Your Brain on Drugs: Understanding Drug Addiction

People who have never experienced the power of addiction often find it difficult to understand

how an addict lacks the willpower to stop taking their drug of choice. Addiction is not a problem

that is limited to weak-minded individuals without the strength to simply walk away. The ease

with which people can become addicted and the larger number of individuals from all socio-

economic sectors making the choice to participate in recreational drug use has also led to a

growing need for affordable drug treatment like that offered at Yellowstone Recovery.

What Is Addiction?

There are two types of addiction: Physical and psychological. Psychological addiction comes

with the pleasure you get from doing something and wanting to feel it again. Physical addiction,

on the other hand, comes from the effect something has on the body that causes a negative

impact if the substance is no longer available.

Chemical neurotransmitters called dopamine send messages through the nerves to the area of the

brain that feel pleasure, completing what is known as the pleasure circuit. All addictive drugs

cause this response, which many describe as a feeling of euphoria. With repeated use, the brain

reduces the number of dopamine receptors that initiate the response, while the number of

neurons used to send the messages increase the number of dopamine transporters so that the

dopamine is cleared faster from the synapse. This action results in a lesser response when the

same drug is taken the next time. The person has to take even more of the drug to get the same

type of response, the euphoric high.

Changes that occur to other areas of the brain also affect the person’s judgment and make it more

difficult for them to make good decisions, and their memory worsens. All of these changes result

in drug addiction. Once this type of physical addiction occurs, the body continues to need more

of the drug to achieve the same level of pleasure and stopping its use does not result in turning

the brain around to its original state of functioning. These changes are what make it so difficult

for drug addicts to stop taking drugs permanently. Drugs like heroin and cocaine are among

those that cause a hyper-stimulating release of dopamine.

Drugs like marijuana and Ecstasy are examples of drugs that cause a psychological addiction.

Although you may want to repeat the effects of the drug, and feel as though you can’t live

without them, changes to the body and brain do not occur that cause you to need the drug. In

spite of the differences between the two types of addiction, both require rehab to help the person

overcome their addiction to any type of drug.

Yellowstone Recovery recognizes the need for different types of low cost rehab to address the

many different kinds of addiction. The first phase of treatment is detoxification that includes

prescription medications to ease withdrawal symptoms. Options for treatment include 30- and

90- day inpatient treatment and outpatient treatment. Yellowstone Recovery offers competitive

pricing, financing, acceptance of PPO insurance, and a complete continuum of care that includes

a 12-step program with a proven record for success. In addition to individual and group

counseling, they implement an experiential therapy program to improve the condition of the

mind instead of the body.