Addict
An addict is a person who has a compulsion to seek and use drugs, despite negative consequences. An addict can develop a tolerance to the drug, using a higher and higher quantity of the drug to achieve the same high as when the drug use first began.
When addicts and addiction were first being studied, the addict was looked upon very negatively. It was believed addicts had "allowed" themselves to become dependent on drugs or alcohol.
Those sentiments can still be seen in today's societal consciousness when it comes to addicts. The medical profession, however, knows that placing the complex disease of addiction solely in the hands of the addict is incorrect. There are biological, behavioral, and social components that together make up an addiction.
At Lakeview Health Systems, we understand the complex nature of drug and alcohol addiction. We are here to help you, as an addict, recover from the hold drugs or alcohol has over your life. Call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-657-4357.
Some addicts began taking drugs to feel better, to feel good, or because others around them are abusing drugs. Some people are simply at a higher risk to become an addict. Adolescents, for example, with poor family and peer situations can cause them to try drugs, while their brains are still developing, which affects decision-making skills.
When an addict first begins to use or try a drug, the decision to use that substance is voluntary. Over time, the addict's ability to exude self-control is severely impaired. Brain imaging studies from addicts show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning and memory, and behavior control.
Re-learning behaviors is an essential part of recovery for an addict. At Lakeview Health Systems, our addiction program helps addicts gain the skills to change their negative behaviors caused by drugs and alcohol. For more information on how we can help, call 1-800-657-4357.
For an addict, all drugs have a common denominator when it comes to the brain—dopamine, a neurotransmitter that emits, among other things, pleasure and emotion. Drug use causes the brain to overproduce dopamine, generating the euphoria that addicts seek. This overproduction can be two to 10 times more powerful than the amount of dopamine released with the brain's natural reward system.
For an addict, this dopamine rush lasts longer than a natural dopamine release, motivating the addict to take the drug over and over again. Eventually, the brain deals with the high levels by producing less dopamine. With such low levels of natural dopamine, the addict then loses the ability for a natural high. The addict then must take more and more of the drug to achieve the same dopamine levels as before. This entire process of addiction is known as tolerance.
Science also reveals that drug use changes cognitive and behavioral functions in the brain, which is why addicts feel out of control, are unable to make decisions, and continue to seek drugs. In order for an addict to recover from this debilitating brain disease, he or she must seek professional help.
Lakeview Health Systems can successfully help an addict overcome their addiction. We offer every addict in our care with customized treatment, in a beautiful lakeside facility. Call us today at 1-800-657-4357, or visit our website at http://www.lakeviewhealth.com.
