posted by SKadmin on Jan 27

Each time a family enrolls a loved one in a drug rehab center, they are commonly briefed regarding how drugs affect the brain. The human brain is the body’s most complicated organ. The brain handles all body functions; translate and react to stimuli; and forms an individual’s ideas, feelings, and behavior.

* Interaction within the brain
This three-pound organ comprises billions of neurons. These neurons form an extensive network that passes messages to and fro to the numerous structures inside the brain, spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system. This network oversees and harmonizes what one does, thinks, and feels. To transmit messages from neuron to neuron, the brain utilizes chemical neurotransmitters.

* What happens when drugs are introduced?
All drugs are chemical substances. They tap into the brain’s communication system by upsetting the way the neurons normally transmit, receive, and process neurotransmitters. Normally, drugs target the brain’s reward system by overpowering the network with dopamine. Dopamine is a natural neurotransmitter that regulates movement, emotion, motivation, cognition, and feelings of pleasure. By over-stimulating the system accountable for rewarding a person’s natural behaviors, drugs produce euphoric effects.

* Starting the addiction
The human brain is desired to assure that a human will repeat life-sustaining actions through the association of these activities with reward or pleasure. Therefore, when the reward system is triggered, the brain takes note of that event which needs to be remembered to acquire reward or pleasure. The brain then teaches the person to repeat the experience. So when drugs stimulate the reward circuit, the individual takes more of the drug to feel good.

* Addiction stage
Drug rehab specialists consider a person to be addicted when he feels that life is not normal unless he takes drugs. He experiences that emotion due to the fact the brain automatically adjusts to the overload of dopamine by generating less dopamine. Since the spike of dopamine can only be introduced when drugs are taken, the natural flow of dopamine to a drug abuser’s brain is significantly low, lessening the capacity to feel any pleasure. He needs to take drugs to equalize the level of dopamine back to normal level.

Communicate with Charter Day Care if you need to enroll a family member in a drug rehab, alcohol, or eating disorders facility.

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