Addiction is a brain disease that affects millions of lives each year. Drugs are addictive substances that change brain chemistry and essentially hijack the brain. This is why addiction recovery is not just about having enough willpower to exit. The recovery of addiction involves understanding that addiction can affect your brain and take the necessary steps to detox safely and maintain lifelong recovery. In this article, you will learn more about how addiction affects brain chemistry, and more.
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4 Ways Addiction Impacts Brain Chemistry
Addiction is a complex brain disease that can have life-threatening consequences for individuals’ physical and mental health. To better understand addiction and the recovery of addiction, it is essential to understand the involvement of your brain. Here are some ways to explain how addiction affects brain chemistry.
- Addictive substances can cause dopamine peaks
First, addictive substances can lead to unnatural peaks in brain dopamine levels. When your brain is having a pleasant experience like exercising or eating food, your brain naturally produces dopamine. However, when you take medication, your brain spikes in dopamine.
Over time, when you repeatedly abuse the substance, your brain naturally produces less dopamine because it begins to expect it to receive dopamine spikes that abuse addictive substances. Your brain will be addicted to drugs because it relies on receiving these dopamine peaks.
- Continue drug abuse decisions
Next, substance abuse can generally damage the brain’s decision-making field, which explains why many people who struggle with addiction seem to be impulsive or risky decisions. Your brain will naturally send messages and make decisions to keep you safe. But when you abuse drugs, your brain is more willing to engage in more risky activities, and inevitably abuses more and more drugs to achieve the expected impact your brain is accustomed to experiencing.
- The choice that used to be a drug abuse became an expectation
As mentioned above, your brain can rely on drugs and alcohol to get some effect, and the more you abuse them the more you can. So, it could be the choice for drug abuse in the beginning, which is one expectation your brain needs to think it needs to achieve some expected effect. This change from choice to the need for drugs quickly leads to drug dependence and addiction.
- Addiction recovery is a lifelong journey
Finally, the recovery of addiction is lifelong because your brain must adapt and reconnect to stop taking medication or alcohol. Recovery addicts always face triggers and urgings from drug abuse. For example, rehabilitation alcoholics who go to a bar may experience the inducement to drink because their brains are associated with drinking. That’s why it’s important not only to know your triggers during the recovery process, but also to be patient with yourself as you progress on the recovery journey.
Ready to get rid of your addiction?
Now, you learn more about how addiction affects brain chemistry and why it is difficult to overcome it. Addiction recovery is more than just having enough willpower. The recovery of addiction involves a safe and effective detox that essentially learns to reconnect the brain to no longer rely on drugs to experience the peak of dopamine. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you must seek professional treatment for safe recovery.
On the road to recovery, we help clients heal their mind, body and spirit so they can get rid of their addiction and live a healthier life. Addiction is a debilitating brain disease. However, you don’t have to fight addiction yourself. Our team of addiction experts is here to help you every step along the road to rehabilitation in your inpatient rehabilitation center. Ready to start your recovery journey? Contact us now!
