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Course: Health and medicine > Unit 9
Lesson 6: Drug abuse and drug addictions- Drug abuse and drug addiction
- Overview of psychoactive drugs
- Psychoactive drugs: Depressants and opiates
- Psychoactive drugs: Stimulants
- Psychoactive drugs: Hallucinogens
- Routes of drug entry
- Drug dependence and homeostasis
- Reward pathway in the brain
- Tolerance and withdrawal
- Risk factors for drug use and drug abuse
- Substance use disorders
- The development of substance use - Why do people use legal and illegal substances?
- Why do some people but not others develop substance use problems?
- Treatments and triggers for drug dependence
- How does substance use develop into substance abuse
- Drug use prevention - school programming and protective factors
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Drug abuse and drug addiction
This article explains the concepts of drug use and dependence.
Substance use disorders are a class of psychological disorder in which a person continues to use a substance, despite having significant health, social, or other negative consequences as a result of their substance use.
What is a substance, anyway?
In the context of substance use disorders, substances are groups of drugs that have similar effects on your brain, body, and behavior. There are 10 classes of substances considered when diagnosing a substance use disorder:
- Alcohol: beer, wine, liquor
- Caffeine: coffee, tea, kola nut
- Cannabis: marijuana, hashish, hash oil
- Hallucinogens: phencyclidine (PCP), d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), peyote
- Inhalants: inhaled spray paints, markers, glues
- Opioids heroin, prescription pain-killers, methadone
- Sedatives, hypnotics, or anxiolytics: barbiturates, benzodiazepines, antihistamines
- Stimulants: cocaine, amphetamines, other stimulants
- Tobacco: cigarettes, cigars, snuff, chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes
- Other (or unknown)
These groupings aren’t perfectly distinct (many drugs fall into more than one category), but can be helpful in understanding how the characteristics of each drug make it more or less likely to be used in excess.
What makes a substance addictive?
The common characteristic of all addictive substances is that they activate the brain’s reward system, either directly or indirectly.
The primary role of the reward system is to encourage you to satisfy the needs important for survival (eating, drinking, having sex). Although the system itself is complex, it operates on a simple principle: if doing something feels good, you’re more likely to do it again. When your needs are met, a region in the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area (VTA) releases a little surge of the chemical dopamine, which makes you feel satisfaction and pleasure. The VTA sends dopamine to several areas of the brain, including:
- Amygdala: sensing and expressing emotions
- Nucleus accumbens: motor control
- Hippocampus: memory formation
- Prefrontal cortex: attention and planning behavior
These brain regions respond to the dopamine surge in ways that guide your memory, attention, and behavior toward repeating whatever triggered the pleasurable chemical release. The shape and function of your brain literally changes as a result of these reactions!
Always remember: Cells that fire together (in response to the presence of dopamine) wire together (strengthen their connections, so it's easier to fire together in the future).
Your reward system doesn’t respond only to your basic needs. As you grow and develop, it also begins to respond to the satisfaction of needs that are important for more abstract goals (like getting a good grade on a test). Any substance that (either directly or indirectly) increases the release of dopamine has the potential to hijack your reward system, making you very motivated to use the substance again. For some people, the motivation for substance use can begin to outweigh the drive to satisfy other needs (getting enough sleep, eating enough, saving money) leading to harmful effects. As a rule of thumb, the relative addictiveness of a drug is measured by the intensity of the effect it has on the release of dopamine.
What are the symptoms of substance use disorders?
It is important to understand the difference between the effects of drug use (intoxication, withdrawal, various physical and psychological health problems) and the unique symptoms of a substance use disorder. The positive and negative consequences of substance use vary greatly depending on the specific drug being used, why and how it is being used, and the characteristics of the user. For this reason, substance-specific consequences are not considered symptoms of a substance use disorder.
