Dependence and the Brain
People with substance dependence may develop changes in the brain that result in an inability to stop using drugs and/or alcohol. These changes contribute to adverse effects associated with drug/alcohol withdrawal that make it very difficult for them to stop using.
Inpatient and outpatient treatments that focus solely on psychosocial therapies historically have high relapse rates (Boothby & Doering, 2005).
Drug use changes your brain chemistry
People take drugs to alter their brain chemistry. Alcohol and other drugs directly stimulate the brain's production and use of reward chemicals, such as dopamine. Depending on the dose and method of use, users may expose their brains to levels of neurotransmitters that are many times higher than they would normally experience during "natural" highs. This, in combination with the fact that drugs override the brain's normal mechanisms for self regulation, helps explain why drug addiction happens.
How Dependence Changes the Brain
Continued drug abuse alters the way your brain works. Over time, the brain becomes increasingly dependent on receiving an external supply of brain chemicals. These changes in brain chemistry and function play an important role in the physical and behavioral symptoms of substance dependence: tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, craving, and relapse.
Substance Dependence Is a Disease
Because substance dependence cannot happen unless you choose to use drugs, some people may have difficulty understanding how it can be a disease. Why can't you simply quit?
To understand the physical basis of substance dependence, it may be helpful to compare it to another disease; Type 2 diabetes. Like diabetes, substance dependence is a physical disease with a behavioral component. Like diabetes, there is no cure, but the disease can be successfully managed. And, like diabetes, successful management may require both treatment from a physician and changes in behavior. The PROMETA Treatment Program is designed to target the underlying biology of substance dependence, as the first step in managing the disease of substance dependence.
