Why Are Drugs Addictive?
Drugs are addictive because they change the way neurotransmitters are released. The brain naturally releases the neurotransmitter dopamine in controlled and limited amounts. Drugs alter the natural reward circuit of the brain and the way neurotransmitters are processed. Your reward circuit is a part of evolution that exists by releasing a surge of dopamine when you do activities that are pleasurable and benefit you, such as eating. This is your brain’s way of motivating you to repeat and prioritise these activities.
With most drugs, the chemical messenger dopamine is released in large amounts and this causes a ‘high’ which changes how you feel. Over time your brain learns that to feel that way again you need to take more of the drug. This is why drugs are so addictive, they teach your brain they are an important activity so that you use them again.
The other factor is the more you take a drug, the more tolerance you build up and the less effect it has. To combat this you need to take more of the drug and this can quickly lead to physical dependence.
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When you try to stop using the drug, you experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and are driven to use the drug to get rid of them. Physical dependence will develop after taking many drugs for any period of time, although some substances such as fentanyl only need to be taken once, to trigger severe withdrawal symptoms.
The other contributing reason why drugs are addictive is that they can permanently change the way your brain functions. Subsequently, even if you do manage to get through the withdrawal symptoms you will still crave the drug when you are no longer physically dependent. This is called psychological addiction and is a known cause of relapse, often after years of giving up a drug, which is why addiction is a chronic brain disease.
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