Assignment : Women And Heroine Abuse

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

According to Drugabuse.gov, Drug addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. Addiction is viewed as brain disease due to the changes that are going on in the brain due to the usage of the drugs, so it alters the structure and how it regularly functions. However, after reading Maia Szalavitz book, “Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary new way of understanding addiction (2016)”, she has a unique view of what brain addiction is and her experience with addiction. In her novel, she views addiction as a learning disorder, like in her case it started early on in her as a child learning to be addicted to other things that develop habits of pleasure, reaction that makes up their addiction. Her memoir is her personal experience with addiction with using reputable journals and study to convey her point on what her rollercoaster with addictions has been starting early on in early childhood.

Genetic factors, such as having a family history of drug abuse, has a major influence on the likelihood that someone will fall into a cycle of drug abuse and addiction (Volkow, 2007; Horvath et al., 2013). From a biological perspective, we address issues by attending to the underlying biological cause. Since we know that addiction can be influenced by chemical changes in the brain, we can combat it and prevent relapse by restoring brain chemistry through the use of medications, such as those that eliminate the pleasurable effects of drugs, and ideally through total abstinence from drugs (Horvath et al.,

It is believed that certain individuals are predisposed or vulnerable to addiction based on biological, psychological and social influences. The euphoric high produced by many addictive substances is the result of overstimulation of the “pleasure center” of the brain. This is the same area that controls emotions, fear, self-control and overall feelings of wellness. The presence of these foreign chemicals creates a response that the brain will crave as soon as it fades. The brain’s chemistry works against its own health, as it rewires its decision making faculties around the primary goal of finding and taking more of the drug” (1). Many people mistakenly believe that psychological addiction is somehow less serious or real than physical addiction. The psychological aspects of addiction are much more challenging to repair and recover from than the physical addiction. Psychological addiction can last for years or even a lifetime.

Basic neurobiological research has improved our understanding of the biological and genetic causes of addiction. These findings have helped establish addiction as a biological brain disease that is chronic and relapsing in nature (Leshner, 1997). As the central nervous system is considered to be the communication pathway to the entire body with the brain being its control mechanism. The brain processes sensory information from throughout the body, guides muscle movement and locomotion, regulates a multitude of bodily functions, forms thoughts and feelings, modulates perception and moods, and essentially controls all behavior (Leshner, 1997). The body and brain then become defendant on this stimuli, as the body and brain adjust to the rewards of receiving this type of sensation. This is where the substance abuse and addiction problems

Meth is also the drug of choice for women who choose this lifestyle. Besides helping to keep up with the multi-tasking required of a working mother, it is also known to help with weight loss. A startling fact reported by a federal survey of all people arrested for crimes reveals that over 11 percent of women had used meth, as opposed to 4.7 percent of men. What starts as a low intensity use and a harmless pastime can quickly slip into the danger zone. Both domestic violence victims as well as abusers can be meth addicts. This puts the lives of innocent children at great risks according to police

This could be affected by a woman’s menstrual cycle. Sex hormones can make women more sensitive than men to the effects of some drugs. Women who use drugs may also experience more physical effects on their heart and blood vessels. Brain changes in women who use drugs can be different from those in men. Women may be more likely to go to the emergency room or die from overdose or other effects of certain substances. Women who are victims of domestic violence are at increased risk of substance use. Divorce, loss of child custody, or the death of a partner or child can trigger women 's substance use or other mental health disorders. Women who use certain substances may be more likely to have panic attacks, anxiety, or depression.

Drug addiction is a brain disease because drugs change the brain’s structure and how they work. Over a period of time drugs start to affect the brain by challenging an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. “Most drugs affect the brain's reward circuit by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This overstimulation of the reward circuit causes the intensely pleasurable "high" that leads people to take a drug again and again. Over time, the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine, which reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug—an effect known as tolerance. They might take more of the drug, trying to achieve the same dopamine high.”, States National Institute on Drug Abuse. After long term use of drugs it affects functions such as learning, judgment, decision-making, stress, memory, and behavior. Even though an addict knows this, they still use

There has been much research to prove that drugs cause chemical and structural changes in the brain and its function. As stated by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “[Addiction] is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain—they change its structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long-lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse drugs” (2014). When the brain is chemically or structurally altered, it changes how the brain functions, influencing continued use of the drug (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). Even though the changes in the brain lead to continued use of the drug and other harmful behaviors exhibited by those who use drugs, people often begin and continue taking drugs because of a lack of healthy connections to other people. Once a person learns to develop healthy relationships with other people, he or she stops taking drugs (Hari,

The above statistics show conclusively that substance in women in a major challenge that should be addressed by psychologists and healthcare professionals. The first consideration is ensuring that the social, biological, mental, and environmental factors are taken care of (Burns et al., 2012). Psychologists should begin by understanding the unique environmental issues affecting women who abuse drugs. This is the case because there are unique environmental conditions and motivations that encourage women to use addictive drugs.

Substance addiction can hugely impact on a person’s thinking, functioning and behaviour. Whilst depressant drugs such as alcohol and opioids slow down your central nervous system (CNS), stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamine increase the activity of the CNS, leading to higher blood pressure, heart rate and increased alertness. Repeated abuse of the substance leads to tolerance and withdrawal, in turn this leads to the user showing signs of irrational behaviour. Another form of substance abuse is hallucinogens; they can cause powerful changes in sensory perceptions. It works by binding to the serotonin receptors, these neurons control visual information and emotions, and this can lead to various effects on the user. Neurobiology can help us understand the reasons for addiction and the effects they have on us. Groman and Jentsch (2012) discuss key issues of differentiating the causes and consequences of addiction through neuroimaging and behavioural research on monkeys, they found that the dysfunction of the dopamine

In the following paper I aim to highlight the roll of the brain in the body and it’s different parts that come together to form the most complex organ in the body and what drug use and abuse can do both in the short term and long term. The focus of this paper will be on two specific substances; cocaine and opiates. It will examine what each substance and does to the brain and what, if any, long term affects it has on the brain.

Substance abuse is serious problem that have negative implications not only on the individual and those closest to them, but on the society as a whole. According to a 2002 National Drug

Studying and developing the biology of addiction allows us to understand the science behind the brain disease. Through years of research, science have found that a consistent usage of substance can actually alter the brain’s function. Substances interfere with major neurotransmitter systems such as dopamine, serotonin, GABA and glutamate. Unfortunately, this makes being “able to successfully maintain a year of sobriety.” extremely difficult which involves “three or four false starts.” (p.38) Michael Dennis of Chestnut Health Systems comments “That can often take eight or nine years.”(p.38) In fact, the change in the brain’s shape is affected by the overuse of substances. Their path to recovery may be thought to be difficult due to the government

Whether a human being is severely dependent on drugs, or indulgences in the experience of getting “high” once in a while, drugs alter the chemistry of the brain and that person becomes disassociated from their character and their surroundings. The symptoms of addiction are very obvious on the physical self of a person. The shakiness, nausea, and outbursts of emotions when that drug is not delivered immediately are common. But inside, not only does it cause liver damage, weight fluctuations, and neurological issues, but it affects the mentality and outlook on life. Drugs begin to dominate the body, as depression, paranoia, and maniac episodes begin to overshadow a person’s life.