You might experience brain changes and other chemical reactions if you are taking drugs for long periods. They can affect your ability to think clearly, make decisions, memory, and learning ability. When combined, these brain changes can make it difficult to resist the temptations to use drugs in ways beyond your control.
Which one is more likely to succumb to an addiction? Every individual has a unique body and brain. Different people respond differently to medication. Some people feel the sensation immediately and then want more. Others hate it and refuse to give it another try.
It is possible for some people to become dependent upon drugs, but not everyone who uses them. It's possible for this to happen in any age. There are many factors that can increase your risk of developing addiction. Nearly half of all factors that affect your likelihood are due to your genes. Your chances of developing an addiction to substances are higher if you have parents who suffer from it or siblings who do. Both men as well as women are at risk of becoming addicted. The initial exposure to drugs. Children's brains still develop, so drugs can have a negative impact on this development. You may become more addicted to drugs if you begin using drugs early in life. Mental disorders. A person is more likely to become dependent on a substance if they are depressed, anxious, or have difficulty paying attention. Self-medicating with medication could be an option in the hopes that it will make you feel better. A history of trauma in your life increases the likelihood that you will develop an addiction. Difficult relationships. You may be more likely to become addicted if you are from a dysfunctional family.
These are signs of addiction: Consuming more of the substance than you plan to, and continuing to use it for longer periods of time than you expected. Keep a steady supply of the medication. You can even purchase it if you have to stop because your finances are prohibitive. Use drugs, even if it causes you to have problems at work or makes you angry at your family. Spending more time with friends and family. Neglecting one’s personal hygiene, worrying about one’s appearance, or committing theft, lying or other dangerous acts like driving under the effects of drugs or engaging with unsafe sexual behavior. Spending most of your time using the drug or recovering from its effects. You might feel uneasy if you stop smoking.
The "reward circuit" of the brain is affected by most drugs, which elicit pleasure and flood the brain with the chemical messenger dopamine. A person is motivated to repeat actions necessary for survival, such as eating and spending time with loved ones, when a reward system is working effectively. Dopamine rushes in the reward circuit encourage enjoyable but harmful behaviours like drug use, encouraging users to keep engaging in the action.
The brain adjusts when a person uses drugs by lowering the capacity of cells in the reward circuit to react to it. As a result, the individual experiences a lower high than they did when they initially started using the drug. This is a phenomenon known as tolerance. To try to get the same high, they can use more of the substance. These brain changes frequently result in the person's ability to enjoy formerly enjoyable activities like eating, sex, or social interactions diminishing with time.
Long-term usage also alters other chemical circuits and systems in the brain, which impacts cognitive processes including memory, stress management, learning, and behaviour. Many drug users continue to use drugs despite being aware of these negative effects; this is typical of addiction.
Why do some people develop a drug addiction but not others? Nobody's susceptibility to drug addiction can be predicted by a single factor. Risk for addiction is influenced by a number of variables. The likelihood that using drugs will result in addiction increases as a person's risk factors increase.