Addiction Treatment

The reward system, also called the limbic system, in your brain is affected any time you do something that brings you pleasure. This can mean the good feelings that arise from accomplishment of personal goals, the enjoyment of a social relationship, winning the lottery, and drug and alcohol abuse.

This response developed for human survival, and it was meant to drive people to do the things that help them succeed in life, even eating food.The problem is that substances of addiction also set off the limbic system. They create intense feelings of pleasure the first times an individual uses drugs and alcohol by sending a lot of dopamine into the brain. Substance abuse has other negative effects as well, but the reward response often overrides them. An individual’s brain begins to change immediately because the flood of dopamine is unnatural. It attempts to compensate for this, leading to increased tolerance levels for drugs and alcohol. The brain begins to make less dopamine, and with further use, it begins to require the substance in order to function normally. It also changes the way an addict thinks and causes them to seek substance abuse regardless of the consequences.

Taking away drugs and alcohol after an addiction has developed changes brain chemistry to very abnormal levels, which is part of the cause for withdrawal symptoms. These effects are why addiction is considered a disease, and they are the reason it is almost always necessary to get help from professionals at a rehab center. It is almost impossible to go through the process of detox and withdrawal on your own, and then you have to learn how to rebuild your lifestyle. Addiction is viewed as a lifelong condition because the brain remembers these responses and will overreact to drug and alcohol abuse in the future.