Addiction has been associated with an alteration in brain function that impacts reward motivations as well as mental memory. Addictions include substance like alcohol, drugs and tobacco, and behaviour like playing or eating. Alcohol and drug dependency are caused by the continuing consumption of substance even when there are known dangers. Not all people that use alcohol or drugs become addicted to them. The higher the risk of developing substance use problems, the greater the risk.

Understanding addiction and what causes it

Brain and body connection

As mentioned above, addiction is a serious health issue and can severely affect the ability of individuals to cope with life events and situations. It is also argued that long-standing drug and alcohol use affects brain functions. This disruption of the brains and biological systems causes a direct loss of power, compulsive behaviors, defiant behavior, and negatively-emotional states that support addictive behavior. How do drug affect brain-caused addiction? Dopamines are chemical and neural messengers that signal to the brain to repeat the actions you have done.

Addiction is a disease

It’s important that one understands addiction and that it can be treated as an illness. Because a word addiction is often incorrectly used, some people believe addiction could only happen through willpower. Researchers are now finding addiction is a medical disorder recognized as a medical condition. This dual diagnosis reflects the seriousness and controlling effect of disease on both the mental and physical abilities of patients. For some people, the term illness has a stigma that some people do not recognize as disease.

This study released by the National Institute of Health shows that critical brain structures and behaviours are disrupted by long-term drug and alcohol abuse. The disruption of these areas of the brain and chemical processes leads directly to a loss of control, compulsivity, defiant behaviour, and negative emotional states that supports addiction.

Tell me the difference between addiction and dependence?

Many use phrases such as drug abuse, addiction, and dependency interchangeably. Addiction refers primarily to persistent consumption of alcohol without any possible social, or financially-legal consequences. Substance abuse and addiction are different since the latter have the possibility and the latter are neither. In most cases dependence involves obtaining physical needs of substances. If someone becomes dependent on a particular drug or alcohol, it will take longer to obtain their original high.

Fuehrlein graduated from the M.D. Ph.D. program at the University of Florida in 2008, adult psychiatry residency program the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2012 and addiction psychiatry fellowship from Yale University in 2013.

How does addiction work?

Addiction is a more common mental illness, often because the brain has an overproduction of dopamine. We do not need any substances but we do have good supply of dopamine for our everyday activities such as spending time with friends and family. In a person not dependent, this can be a very rewarding thing. Whenever you depend largely on dopamine to produce pleasure, it becomes more important to consume it. With addiction everything that once gave you pleasure seems ordinary to us.

Tell me the most commonly misused drug?

Alcohol addiction is an extremely dangerous threat to our health. The 2017 national survey shows nearly 11.7 million people struggled to manage a substance abuse issue in 2017. More than 15.5 million people who were surveyed reported substance misuse, and more than 7.5 million people reported having illicit drug addiction. Marijuana can cause mental and physical damage as well and can cause serious psychological problems in children and young adults.

Tell me the cause of addiction?

Why are there symptoms? What’s going on behind addiction? The rise of substance misuse has led many to speculate about how addiction occurs. Although research is continuously emerging, the most important causes of addiction are genetic factors such as family history, the living environment, socio-economic factors and preexisting mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.

Risk factors of substance use disorders

Sometimes people can have moderate amounts of alcohol while others become victims of alcoholism. Is there anything that increases your chances of being addicted? The causes of drug dependence can’t always be determined, but there may be some risk factors that may influence such factors, including:

Are some drugs more addictive than others?

All chemicals influence the reward system of our brains, but some substances are stronger. Cocaine and meth are also addictive. Nevertheless, people who started drinking at an early age have fourfold greater chances of developing alcoholic disorders than those who wait until age 21. This isn’t just some mythical idea. Users usually try cannabis and alcohol before moving on to harder substances. Usually people get addicted after only taking an occasional dosage while other people get more gradual.

Substance use disorder diagnosis

Your physician may use diagnostic tests to determine the prevalence of your use of DSM- During your evaluation, do not be afraid! They won’t call police until the need arises – they want to get help for you. Treatments take many forms.

He has over 25 years of experience in psychiatric rehabilitation, behavioral health and human services, with a strong background in community mental health, individual, group, and family counseling, substance use disorder recovery, and advocacy.

The detox process

Detoxing a drug can be done by taking it out from your bowels and removing it from the body. Alcohol benzodiazepines is a dangerous medicine that may cause serious side effects when taken without an experienced physician. Opioids have the uncomfortableest debilitating effects. Most detoxifications last between 4-6 days according to the substance used. Get in touch with Valleywise Health providers for substance detoxing.

Warning signs of a substance use disorder

Are there people with substance abuse problems? See if it is a sign. Please speak to your doctor when the above warnings are present for the correct diagnosis of the condition.

When comparing addiction with substance use, the symptoms are very difficult to identify. A second factor because the differences can be quite different.