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How Does Chemical Dependency Effect the Brain?
Illusion of Pleasure
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Chemical dependency affects the brain by overstimulating the production of the neurotransmitters seratonin and dopamine. When too many neurotransmitters are released into the blood, a person may develop feelings of happiness or pleasure. But if too much is absorbed into the blood for an extended period of time it creates an adverse affect.
The irony is that the happy feeling a drug user experiences may actually be brain cells dying, which explains how chemical dependency may cause permanent brain damage.
Disease and the Brain
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Some brain diseases may facilitate chemical dependency, and the reverse can be true, as well. For example, Parkinson's disease causes the brain to produce very little dopamine, causing neurological interruption characterized by lack of overall muscle coordination. People in these circumstances often try to self-medicate, using illegal drugs or abusing alcohol to promote false feelings of well-being, ultimately sending them into a psychological downward spiral that causes further physical deterioration.
Chemical Dependency and Aggression
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A person's brain chemistry may actually change during drug or alcohol dependency, as humans develop chemical inhibitions in the brain that essentially let them work along side each other.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, is a chemical that can make people behave normally. When the brain becomes chemically dependent, the lack or overproduction of secreted GABA may cause a person to become aggressive or violent. Patients often mistakenly feel that their recreational drug of choice will make these negative feelings subside, essentially increasing the intake of the substance that is damaging them.
To combat this, doctors often prescribe the drug disulfiram, which disrupts the pleasure sensations that help perpetuate chemical dependency in the first place.
eHow Article: How Does Chemical Dependency Effect the Brain?
