Addiction

• In order to beat Addiction understand what addiction is !
• How do you classify someone as an addict ?
• Science classifies addictions as abuse, dependence and cravings(wanting) of the substance as
• Significant negative consequence
• Not managing to do what you should do
• dependence(developing tolerance)
• When not using addicts show strong cravings(wanting) to use it (obsessed)
• Psychology of rewards
• Learned through Rats reward system   
• Addiction acts through the primitive brain region for survival through the nucleus accumbens
• The nucleus accumbens
• On the back of the head near the mid region of the brain, activated when rats eat sweet, men watch attractive women it is also the major site for all drug use (maybe the area which creates the euphoric effect)
• The nucleus accumbens definitely plays a central role in the reward circuit. Its operation is based chiefly on two essential neurotransmitters: dopamine(chemical released in the brain), which promotes desire, and serotonin, whose effects include satiety and inhibition.
• In simple words you are addicted to something if you repeated do the same thing even though you derive no pleasure from the thing, but if you stop using it your brain craves from it, leading to anger, irritation , sadness

• How addiction affects the brain?
• Neuro scientist have found particular neural circuits in the reward section of the brain and all addictions hijack this neural systems the addicts brain is tricked into learning into behaviours that are harmful instead of helpful
• Cocaine and marijuana are psychological affecting the brain hence the term psychotic drugs it changes our mood perception and cognition ex.alcohol and caffeine.
• In simple words, addiction steals control from our body by activating a primitive (old) reward section of the brain, it gives us temporary pleasure or escape from reality(i.e escape from the sadness of reality) but in the long term it causes more harm than good because our brain becomes dependent on the substance to feel good, we no longer seek humans to feel good, human connections start declining and this in turn leads to a vicious cycle

• How do we control addictions?
• Using the Prefrontal cortex (the front part of the head)
• Plan and organise rather than follow primitive urges, prefrontal cortex is the C.E.O of the brain, problem here leads to disinhibition to controlling emotions(outbursts)(may become aggressive), it also controls addictions by exerting self control.
• Ventral tegmental area(V.T.A)
• The most primitive can affect both pleasure and self control, it only fires neurons for unexpected rewards
• In simple words, we use the prefrontal cortex (the most recent addition to our brain) to take control of the old brain which seeks pleasure and runs away from pain, and using our prefrontal cortex to accept both pain and pleasure as a parts of life without running away from the bad or chasing the good

• How addictions hijacks the brain?
• Repeated activation in the reward section of the brain numbs the nucleus accumbens
• Repeated over stimulation also enforces the connection between the reward and the queue (Cravings)
• It weakens inhibition from the prefrontal cortex
• The body has internal mechanism to maintain some internal states(homeostasis)
• The pleasure center becomes less and less sensitive to everyday pleasures making addicts the only way to activate the pleasure center (Drugs)
• Drug intake increases even though the pleasure derived goes down
• Dopamine is the addiction molecule that leads to wanting or cravings
• Incentive sensitization - with repeated use of drugs the dopamine release becomes more and more (leads to craving)
• In simple words, the more we use an addictive substance the more our ability to feel pleasure decreases, thereby we require more of the substance(alcohol/ nicotine) to feel the same amount of pleasure, day to day life becomes boring and painful

• Why do we become addicted to something? Our do something repeatedly even though we have stopped driving pleasure from it?
• Associative learning - when dopamine is released it means that an unexpected reward will arrive or will soon arrive. Drugs release larger amounts of dopamine but unfortunately what gets learned is more harmful than useful
• Certain environmental triggers become cue to the release of dopamine and creates a craving for the reward
• In simple words our old brain and certain environmental triggers like a particular place (ex. room,) reminds us of the addiction, because of which we relapse and pick up that substance again

• The dark side of addictions ?
• Reduced Self control(Prefrontal Part of the brain)
• Chronic use of drugs inhibits the activation of the prefrontal cortex (Volume is reduced)(Poor performance of tasks with working memory, decision making and tasks that require long attention)Prefrontal part is the logical center(inhibition makes the rational part more weaker)
• Are some people more prone to addiction ?
• Genetics Born to be Addicts
• Drug preference is due genetics(rat experiments)
• 98% of mouse genes are present in humans
• Many of the same gene have function to addiction to many things like alcohol, drugs and gambling
• What happens on our brain when we use external stimulation to temporarily elevate our mood?
• Your brain on drugs
• Psychoactive drugs imitate natural chemicals in the brain they activate more or less to the receptors causing adverse psychological effects
• Caffeine and nicotine
• Caffeine improves attention and concentration but regular coffee drinkers need coffee to feel normal
• Adhesins play a key role in our sleep wake cycle (as it increased when we are awake and falls when we sleep)coffee fools the brain into thinking it hasn't been awake for a long time
• Nicotine strongly activates the adhesion receptors
• Nicotine super activates VTA(reward system of the brain)
• Could we take medication drugs to change the chemicals in our brain?
• Stimulant drugs enhance focus and attention and decrease tiredness and exhaustion
• But what is a stimulant drug?
• Stimulants and depressants affect the synapses between neurones in the nervous system: stimulants cause more neurotransmitter molecules to diffuse across the synapse.
• Ritalin (stimulant drugs)
• Cocaine = psychomotor stimulant (coca cola)
• Endorphins is released when the body is in pain but it is found to be released during extreme exercising and also eating spicy food
• What is endorphine? Endorphins are brain produced morphine's they relieve pain and induce pleasure (runners high)
• More about the addictive personality or gamblers brain. What is involved?
• Gamblers brain
• What is the particular gene involved ?
• Drd2 gene- dopamine receptor d2
• Some people have a gene RDS that increases their chances of being addicted (reward deficiency syndrome)because of which they have to do a lot of work to get the same type of reward
• Junk foods and video games
• Our brains aren't well suited for today's worlds
• Steps to de addiction
• Recognise self, the want to change, cognitive behavioral therapy,learn to control your  thoughts,  reduce stress, takes time and network of people to be accountable (tribe)
• In short in order to beat addiction you have to use your newly developed brain to fight your animal brain (primitive brain). The battle against the inner demons (when there is no enemy inside the enemy outside can do us no harm - african proverb)

glossary

• Cravings - a powerful desire for something.
• The nucleus accumbens -On the back of the head near the mid region of the brain
• Perception - the way we look at things
• Cognition - thought process
• VTA Ventral tegmental area - The VTA is one of the two major dopaminergic areas in the brain (the other being the substantia nigra). ... The primary source of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is neurons that project from the VTA and travel in the mesolimbic pathway
• The nucleus accumbens - is a region in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus
• Dopamine - a compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and a precursor of other substances including adrenaline.
• Serotonin - a compound present in blood platelets and serum, which constricts the blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter.