One of the most common reasons why people who are living with substance use disorders don’t attempt to get the help they need is shame. For too long, alcohol and drug abuse has been seen as a moral failure instead of being understood for what it is: an illness. If you’re hesitating to get help at a Connecticut addiction treatment center because of shame, knowing the truth is vital.
Take a closer look at how drugs affect the brain — and how programs for substance use disorder recovery work to address these challenges.
Drug Abuse and the Human Brain
Alcohol and drugs impact a few critical parts of the brain, transforming substance use from something you choose to do to something you can’t help but do.
How Drugs Impact Neurons
The brain relies on circuits of neurons to function, which send signals back and forth to each other and throughout the entire brain and central nervous system.¹ To send a message, a neuron releases a neurotransmitter into the gap between it and the next neuron. The neurotransmitter attaches to the receptors in this other cell, causing changes. This is the process that drugs affect.
Drugs interfere with how neurons send, receive, and interpret the signals that neurotransmitters prompt. Certain drugs, such as opioids, mimic the way that neurotransmitters function, allowing them to attach to receptors and activate them, though not in the same way that natural signals would.² This false activation can result in abnormal signaling throughout the network.
Amphetamines and other stimulants tend to have different effects on receptors. Instead of mimicking the chemical makeup of neurotransmitters, they cause neurons to release significant amounts of natural neurotransmitters, disrupting the network’s normal function.³
Affected Brain Areas
It’s not just one area of the brain that is affected by drugs, though. They also affect the reward center, reinforcing substance use. This area focuses on encouraging behavior that prompts survival, such as eating and socializing, and it’s also in charge of establishing routines. Drugs over-activate the reward center of the brain at first, but the brain quickly begins to adjust, reducing the response to the substance.
Drugs can also impact the amygdala, which is in charge of stress responses. The moment that you stop taking the drug, the amygdala can cause feelings of unease and anxiety to spike, prompting the need to turn to them again. Additionally, alcohol and drugs impact the prefrontal cortex, which is the brain circuit that manages impulse control, problem-solving, and decision-making.⁴
Opioids can further impact the brain stem, which controls breathing, sleeping, and heart rate. That’s why opioid overdoses can be particularly dangerous.
Why Drug Abuse Recovery Is Challenging
The way that drugs impact the brain demonstrates why addiction is an illness and not a choice. The moment that the drug begins to make chemical changes to how entire brain circuits function, it becomes very difficult to simply stop substance use.
For one thing, your prefrontal cortex is compromised, impacting your self-control. You can begin to struggle to curb drug-seeking behavior, which is where the compulsion to use more drugs comes from.
At the same time, your amygdala begins to send stress signals throughout your body if you try to stop drug use, beginning withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can be so powerful that they prompt you to take drugs again to get relief.
Your brain’s reward center also comes into play. It continues to compel you to rely on the substance again, which means experiencing serious cravings.
Additionally, the chemical changes can have another effect: the development of mental health problems. The abnormal functioning of the amygdala can result in panic attacks and heightened stress responses, resulting in anxiety disorders. As your brain becomes used to the drug, it can shut off certain receptors, which can lead you to feel less pleasure. This often results in depressive symptoms.
Despite the harm that drugs do to your body, your brain may continue to demand them, and the changes that a drug can cause can make it very difficult for you to fight against these demands without help.
How a Connecticut Addiction Treatment Center Can Help
A Connecticut addiction treatment center can help you begin the recovery process correctly. With experts who understand substance abuse and the long-term effects that it can have on crucial brain areas like the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, you can receive the exact assistance you need.
The process generally starts with safe detoxification. Withdrawal symptoms can be so powerful they can lead you to relapse if you don’t have the necessary support. In some cases, such as with alcohol, cold-turkey withdrawal can put your life at risk. Treatment services that provide medical detox options allow you to remove the drug from your system without unpleasant symptoms.
Another vital aspect of substance abuse treatment programs is that they help you understand what led to the development of an addiction in the first place. If you only treat the symptoms of substance abuse, it can be much easier to fall back into destructive habits. Instead, you must delve into the underlying cause of the problem.
To do so, treatment centers rely on behavioral therapy sessions that address everything from trauma to co-occurring mental health conditions. You can also participate in group therapy sessions that help you feel connected to others struggling. These sessions can show you that addiction has nothing to do with willpower but instead can impact people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Treatment centers also provide aftercare and extended care services to assist you in maintaining your sobriety as you return to your regular life. Because addiction can be a relapsing condition, having continuous support is essential.
Break Free From Drug Addiction at Connecticut Center for Recovery
There is nothing shameful about living with a substance use disorder. It doesn’t point to a failure on your part, just as suffering from diabetes wouldn’t. By understanding that you have an illness that requires treatment, you can take the proper steps toward getting help.
At Connecticut Center for Recovery, we offer outpatient services to help those who have alcohol or drug use disorders. Contact our team to start your recovery journey today.
Sources:
[1] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain
[2] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-opioid-drugs-activate-receptors
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576548/
[4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-021-01153-9
Alexis earned both a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S. in Family and Child Sciences from Florida State University and an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. She holds licenses in Marriage and Family Therapy in Florida, Connecticut, and Massachusetts and is also a member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Alexis works with families, couples, children, and groups and also has a sub-specialty in addiction and recovery. She utilizes an integrated, systemic approach to counseling; empowering people to define what is not working for them in their lives and to discover the possibilities for making life work. In doing this, clients are guided towards identifying their strengths, accessing their resources, tapping into their potential for success, and taking action toward achieving their desired goals.
Alexis also has extensive experience in the administration of behavioral health organizations. She has developed, built, and supervised several facilities encompassing all levels of care while leading them through state licensing and The Joint Commission accreditation process.
