Understanding why addicts behave and think the way they do is nearly impossible because they defy sound reason and logic. This is because the disease of addiction not only affects the behavior or attitude–it essentially changes how the brain works. The very fabric of what motivates the addict is so distorted that they fail to see reality.
The addiction changes the way chemicals in the brain regulate behavior, and this they have no control over. Therefore, they are not deliberately being destructive and they don’t lack enough will to resist drugs; their mind has chemically and physiologically changed, and in some cases, irreversibly.
The Addict’s Mind
When a person is in active addiction, the three major areas of the brain are affected:
- Brain Stem – controls bodily functions
- Cerebral Cortex – responsible for the senses such as auditory, tactile, sight, and taste
- Limbic System – the brain’s reward center
The limbic system is the most affected part of the brain because the addiction disrupts the normal functions of how neurons in this area communicate with each other.
The neurons, which are nerve cells, each send chemical and electrical signals to each other through neurotransmitters. Each neuron has a receptor, which receives and sends signals on each neuron. Meanwhile, the transporters in each neuron recycles the neurotransmitter and ends communication.
Image courtesy of discovermagazine.com
This complex yet delicate balance of electrical and chemical simulation in each of the nerve cells produce thoughts and emotions. For example, when a person uses heroin, for example, the drug mimics natural neurotransmitters, causing false stimuli in the brain that the addict will soon crave for with regular use.
Most drugs such as heroin mimic dopamine, which is responsible for motivation, emotion and most of all, pleasure. This is naturally stimulated when a person gets a promotion, eats a good meal, or simply gets rewarded.
When taking drugs, the addict receives two to ten times more than the natural amount of dopamine in the brain during activities like sex or eating. Since the surge of dopamine caused by the drug is immediate, the pleasure circuitry in the brain lights up more quickly and intensely.
This said, the addict’s mind can be as complex as the addict’s behavior and motivations. The drug causes changes in the addict’s mind, which affects both conscious and unconscious behavior.
Still, there’s more to addiction than just biological factors, as modern science would show. There are plenty of adequate research that shows addiction that there are also environmental factors involved. There are deep emotional, behavioral and mental reason for the addict’s mind to develop the addiction in the first place and exhibit odd and disturbing behavior.
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