The primary features of substance use disorders are a mixture of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms, which indicate that a person is continuing to use a substance despite significant substance-related problems.
| Example Substance | Substance-specific negative consequences (not necessarily a sign of substance use disorder) | Substance use disorder |
|---|---|---|
| Tobacco | Heart and lung disease | Continuing to use a substance (due to being unwilling or unable to stop) despite having significant negative physical, mental, or social consequences as a result of substance use. This applies to all substances listed. |
| Cancer | ||
| Lost productivity at work due to needing smoke breaks | ||
| Turned down for a date because you smoke | ||
| Alcohol | Hangover | |
| Embarrassing yourself while drunk at a party | ||
| Intoxication-related injury (falling down, drunk-driving accident, etc.) | ||
| Liver disease | ||
| Cannabis | Problems with work, school, or police as a result of use | |
| Intoxication-related injury (falling down, high driving accident, etc.) | ||
| Depression; lack of motivation | ||
| Drug-induced psychosis |
The symptoms of substance use disorders fall into four categories: impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria.
Impaired control over substance use
- Taking a substance in larger amounts or for a longer period of time than was originally intended
- Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use
- Spending a large amount of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the effects of substance use
- Intense desire or urge to use a substance (craving), especially while in places where the substance was previously obtained or used
Social impairment
- Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill duties at work, school, or home
- Continued substance use despite persistent or recurrent social problems caused or made worse by the effects of substance use
- Giving up or reducing important social, occupational, or recreational activities because of substance use
Risky use
- Recurrent substance use in situations where it is physically hazardous
- Continued substance use despite persistent or recurrent physical or psychological health problems likely resulting from substance use
Pharmacological criteria
Experiencing tolerance by either:
- Needing to use an increased amount of a substance to achieve the same effects
- Having diminished effects with continued use of the same amount of a substance
Experiencing withdrawal by either:
- The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the particular substance (the exact presentation of withdrawal is different for various substances)
- Taking the substance to relieve or avoid the symptoms of withdrawal
To be diagnosed with a substance use disorder, a person must show a problematic pattern of substance use, manifesting in at least two of the above symptoms during a 12-month period. As a general rule, having two to three symptom qualifies as a mild disorder, four to five qualifies as moderate, and six or more qualifies as severe.
What causes substance use disorders?
There is no single cause of substance use disorders. Like most other diseases, there are many factors that influence a person’s vulnerability to developing a substance use disorder.
- Genetics/biological: It is estimated that genes account for 40-60% of a person’s vulnerability to developing a substance use disorder.
- Environmental: Growing up in a chaotic home; living in a neighborhood where drugs are easily available; and having family members, friends, or peers who abuse alcohol or other drugs have all been linked to the development of substance use disorders. As is the case with genetic factors, these environmental factors likely don’t directly cause a disorder, but instead may increase a person’s vulnerability.
- Developmental: A person’s stage of physical and mental development plays a large role in their vulnerability to developing a substance use disorder. While drug use at any age can be risky, people who begin using drugs before or during adolescence (when the brain is still developing) are at a much higher risk for developing a substance use disorder.
How common are substance use disorders?
Substance use disorders are relatively common, and affect people from all racial, cultural, and economic groups. Worldwide, the estimated prevalence is between 0-16%. Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with a substance use disorder.
How can you prevent substance use disorders?
Although the exact cause of substance use disorders is unknown, many prevention strategies have been identified. As was mentioned above, initiating drug use at a young age is a huge risk factor for developing a substance use disorder. Research has shown that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and health care providers, aimed at educating young people about the risks of drug use, are effective in reducing the prevalence of substance use disorders.
How are substances use disorders treated?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for substance use disorders, but there are several effective treatments. Due to the varied presentation of substance use disorders, treatment is tailored to the specific needs of each person. This treatment can take many forms (12-step meetings, medication support, inpatient rehabilitation, individual therapy), but must be focused on helping the person stop using drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and actively functioning in society. As substance use disorders are chronic conditions, most people require long-term or recurrent treatment to maintain recovery.
Want to join the conversation?
