The Physical & Mental Effects of Drug Abuse

Due to higher medication consumption, social isolation, financial worries, and other factors, older adults are particularly vulnerable to substance use problems. Incidence of addiction among this population is inaccurately reported. Narrative therapy can provide an avenue to unearth stories of addiction in an empowering manner, and thus serves as a viable therapeutic tool in applied gerontology. When treating substance abuse in older adults, it is essential to ensure that the client is respected and comfortable disclosing information. This should be done at the outset of treatment when the therapist and older adult are developing the therapeutic relationship.

The subthalamic nucleus appears to play a critical role in preventing such impulsive or premature responding . Examples of drugs that act on nicotinic receptors and have been used for treating nicotine addiction include antagonists like bupropion and the partial agonist varenicline. Cytisine, a partial agonist, is an effective, and affordable cessation treatment for smokers. When access to varenicline and nicotine replacement therapy is limited , cytisine is considered the first line of treatment for smoking cessation.

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Further evidenced by Waller and Mahony and Kaufman , the creative arts therapies can be a suitable treatment option for this population especially when verbal communication is ineffective. Gambling addictions are linked with comorbidities such as mental health disorders, substance abuse, alcohol use what is drug addiction disorder, and personality disorders. Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction risk. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it will progress to addiction.

• People with fewer D2 receptors may be more likely to develop an addiction than people with more of them.
• After repeated use of Dexedrine, the brain cannot function normally without the drug.
• People are psychologically dependent when a drug is so central to their thoughts, emotions and activities that the need to continue its use becomes a craving or compulsion despite negative consequences.

Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. Many people don't understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to.

How substance use changes the brain

While this isn’t necessarily dangerous, it is still considered illicit use of the drug. Furthermore, drugs used to treat detox and withdrawal symptoms can come from strange places. When the drug modafinil was approved in 1998, the drug was initially intended to treat narcolepsy.

Ingested cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene, due to reduced blood flow. And, persons who inject cocaine have puncture marks and "tracks," most commonly in their forearms. Intravenous cocaine users may also experience an allergic reaction, either to the drug, or to some additive in street cocaine, which can result, in severe cases, in death. Because cocaine has a tendency to decrease food intake, many chronic cocaine users lose their appetites and can experience significant weight loss and malnourishment.

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Using drugs at an early age can cause changes in the developing brain and increase the likelihood of progressing to drug addiction. If you're not ready to approach a health care provider or mental health professional, help lines or hotlines may be a good place to learn about treatment. You can find these lines listed on the internet or in the phone book. Most drugs affect the brain's reward circuit by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine.