8 minutes agoAuthor: Shashank Shukla
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Our Small habits, which we take for granted, suddenly become an important part of our lives. We don’t even realize it. This is such a mental and physical condition, which makes us completely dependent on a particular habit or drug.
Be it alcohol, tobacco or addiction to social media and internet. The form of addiction may be different, but its effect is the same. It slowly eats away our mental and physical health like termites.
Have you ever felt that some bad habit is having a deep impact on your life, but still you are not able to leave it? This is the trap of addiction. It gradually takes over our brain.
Today relationship In this we will learn that-
- How does drug addiction hijack the brain?
- What can be the solutions to overcome this?
Are you also a victim of addiction?
Recognizing addiction is not as difficult as it is for all of us to accept. Often one feels embarrassed to talk about it in society. However, accepting the problem is the first step towards recovery.
Let us try to identify drug addiction through some questions. Ask yourself this question and if the answer is ‘yes’ then you need to think seriously about yourself.
If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you need to be careful. You can take help from an expert without any hesitation.
How does drug addiction work?
Addiction affects the brain’s reward system and emotional reactions. Four parts of the brain are deeply involved in addiction. Let us understand through a graphic how it works.
Let us understand the points of the graphic in detail and know how drug addiction affects the brain.
nucleus accumbens
- Work- It works as the center of the brain’s reward system. When a person consumes drugs, alcohol or any other intoxicant, it releases dopamine hormone, which gives a feeling of happiness.
- Effect of intoxication- By repeatedly increasing the level of dopamine, this level becomes normal for the brain. In such a situation, more intoxication is required to get happiness. This is the cause of drug addiction.
- Example- Like after taking drugs, a person works to the extent of madness to get more drugs.
amygdala
- Work- It controls emotions, especially fear, stress and anger.
- Effect of intoxication- Intoxication reduces stress or emotional pain. In such a situation, the person starts using it as a means of getting relief.
- Example- In stressful situations, people often resort to alcohol, drugs or any other addiction. Gradually it becomes a habit.
hippocampus
- Work- It stores memories and experiences.
- Effect of intoxication- The mind remembers the pleasant experiences related to intoxication. For this reason a person wants to have that experience again and again.
- Example- If a person consumes drugs in a party, then he may feel like taking drugs in that party.
cerebral cortex
- Work- It helps in decision making and reasoning.
- Effect of intoxication- Intoxication weakens this part of the brain, due to which the person is unable to decide right and wrong.
- Example- A person intoxicated becomes unable to understand that this habit is harming his health and life.
What is tolerance?
When you consume any drug regularly, the body and mind gradually become addicted to that drug. The small amount that initially gave you relief is no longer as effective.
Because of this you need more drugs to get the same pleasure. It not only changes your habits but also your mental and physical condition.
Have you ever felt that what used to bring you solace was a glass of wine or a puff of cigarette, but now it feels incomplete? This is the effect of the tolerance that has developed in your body. The most important step is to understand this and recognize it in time.
How do we become addicted to drugs?
Due to continuous intoxication, the reward system of the brain stops working. Even intoxication stops giving happiness. Despite this, the desire to take drugs persists. This is because the brain remembers old experiences. As old memories become fresh, there is a desire to drink again.
This craving further increases drug addiction. It is so strong that a person gets pulled towards old habits after many years. If a person has been an alcoholic before, he may feel like drinking again after seeing the bottle.
Conditioned learning helps to understand that after recovery from drug addiction, people can go back to the same addiction.
How to get rid of drug addiction?
Senior psychiatrist Dr. Satyakant Trivedi explains that drug addiction is a mental disease. It affects brain functioning and behavior. It cannot be released by mere willpower. To get rid of drug addiction, help and consultation of a psychiatrist is necessary at the right time, so that the person suffering from drug addiction can return to a healthy life through proper treatment and supportive environment.
Getting rid of addiction is a long and difficult process. We need to bring positive change along with its treatment. We talk about some steps that can help in getting rid of addiction. Let us understand this graphically.
Change happens slowly, but with consistent effort and confidence we can become completely free from addiction. Can live a healthy, happy life. Consistency along with patience is important in this process.