Why do people do drugs?(7 votes)
Lots of reasons - boredom, experimentation, to escape a difficult life, peer pressure, because it makes them feel good, etc.(19 votes)
How about foods? since foods like sugar, fat and so on tend to have the same effect on our brain, is it much different from alcohol? i also know a lot of people (including myself) that have a small addiction for protien drinks when taking then through training.(9 votes)
I believe that I have (at least a psychological) addiction to sugar. I know it's not good for me and I don't like the weight gain it's causing but...... I sometimes find myself being judgmental about a family member who has already had a bout with cancer but yet she still smokes, but what's the difference? I've been told I'm borderline diabetic and that hasn't stopped me from eating sugar every chance I get.(3 votes)
Why do people choose to smoke even though they know it is wrong?(6 votes)- For those that do not smoke and there likelyhood to begin smoking can be affected by multiple environmental factors such as parents and peers that smoke, ads and media etc. These all can influence their attitude towards it and increase their likelihood of trying it or re exposure.
For those that currently smoke most feel that the cigarettes calm their nerves, which is ironic because some of the major chemicals in cigarettes are stimulants. This absence of this mild stimulant effect between cigarettes causes their body to crave it again.
The act of smoking another cigarette feeds that need (both mentally and physically) and calms the body. The mind then associates smoking with being a positive thing. The body then can gain an increase in tolerance to the positive effects they feel from smoking causing the person to smoke more often.
This is just a general overview and one of the many aspects that cause people to smoke and keep smoking. Other brief reasons
- habits are hard to break
-some people are more genetically inclined to vices
-nicotine is addictive
-peer pressure and social norms make people feel the need to fit in
-etc(9 votes)
- Is it possible to get addicted to medication? For instance, your doctor prescribes Methylphenidate Hydrochloride (I mean, Ritalin, as it is known in american stores) is it possible for a teen to actually get addicted that stuff? Also, is it more likely to get addicted to drugs which target the dopamine system as opposed to drugs which target the system indirectly?(5 votes)
It is very well possible to get addicted to a prescription drug, especially in your teenage years.(7 votes)
- Why do people between the ages of 16 and 17 have a higher risk?(2 votes)
- From someone who is currently taking a course in developmental psychology, the answer is complicated because brains are complicated. Usually a behavioral pattern is attributed to several factors.
In this case, I'd say that teens are more likely to develop a substance use disorder because they are in a developmental stage where taking substances seems like a good way to assert that they are more mature than their peers (or just younger children). They also haven't lived very long, so they're less likely to have experienced anything damaging, giving them the impression that they are "immune" to addiction.
From a physiological standpoint, the prefrontal cortex has not completely developed by this point. That's the part of the brain that houses your "higher thinking." That means it's in charge of your impulse control and ability to think of long-term consequences. Psychologists fight constantly about other compounding risk factors for teens, so there's a host of research to explore if that interests you.(6 votes)
I personally think people have the wrong mindset towards cannabis. Its a plant that can help with many medical problems but I do agree that street weed can be very dangerous now a days considering the rates of cannabis being laced have gone up quite high. :)(3 votes)- It is indeed a double-edged sword. There are addicts, there are those who need to for medical reasons, and maybe even those who are both. I'd say (like everything else) use with moderation/ only when needed for medical purposes.(2 votes)
If a woman takes drugs and smokes while pregnant, would the baby be more likely to do the same? (When it's older of course)(2 votes)
My guess is likely, not because she was doing them while pregnant, but because she would had continued afterward, creating a drug-positive environment as the child grows up around their mother doing drugs. Another reason why they would likely do the same when they're older because drugs can go into the fetus through the blood-brain barrier, making the baby addicted. This addiction is treated in the hospital after birth, but gives the baby a much higher chance of becoming addicted and doing drugs later on in life.(3 votes)
- I don't exactly understand the meaning for the categories of impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria. what do each catogory exactly mean?(2 votes)
Can pre-existing psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or otherwise, further contribute to the likelihood of substance abuse?(2 votes)
Yes. Studies have shown that pre-existing psychological disorders contribute to the likelihood of substance abuse because individuals with mental health disorders tend to self medicate instead of seeking treatment. Once they do seek treatment they are then suffering not only from mental health disorder but from substance abuse disorders as well.(1 vote)
- How can one convince a person to stop smoking...?(2 votes)
- It has been shown in studies that graphic antismoking advertisements have good effect, as they give the person images of what they are doing to themselves. I recently saw the study on Neuroscience News. You may look it up if you like.(1 vote)
