Written by: Meemamsha Acharya - 23027, Grade XI
Posted on: 19 January, 2022
Addiction is defined as the state or condition of being an addict to a particular substance or activity. It is also regarded as a chronic disorder of dysfunction of the brain and most medical professionals regard it as a disease or mental illness. Drug addiction is a type of chemical addiction where a person feels a strong need for drugs. When drugs enter inside the body, they interfere with normal functioning of a brain and also changes the behavioral pattern of a person and eventually leads to addiction.
Drugs affect the reward system of the brain which completely makes a person addicted. So, what is a Reward System? Reward System is a group of structures that are activated whenever we experience something rewarding like when we use addictive drugs, smart phones. When we begin using drugs like heroin, cocaine and alcohol products frequently, we just lose the control of using them and it is due to the reward system of our brain. The use of drugs hijacks our reward system. The use of drugs like heroin, cocaine, alcohol excites our reward system to release more dopamine than usual. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter which acts as a chemical messenger between neurons which is released by neurons in the brain rewards system. Dopamine can turn the natural need of a person to addiction. Dopamine can completely change the behavioral pattern of a person. The release of dopamine makes a person feel good and pleasurable and a person starts craving for the drugs and becomes completely addicted to drugs. But the different drugs release different levels of dopamine.
However, Dopamine not only leads to addiction but it can be used as a motivational tool to achieve our goals to be successful. Dopamine also provides us with the sense of satisfaction that comes with achieving our goal. Research also notes that individuals with high levels of dopamine work harder to achieve a bigger goal.
