This is Why Drugs Are Addicting

The brain is such an interesting and fascinating organ to research about. There are plethora of information that scientists still don't know about the science of how the brain functions. I wanted to talk about a really important subject and that is mental health/dopamine and drug addiction. Mental health, in my opinion, is one of the most important factors when it comes to feeling good about yourself. For some people, doing drugs puts them in a better mood and mental state. I wanted to discuss why drugs are so addicting and how dopamine plays a huge role in that.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for the reward pathways in your brain. You all are familiar with this neurotransmitter. When you eat something that tastes so good, dopamine gets released. Doing things you enjoy will most likely lead to dopamine release. As we will discuss in this article, dopamine is a main reason for drug abuse. In the brainstem, particularly the midbrain (first part of the brainstem), we have this area called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA does a really good job of releasing dopamine! For example, in the subject of drug abuse, the "good" feeling of taking drugs can stimulate the amygdala (brain structure responsible for emotion and memory) to tell the hypothalamus to stimulate the VTA. Why does the VTA get stimulated? For dopamine release! The VTA releases dopamine onto certain structures like the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. Releasing dopamine on the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex can lead to the feeling of reward. These pathways for dopamine release can also occur if you perform any other task that makes you feel good.

Due to the continuous dopamine release and the feeling of relaxation and reward, the abuse of drugs by certain people can arise faster than you think. Drug abuse can get even worse due to withdrawal effects and even tolerance. Withdrawal is composed of unpleasant symptons when one stops taking a drug they were dependent on. Tolerance is when one needs more of that drug to achieve the same amount of pleasure and euphoria. Tolerance can be dangerous when it comes to the ingestion of drugs because as one takes more and more of that drug, it increases the possibility of an overdose.

Literally, anything is better than taking drugs to achieve euphoria or pleasure. The goal should be to achieve this dopamine release through other healthier activities like learning new facts that interests you, going on a nature walk, playing your favorite instruments, listening to your favorite music, and etc. It is very hard to stop drugs once you are addicted. Just think about something like social media. Lets say you love scrolling through social media posts everyday for hours and you can't even go through a couple of hours without scrolling through posts. If I suddenly were to say that you are not allowed to use social media anymore, wouldn't that advice be extremely hard to follow? Your brain would be so used to the constant dopamine hit that you get from scrolling through social media for hours everyday. Now if you suddenly stop giving your brain that dopamine hit, you won't feel so good will you. It is better to think about certain things in advance like one does when you play chess. Think about the wrong move BEFORE you play the move. Deep down, you know drugs are extremely bad, so the simple action would be to not even come close to it.

One last thing I want to mention is that don't ever ignore your mental health status. Don't hesitate to talk to your doctor or therapist about your mental health because mental health plays a huge role in your overall health and well-being.