Addiction and the human brain Wellness 10 Day #4 of 10 Addiction and the human brain

AGENDA Review: How do drugs interfere with neurotransmission? Increase the amount of dopamine released into the synapse Interfere with receptors by stimulating or blocking them Slowing/stopping the ability for dopamine to return to the sending neuron from the synapse Explain with the Brain Video Worksheet Review: Explain with the Brain

1. A heroin addict experiences very strong cravings whenever he/she sees a needle. Certain people, places, or things that are associated in an addicts mind with taking drugs, called TRIGGERS, actually cause a surge of dopamine in the brain. This dopamine release causes the user to experience very strong CRAVINGS for the drug. NOTE: This is why it is so hard for cigarette smokers to stop when they are around other people who smoke!!

2. Over time, a person has to drink 3 glasses of wine to get the same effects she used to get with just one glass. Repeated drug use leads to tolerance, meaning that the body’s reward pathway begins to adapt to the drug and doesn’t respond as strongly as it did when the drug was new to the system. Also, alcohol kills neurons, reducing the ability of the brain to transmit dopamine. The brain then needs more and more of the drug to get the same pleasurable feeling.

3. Teens are more likely to experiment with drugs than adults. Teens may experience a natural dip in their reward pathway, making them more likely to seek out extreme things to get a rush. The frontal lobes of a teenager – the parts of the brain in charge of problem solving, decision making, and planning –are NOT FULLY DEVELOPED!! So, teens are less likely to think through their decision to use drugs and anticipate the consequences.

4. A cocaine user does not feel pleasure any more from the drug; they continue to use cocaine to feel normal. When someone uses drugs for a long time, he can become dependent on them. Cocaine reduces the number of dopamine receptors in the brain, so it’s harder to feel pleasure from normal things. The brain is also tricked into thinking that the drug is part of it’s normal state. As a result, the addict feels terrible unless he has drugs in his system.

5. The brains of teen addicts recover less than the brains of adult addicts after they stop using drugs. The teen brain is still developing and able to change with experience. When a teen becomes addicted to drugs, the brain adapts itself to functioning with that drug present. Since the brain did not fully develop completely without the interference from drugs, the damage those drugs caused can be irreversible.

6. A first time meth user experiences an intense feeling of pleasure from the drug. Trying a drug like meth for the first time causes a surge of dopamine in the brain, which gives the user a great feeling. (Meth also blocks the dopamine transporter from pumping dopamine back inside the neuron to be used later, causing an extended high.)

7. A drug addict stops doing things he used to love because he’s focused on getting drugs instead. Drugs take over the reward pathway of the brain, tricking the addict into thinking that getting the drug is more important than other things. Things that used to activate the reward pathway, like food or spending time with family, no longer do. NOTE: This is why addicts tend to drop out of school, break up with girl/boyfriends, stop playing sports, etc.

8. After long-term drug abuse, a person simply has no control over their drug use anymore. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug use despite devastating consequences – the addict cannot control their cravings for the drug. Prolonged drug has changed the brain so much that it doesn’t function properly without the drug. The addict will do anything to get the drug regardless of any consequences of their actions.