The Paradox of Addiction

Posted on November 16, 2017

Photo: Pexels

Reward circuits in our brain used for our very survival also leave us perpetually vulnerable to addiction.

1. The Human Brain
The brain is wired for survival, and this means two things: seeking out rewards (food, sex, and money, etc.) and avoiding painful experiences (killed by dangerous predators, etc.).

The dopamine reward pathway in our brain provides motivation to learn and repeat behaviors giving us pleasure, rewards and safety.

2. Opioids
Heroin, and synthetic opioids like Percocet, hydrocodone, and fentanyl are dangerous as they hi-jack the brain's natural reward system. These are drugs that bind to the opioid receptors in the body and mimic natural "feel-good" brain opioids such as endorphins, only at a much greater level. Initial exposure can lead the user to have the intense urge to "feel the experience again" and repeat the first experience, and this can potentially trigger an addiction cycle, which is very difficult to break.

3. Death
While there are multiple societal costs from addiction, the biggest problem would be death rates. Deaths from opioid overdose (both legal and illegal) is at a constant growth, and based on current trends, it is highly possible that by 2018, deaths from opioid overdose will surpass that of vehicle accidents and firearms combined.

To add, the path from legal use of prescription pain medications to illicit use of pulls, heroin, and fentanyl is a familiar one, happening across every community and social class. An example would be the case of the musician - Prince. In 2016, he had a fatal opioid overdose. His need for opiates initially stemmed from prescribed pain medication after hip surgery in 2010, and escalated to the use of fentanyl, a narcotic 30 times more powerful than heroin.

4. New Approaches to this Extremely Dangerous Addiction
As consumer demand for these drugs rise, or simply remain stable, prohibition and interdiction of these drugs tend to be stop-gap measures, losing effectiveness over time. While there is no miraculous fix to this problem, understanding that this addiction is deeply rooted within the human biological drive for survival is a good place to start.

Objective education on the addictive potential of any drug, coupled with realistic alternatives to opioids for pain relief can be used to progressively lower the demand for these drugs and interesting research is currently taking place to find effective, non-drug approaches to pain relief. The issue with chronic pain is that it can cause this negative feedback loop within the brain, where the brain expects a repetition of pain signals, regardless of whether or not the source of pain is still there. Transcranial Brain Stimulation Devices (TMS, TDCS, TRNS) are a class of devices being tested in clinical trials at the moment, as a variety of approaches to pain management therapy.

Category(s):Addictions, Chronic Pain, Drug Addiction

Source material from My Brain Test

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