How Does Drug Abuse Alter The Brain?

The brain is the most important organ in a person's body. It is the control center for all activity and body function. So, one could see how participating in something that would alter this function could be extremely dangerous and detrimental to their overall well-being. Drug abuse can take a huge toll on the way a brain functions by altering the areas necessary for a life-sustaining purpose. There are three main areas that plainly show the effects of drug addiction: the brain stem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. The brain stem controls the basic functions of life such as breathing, sleeping, and heart rate. The limbic system is located in the center of the brain and controls our ability to feel pleasure. Feeling pleasure is a reward system for continued behavior, such as eating. The cerebral cortex is the thinking center, which allows us to plan, problem solve, and make decisions, as well as process our senses (touch, taste, sight, sound, smell).

As you are reading what each part of the brain does, you can probably guess how the drug effects on brain function can cause addiction. Through the brain stem, drug abuse causes a disruption of one's heart rate and sleeping patterns. The limbic system is probably the most dangerous and highly affected system from drug addiction and brain function. Because it creates a reward system through pleasurable feelings – and taking certain drugs releases an extreme amount of pleasure chemicals (dopamine) – one can see how the limbic system could easily crave and rely on drug use to release pleasure chemicals. As for the cerebral cortex, this is what makes hallucinogens and other sense-enhancing or -altering drug so enticing at first. This is also why, under the influence of drugs, an individual cannot make good judgments or decisions.

So, specifically how do drugs affect those centers of the brain? There are four main communications that take place in one's brain: neuron to neuron, neurotransmitters, receptors, and transporters. Through neuron to neuron communication, each cell sends and receives messages in the form of an electrical impulse. Once this message is received, it is then sent on its way to other neurons. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that carry theses messages. Once a neuron sends a message by way of neurotransmitter, the receptors receive this message, and proceed to forward the correct amount on to the next neuron. Transporters are located on the original cell that sent the first electrical impulse. They are sent out to bring back the chemical that they distributed, thereby recycling and shutting off the signal between neurons.

A drug addict will perceive this process a bit differently. Something that happens with amphetamine or cocaine is plainly shown between the neurotransmitters and the receptors. Instead of the brain sending out the chemical receptors, because of the drug use the receptors are blocked, which causes mass amounts of specific chemicals to flood the brain. Because the receptors are blocked, there is no way of recycling these chemicals, so they keep flowing until the drug stops the electrical impulse. Many other drugs, such as heroin and prescription pain killers mimic the structure of a natural neurotransmitter, which allows that drug to lock on to and activate certain chemicals while blocking others.

The reason why drug users keep using is because our brains are wired to ensure that we will continue with life-sustaining activities by providing a reward each time we do those things. Although drug use is by no means life-sustaining, our bodies and minds feel that it is once we are addicted because of the way our brain responds to the use. Our brain notes that something important is happening when we use drugs, and teaches us to do it again and again without thinking about it. After a short time, we cannot control this impulse. Dopamine is an extremely important chemical in our lives. If we don't feel it, we don't feel any reason to live and continue through our daily lives. Through drug addiction, a users dopamine levels are severely tampered with. Not only is the brain urging the individual to use because it is convinced it is an important activity, but a person needs dopamine to feel content, and normal, even.

If you have a drug abuse problem or have ever used drugs such as cocaine or heroin, this is what was/is happening in your brain. Over time it will cause addiction and you may have to go through intensive treatment and therapy to get your life and chemical levels back on track. Do not wait another day for this to happen. Call today and start your treatment.