How Addiction Is a Dysfunction of Your Brain
We’ve spoken previously about the structural and functional brain changes associated with alcohol. Today we’re setting our attention on substance abuse as a whole, and what’s happening within the brain when an addiction develops.
What is addiction?
Addiction is also sometimes referred to as SUD or substance use disorder. It comes in many forms and refers to the habitual use of one or more substances, whether that be alcohol or drugs, that results in material changes in how our brains process pleasure. Unfortunately, substance abuse and addiction are pervasive issues within our society that can have devastating consequences, including:
Numerous lifestyle and social impacts such as lower levels of education and broken families.
Magnified mental health issues including suicide and overdose are a big risk.
The brain is highly susceptible to the effects of alcohol and drugs and experiences serious issues leading to dysfunction. This includes neurochemical imbalances, changes in brain function, structure, and cognitive impairments.
The brain of an addict
You may have heard people say that some of us are “hardwired for addiction”. In some sense, this does have a basis in truth. What we mean by that is that the brain of someone with a substance use disorder is markedly different from a healthy brain. Although environmental and genetic factors also play a part, the brain’s reward system is different in addicts.
Neurochemical imbalances
In a healthy brain, the neurotransmitters that seek out rewarding behaviors can also self-regulate. Meaning that although we search for things that make us feel good, we also know when to stop. However, in the brain of an addict, the deep limbic system and nucleus accumbens tend to dominate, whilst the prefrontal cortex doesn’t function as fully as it should. And what does this mean? Reduced levels of restraint and a tendency to lean towards repeated substance abuse despite being aware of its painful costs.
Wide-ranging impacts
Addiction is a vicious circle, as the consistent behavior leads to changes within the brain that are not conducive to recovery, and may leave the user with additional issues. For example:
Alcohol abuse can shrink the volume of the brain, whilst substances such as methamphetamine for instance impair decision-making abilities by damaging the brains’ reward system.
Attention, executive function, and memory can all be greatly affected by the long-term use of drugs.
Mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, depression, and even psychosis often coexist in those that abuse substances, mutually exacerbating one another. Such disorders can even persist even when sobriety is achieved, highlighting the long-term impact of such behaviors.
The good news
While this all sounds incredibly gloomy, there is a positive note to end on. Due to the incredible plasticity of the brain, healing and recovery are possible. Although the extent of the lasting effects of substance abuse disorder vary in relation to the intensity and duration of the addiction, the brain can come to a place of balanced neurochemicals, regainedcognitivefunction and even repair some of its structural damage.