Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The week of March 20-26 is nationally recognized as Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW). This week is the perfect time to help share facts about drugs, alcohol and addiction, and how they impact youth and individuals in our community. This national observance also serves to provide an opportunity for scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers and members of the community to come together and help advance research and outreach efforts that can make a positive impact on local youth drug and alcohol use.
The main goal of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week is to open up a dialogue surrounding substance abuse, in an effort to reduce misconceptions and stigma that make it difficult to address openly. It explores the science behind addiction, and helps people understand the factors that can lead to the abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Addiction to drugs or alcohol can be caused by many different factors. These factors include genetic predisposition to addiction, trauma, stress, depression and anxiety. Those who experience these factors chronically are more likely to participate in substance abuse as a way to cope or find relief. Not everyone who indulges in substance abuse will develop an addiction, and it is not possible to completely determine who will become addicted and who will not after engaging in substance abuse.
The science behind addiction can be complex, and it all starts in the brain. Within the human brain, there is a system commonly referred to as the Reward System. (Its more scientific name is the Mesolimbic Dopaminergic System, but we will keep things simple here.) The reward system was developed as a way for our brain to reinforce behaviors that we, as human beings, need to survive, such as eating, drinking and sleeping. Essentially, when we eat, our brain wants us to eat again in the future, because we need to eat in order to survive. In order to encourage us to repeat this behavior, our brain uses our reward system to activate a chemical called dopamine, which gives us a surge of satisfaction while we eat. Dopamine feels good, so this will encourage us to continue to engage in survival activities in the future.
Addictive substances like drugs and alcohol have disproportionate dopamine responses in the brain than natural behaviors do. Rather than a small, enjoyable surge of dopamine, like we get while eating, our brains are flooded with it when we consume drugs or alcohol. Dopamine response to drugs and alcohol can be up to ten times higher than a natural reward.
Remember, dopamine feels good. The brain associates this pleasurable burst with the activity that caused it, which makes it more enticing for us to continue that behavior. But there's a big problem.
The human brain isn't designed to function with all that dopamine all the time. With chronic substance use, the brain starts to adapt, and will produce less and less dopamine reward each time, as our bodies develop a tolerance for the drug or alcohol. But our brains still crave the dopamine rush, and this craving is intense, leading people to use more and more of a substance in order to get the reward from the brain.
Drugs and alcohol are not good for you, so this increase is dangerous for the human body and for the brain. As a person continues to increase the amount of drugs or alcohol they consume, they develop a dependence on the substance, and often find no satisfaction from natural dopamine activities like eating. This can lead to them no longer engaging in those activities, and those suffering from substance abuse can have trouble sleeping, eating and doing other things that are essential for keeping themselves healthy, because their brains no longer feel the reward from those actions.
Drugs and alcohol, aside from altering a person's brain chemistry, have serious side effects on the body. Not only can they cause permanent physical damage to organs like the heart, liver and brain, they increase the risk of stroke, infection, internal bleeding, heart problems, difficulty breathing, memory loss, and mental stability. They also have a stark impact on behavior, and can cause an individual to act aggressive, paranoid and impulsive.
Addiction can be more complicated than people think. Stigma and uninformed conversations surrounding addiction suggest that someone struggling with addiction needs only to “stop taking the substances.” While this approach may be applicable to the lives of some addicted people, it is misleading. Because addiction impacts the way a person's brain works, overcoming it can be complicated and challenging. Many individuals struggling with addiction can benefit from having a professional guide them through the process.
Addiction is a complex condition. It's important to understand the statistics to reduce stigma and open up the conversation about drug and alcohol abuse in a mature, compassionate way. Despite the reputation and ignominy of addiction, it affects a huge portion of our society. Here are some things you should know about substance abuse:
• Nearly half of Americans (48 percent) over the age of 12 years old report being current drinkers of alcohol. About 20 percent of these (one in five) admitted participating in binge drinking within the last 30 days.
• Approximately five percent of American women admit using illegal drugs within the last 30 days.
• Four million Americans (12 percent) have been diagnosed with both a substance abuse disorder and a serious mental illness.
More than 90 percent of people who have addiction started to drink alcohol or use drugs before they were 18 years old.
• Nearly 21-million Americans have at least one addiction, yet only 10 percent of them receive treatment.
• Drug overdose deaths have more than tripled since 1990. On average, 30 Americans die every day in an alcohol-related car accident, and six Americans a day die from alcohol poisoning.
Overcoming addiction is a significant challenge. If you or someone you know is struggling to overcome addiction, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1(800) 662-4357 for free, confidential help, or visit findtreatment.gov to find assistance in your area.