substance. Another symptom is discontinuing other activities that once brought him pleasure like walking in the park , or are his personal responsibility like going to school or work.

Lastly, the addicted person will continue taking the substance or engaging in the activity even though he knows that it's having a harmful impact on him. Substance Abuse " ". Used needles litter the ground outside an abandoned building where many addicts live in Kabul, Afghanistan. Methamphetamines - prolonged use of this stimulant can lead to psychotic-like symptoms such as strong hallucinations and violent behavior.

Studies of the brain patterns of some long-term meth users have shown that up to 50 percent of their dopamine-producing cells have been damaged.

Use of meth has declined from to today [source: DEA]. Prescription medications - this is one of the rapidly growing substances of abuse in the United States. Between and , abuse of prescription drugs increased percent. Heroin - In , 2. Heroin withdrawal symptoms are particularly painful and can come on just a few hours after a dose wears off.

Because of this, users have a high chance for relapse; in , the entrance rate for heroin treatment for the fifth time or more was higher than the entrance rate for first-time heroin treatment [source: NIDA]. Alcohol - physicians consider alcohol more dangerous to suddenly withdraw from than even heroin, due to the physical symptoms that come along with alcohol withdrawal.

Alcoholics are also prone to relapse; in , 22 percent of alcoholics in the United States who sought treatment had been in rehab for alcohol at least one other time [source: NIDA ]. Sex addiction - characterized by an overly intense sex drive or an obsession with sex. A sex addict will engage in risky sexual behavior, even at the cost of his relationships or health.

He may have a number of affairs, but will have trouble forming bonds or even enjoying the act. When treating sexual addiction, the goal is not abstinence, but a return to non-harmful sexual behavior. Food - food addiction is called binge-eating disorder. It's much like bulimia, but rather than binging on and purging food compulsively, the food addict only binges.

An estimated 2 percent of people in the United States had a binge eating disorder in [source: Anred ]. Gambling - there were an estimated 2-million-plus gambling addicts in the United States in Just as with a drug, a gambling addict gets a rush from the act of betting. He will also lose control of his ability to not bet. Unlike treatment for sex or food addictions, abstinence is considered the goal of rehab for gambling addiction [source: Biotie ].

Addiction Treatments " ". Geneticists are isolating genes, hormones and chemicals in the brain that react to specific substances.

Further research could help us one day cure addiction as a chronic disease. Genes That Addict. Htr1b receptor gene : Mice that lack this gene like alcohol and cocaine more than those that have it.

Neuropeptide Y : Low levels of this hormone have been associated with desire for alcohol in mice. Read More. Bozarth, Michael. Summer,