A Sobering Thought...
- Sana Lifestyle
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Did You Know?
Substances all strongly activate the reward centre of your brain and produce feelings of pleasure. Use of these substances can lead to substance use disorders (SUDs) — but not always. SUDs can be mild, moderate or severe. Addiction is the most severe form of a substance abuse disorder.
What Is Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic condition that can affect many aspects of your life, including your physical and mental health, relationships and career. It involves compulsive seeking and taking of a substance or performing of an activity despite negative or harmful consequences. There are two main forms of addiction: substance use disorders and behavioral addictions. Addiction is treatable.
It is a disease / a chronic brain disorder. Your brain chemistry changes with addiction.
Substances that have addiction potential:
Alcohol
Caffeine
Cannabis
Hallucinogens
Hypnotics, sedatives and anxiolytics
Inhalants
Prescription and non-prescription opioids
Prescription and non-prescription stimulants
Tobacco/nicotine (even electronic)
Non-substance addictions:
Behavioural addictions can occur with any activity that’s capable of stimulating your brain’s reward system.
Examples of potentially addictive activities include:
Gambling
Eating
Exercising or dieting
Shopping
Shoplifting or other risky behaviours
Having sex
Viewing pornography
Video gaming
Using the internet/ social media
Causes
There’s not a single cause of addiction — it’s a very complex condition. Humans are biologically motivated to seek rewards. Often, these rewards come from healthy behaviours. Substances send massive surges of dopamine through your brain, as well as certain activities. But instead of motivating you to do the things you need to do to survive, these massive dopamine levels have damaging effects on your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. It becomes a cycle - an unhealthy drive to seek more pleasure from the substance or activity and less from healthier activities.
Over time, you become desensitised to their effects. You then need more to produce the same effect.
SOS
Dept of Social Development Substance Abuse Line 24hr - 0800 121314 / sadag.org
Comments