{"id":99659,"date":"2017-10-09T12:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=99659"},"modified":"2017-10-03T13:54:45","modified_gmt":"2017-10-03T12:54:45","slug":"the-real-reason-some-people-become-addicted-to-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/10\/the-real-reason-some-people-become-addicted-to-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Reason Some People Become Addicted to Drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

bbc.com<\/p><\/div>\n

29 Sep 2017 – <\/em>Why do they do it? This is a question that friends and families often ask of those who are addicted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to explain how drug addiction develops over time. To many, it looks like the constant search for pleasure. But the pleasure derived from opioids like heroin or stimulants like cocaine declines with repeated use. What\u2019s more, some addictive drugs, like nicotine, fail to produce any noticeable euphoria in regular users.<\/p>\n

So what does explain the persistence of addiction? As an addiction researcher for the past 15 years, I look to the brain to understand how recreational use becomes compulsive, prompting people like you and me to make bad choices.<\/p>\n

Myths about addiction<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are two popular explanations for addiction, neither of which holds up to scrutiny.<\/p>\n

The first is that compulsive drug taking is a bad habit \u2013 one that addicts just need to \u201ckick.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, to the brain, a habit is nothing more than our ability to carry out repetitive tasks \u2013 like tying our shoelaces or brushing our teeth \u2013 more and more efficiently. People don\u2019t typically get caught up in an endless and compulsive cycle of shoelace tying.<\/p>\n

Another theory claims that overcoming withdrawal<\/a> is too tough for many addicts. Withdrawal, the highly unpleasant feeling that occurs when the drug leaves your body, can include sweats, chills, anxiety and heart palpitations. For certain drugs, such as alcohol, withdrawal comes with a risk of death if not properly managed.<\/p>\n

The painful symptoms of withdrawal are frequently cited as the reason addiction seems inescapable. However, even for heroin, withdrawal symptoms mostly subside after about two weeks. Plus, many addictive drugs produce varying and sometimes only mild withdrawal symptoms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is not to say that pleasure, habits or withdrawal are not involved in addiction. But we must ask whether they are necessary components of addiction \u2013 or whether addiction would persist even in their absence.<\/p>\n

Pleasure versus desire<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 1980s, researchers made a surprising discovery. Food<\/a>, sex<\/a> and drugs<\/a> all appeared to cause dopamine to be released in certain areas of the brain, such as the nucleus accumbens.<\/p>\n

This suggested to many in the scientific community that these areas were the brain\u2019s pleasure centers and that dopamine was our own internal pleasure neurotransmitter. However, this idea has since been debunked<\/a>. The brain does have pleasure centers<\/a>, but they are not modulated by dopamine.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s going on? It turns out that, in the brain, \u201cliking\u201d something and \u201cwanting\u201d something are two separate psychological experiences. \u201cLiking\u201d refers to the spontaneous delight one might experience eating a chocolate chip cookie. \u201cWanting\u201d is our grumbling desire when we eye the plate of cookies in the center of the table during a meeting.<\/p>\n

Dopamine<\/a> is responsible for \u201cwanting\u201d \u2013 not for \u201cliking.\u201d For example, in one study<\/a>, researchers observed rats that could not produce dopamine in their brains. These rats lost the urge to eat but still had pleasurable facial reactions when food was placed in their mouths.<\/p>\n

All drugs of abuse trigger a surge of dopamine \u2013 a rush of \u201cwanting\u201d \u2013 in the brain. This makes us crave more drugs. With repeated drug use, the \u201cwanting\u201d grows, while our \u201cliking\u201d of the drug appears to stagnate or even decrease, a phenomenon known as tolerance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Rat receiving optogenetic stimulation of the brain using laser light to produce focused and compulsive reward-seeking.
Mike Robinson, Author provided (No reuse)<\/p><\/div>\n

In my own research<\/a>, we looked at a small subregion of the amygdala<\/a>, an almond-shaped brain structure best known for its role in fear and emotion. We found that activating this area makes rats more likely to show addictive-like behaviors: narrowing their focus, rapidly escalating their cocaine intake and even compulsively nibbling at a cocaine port. This subregion may be involved in excessive \u201cwanting,\u201d in humans, too, influencing us to make risky choices.<\/p>\n

Involuntary addicts<\/strong><\/p>\n

The recent opioid epidemic has produced what we might call \u201cinvoluntary\u201d addicts. Opioids \u2013 such as oxycodone, percocet, vicodin or fentanyl \u2013 are very effective at managing otherwise intractable pain. Yet they also produce surges in dopamine release.<\/p>\n

Most individuals begin taking prescription opioids not for pleasure but rather from a need to manage their pain, often on the recommendation of a doctor. Any pleasure they may experience is rooted in the relief from pain.<\/p>\n

However, over time, users tend to develop a tolerance. The drug becomes less and less effective, and they need larger doses of the drug to control pain. This exposes people to large surges of dopamine in the brain. As the pain subsides, they find themselves inexplicably hooked on a drug and compelled to take more.<\/p>\n

The result of this regular intake of large amounts of drug is a hyperreactive \u201cwanting\u201d system. A sensitized \u201cwanting\u201d system triggers intense bouts of craving whenever in the presence of the drug or exposed to drug cues<\/a>. These cues can include drug paraphernalia, negative emotions such as stress<\/a> or even specific people and places. Drug cues<\/a> are one of an addict\u2019s biggest challenges.<\/p>\n

These changes in the brain<\/a> can be long-lasting, if not permanent. Some individuals seem to be more likely to undergo these changes. Research suggests that genetic factors<\/a> may predispose certain individuals, which explains why a family history of addiction leads to increased risk. Early life stressors, such as childhood adversity<\/a> or physical abuse, also seem to put people at more risk.<\/p>\n

Addiction and choice<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of us regularly indulge in drugs of abuse, such as alcohol or nicotine. We may even occasionally overindulge. But, in most cases, this doesn\u2019t qualify as addiction. This is, in part, because we manage to regain balance and choose alternative rewards like spending time with family or enjoyable drug-free hobbies.<\/p>\n

However, for those susceptible to excessive \u201cwanting,\u201d it may be difficult to maintain that balance. Once researchers figure out what makes an individual susceptible to developing a hyperreactive \u201cwanting\u201d system, we can help doctors better manage the risk of exposing a patient to drugs with such potent addictive potential.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, many of us should reframe how we think about addiction. Our lack of understanding of what predicts the risk of addiction means that it could just as easily have affected you or me. In many cases, the individual suffering from addiction doesn\u2019t lack the willpower to quit drugs. They know and see the pain and suffering that it creates around them. Addiction simply creates a craving that\u2019s often stronger than any one person could overcome alone.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why people battling addiction deserve our support and compassion, rather than the distrust and exclusion that our society too often provides.<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mike Robinson <\/a>– Assistant Professor of Psychology, Wesleyan University <\/em><\/p>\n

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Republish <\/em>The Conversation articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons license.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 theconversation.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

29 Sep 2017 – Why do they do it? This is a question that friends and families often ask of those who are addicted. Addiction simply creates a craving that\u2019s often stronger than any one person could overcome alone. That\u2019s why people battling addiction deserve our support and compassion, rather than the distrust and exclusion that our society too often provides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}