The Science of Addiction

1. The Science of Addiction Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco Unit

2. Introducing your Brain!!

3. The Human Brain • Command center of the body • Controls everything you do • Weight – about 3 pounds

4. Drugs and the Brain • Interrupt how it works • Change how the brain performs • Changes can lead to compulsive drug use (aka = addiction)

5. Drug Abuse and the Brain • Affects 3 primary areas: • Brain Stem (breathing, circulation, digestion, muscle movement) • Limbic system (emotional responses, pleasure feelings) • Cerebral cortex (decision-making, senses; ¾ of our entire brain)

6. How Does the Brain Communicate? • Communication network – billions of nerve cells interconnected • Neurons (nerve cells that send and receive messages) • Neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that help to send messages) • Receptors (allow neurotransmitters to send messages correctly) • Transporters (recycle transmitters and shut off connection between neurons)

8. What Do Drugs Do to the Brain? • Chemicals – tap into communication system and interfere with nerve cells • Different drugs work differently • All drugs of abuse (nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, narcotics, etc.) affect the brain’s “reward” circuit – part of limbic system

9. What Do Drugs Do to the Brain? • Normal reward circuit • Responds to pleasurable experiences • Neurotransmitter = dopamine • Drugs hijack this system • Causes unusual amounts of dopamine to flood the system • Can last longer when compared to what happens through a natural/normal reward stimulates dopamine • Flood of dopamine = “high” or euphoria with drug abuse

10. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs?

11. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs? • Think about how you feel when something good happens… • Limbic system at work • Natural pleasures in lives are necessary for survival • Limbic system drives you to seek out those things

12. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs? • 1st time drug user • Unnaturally intense feelings of pleasure • Reward circuit activated – dopamine release • Brain starts changing • Neurons sense more than enough dopamine • Reduce number of dopamine receptors or make less dopamine • Neurons die off from toxicity of drugs

13. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs? • Results • Dopamine’s ability to cause pleasure is severely weakened • Person feels flat, lifeless, depressed • Person needs drugs now just to bring dopamine levels up to normal • Large amounts of drug needed to create dopamine flood or “high” • Effect known as “tolerance”

14. How Does Someone Become Addicted to Drugs? • Brain changes • Drive person to seek out and use drugs compulsively, despite negative consequences • AKA = Addiction

15. How Many Times Does It Take to Become Addicted? • Can’t predict • Factors that affect addiction: • Genetic makeup • Environment

16. Is Drug Addiction Voluntary? • Starts out as voluntary • As drug use continues, it goes from voluntary use to compulsive use • Why? • Changes in how the brain functions • Impairs ability to think clearly, feel okay without drugs, and to control your behaviors

17. Are There Effective Treatment Methods? • Addiction is treatable, but often a chronic disease • People can learn to manage their disease • Medications • Behavior-based therapies • Vary from person to person • Long-term treatment is often needed • Setbacks are likely

18. How Do I Know if Someone Has a Drug Problem? • Questions to assess whether or not a person has a drug problem: • Have you ever ridden in a car driven by someone (including yourself) who had been using alcohol or drugs? • Do you ever use alcohol or drugs to relax, to feel better about yourself, or to fit in? • Do you ever use alcohol or drugs when you are alone? • Do you ever forget things you did while using alcohol or drugs? • Do family or friends ever tell you to cut down on your use of alcohol or drugs? • Have you ever gotten into trouble while you were using alcohol or drugs?

19. Resources • teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_brain2.php • Google Images