What is the science behind drug abuse and addiction?
Feb 08, 2019 · The most significant activity inhibition when it comes to alcohol use is with an increase in signaling from a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is the main neurotransmitter involved in facilitating communication between brain cells.
Why choose inpatient treatment for alcohol addiction?
Sep 25, 2019 · The morbidity and mortality associated with alcohol are largely due to the high rates of alcohol use disorder in the population. Alcohol use disorder is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) as a pattern of alcohol consumption, leading to problems associated with 2 or more of 11 potential symptoms of …
What is an inpatient alcohol detox program?
Science has taught us that stress cues linked to the drug use (such as people, places, things, and moods), and contact with drugs are the most common triggers for relapse. Scientists have been developing therapies to interfere with these triggers to help patients stay in recovery. Common medications used to treat drug addiction and withdrawal
What is alcohol use disorder (alcoholism)?
About Addiction Science. Many people don't understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good ...
How does the science of addiction work?
It teaches our brains to repeat the behavior. Drugs trigger that same part of the brain: the reward system. When someone uses a substance—be it marijuana, opioids, cocaine, or other drugs—their brain releases lots of dopamine. This process tells the brain that this is a behavior that should be remembered and repeated.
What is the most effective treatment for alcohol dependence?
Naltrexone (Trexan) and acamprosate (Campral) are recommended as FDA-approved options for treatment of alcohol dependence in conjunction with behavior therapy.Nov 1, 2005
What does it mean to be in alcohol recovery?
Recovery is a process through which an individual pursues both remission from alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cessation from heavy drinking1. An individual may be considered “recovered” if both remission from AUD and cessation from heavy drinking are achieved and maintained over time.
Is addiction life long?
The myth of the addictive personality It depends on which model of addiction and recovery you subscribe to. If you are a traditionalist who believes that addictions last a lifetime, that people readily substitute addictions, and that people have ingrained "addictive personalities," the answer is: absolutely not.Oct 8, 2018
What is the final stage in the development of alcoholism?
The final stage of alcoholism is addiction. At this stage, you no longer want to drink just for pleasure. Alcohol addiction is characterized by a physical and psychological need to drink. People with alcohol addiction physically crave the substance and are often inconsolable until they start drinking again.
What are the four types of treatment for an alcohol use disorder?
Treatment for alcohol use disorder may include:Detox and withdrawal. ... Learning skills and establishing a treatment plan. ... Psychological counseling. ... Oral medications. ... Injected medication. ... Continuing support. ... Treatment for psychological problems. ... Medical treatment for health conditions.More items...•Jul 11, 2018
What are the 6 stages of recovery?
In their book, Changing For Good, authors Prochaska, DiClemente, and Norcross mention that there are six stages of change in recovery:Pre-contemplation stage.Contemplation stage.Preparation stage.Action stage.Maintenance stage.Relapse stage.
What are the five stages of recovery?
The five stages of addiction recovery are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.
Is recovery the same as sobriety?
What is the difference between sobriety and recovery? Sobriety is simply the state of living without substances. However, recovery involves healing mentally, physically, and emotionally from not only your substance abuse but also the causes of your substance abuse. Recovery is about hope, healing, and health.Nov 16, 2020
What are side effects of naltrexone?
Common and Serious Side Effects of Naltrexonenausea.sleepiness.headache.dizziness.vomiting.decreased appetite.painful joints.muscle cramps.More items...
Is alcohol is a depressant?
Alcohol is a depressant, which means it can disrupt that balance, affecting our thoughts, feelings and actions – and sometimes our long-term mental health. This is partly down to neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help to transmit signals from one nerve (or neuron) in the brain to another.
What does commitment mean to your recovery?
When you are living a recovering lifestyle, commitment is going to mean everything. If you are committed to your recovery, you are more in tune with what is happening in your life. You are more likely to prevent a relapse as well.May 29, 2019
Brain Altering
Alcohol rehab facilities in Kansas City like Gold Bridge Treatment Center know, like other addictive habits, alcoholism is a learned behavior. A heavy drinker’s brain will begin to prioritize alcohol over everything else, as alcohol is known for altering the brain’s reward system.
Dopamine
The brain is altered by alcohol specifically due to the release of dopamine and endorphins. These chemicals cause feelings of satisfaction, pleasure, and temporarily relieve pain. Alcohol rehab facilities in Kansas City know that alcohol affects some people more than others because of genetics.
The Withdrawal Process
Many who enter treatment for alcohol addiction help in Kansas City will experience withdrawal symptoms during their detoxification process. Those symptoms may include:
Gold Bridge Treatment Center
If you or someone you love is battling alcohol addiction and needs professional help, please give Gold Bridge Treatment Center a call at (913) 837-GOLD. Our drug and alcohol addiction treatment center in Kansas City will develop a plan focused on helping recovering addicts get back to the healthy life that they deserve.
Can addiction be treated successfully?
Yes, addiction is a treatable disorder. Research on the science of addiction and the treatment of substance use disorders has led to the development of research-based methods that help people to stop using drugs and resume productive lives, also known as being in recovery.
Can addiction be cured?
Like other chronic diseases such as heart disease or asthma, treatment for drug addiction usually isn't a cure. But addiction can be managed successfully. Treatment enables people to counteract addiction's disruptive effects on their brain and behavior and regain control of their lives.
Does relapse to drug use mean treatment has failed?
No. The chronic nature of addiction means that for some people relapse, or a return to drug use after an attempt to stop, can be part of the process, but newer treatments are designed to help with relapse prevention. Relapse rates for drug use are similar to rates for other chronic medical illnesses.
What are the principles of effective treatment?
Research shows that when treating addictions to opioids (prescription pain relievers or drugs like heroin or fentanyl), medication should be the first line of treatment, usually combined with some form of behavioral therapy or counseling. Medications are also available to help treat addiction to alcohol and nicotine.
What medications and devices help treat drug addiction?
Different types of medications may be useful at different stages of treatment to help a patient stop abusing drugs, stay in treatment, and avoid relapse.
How do behavioral therapies treat drug addiction?
Behavioral therapies help people in drug addiction treatment modify their attitudes and behaviors related to drug use. As a result, patients are able to handle stressful situations and various triggers that might cause another relapse. Behavioral therapies can also enhance the effectiveness of medications and help people remain in treatment longer.
How do the best treatment programs help patients recover from addiction?
Stopping drug use is just one part of a long and complex recovery process. When people enter treatment, addiction has often caused serious consequences in their lives, possibly disrupting their health and how they function in their family lives, at work, and in the community.
How does addiction happen?
Though it not a form of specific science, it can be said that the disease of addiction is often triggered simply by someone’s poor choices. Those poor choices—which tend to revolve around their environment, the people with which they associate themselves, and their general lifestyle—can quickly turn drug abuse into drug addiction. Everyone differs in their responses to the outside world as it causes an effect on their lives.
What is the brain's function?
The human brain is composed of multilayered systems of communication that function in terms of what we feel, how we think, and what we do. For every function we experience, a message within the brain is sent in order for it to be orchestrated. As simple as the movement of our eyelids as they eclipse our eyes and open again, these messages are necessary for quality of life. Without this message center, transmissions would be interrupted and our bodies would remain without proper function, like those in vegetative states.
Is addiction a genetic trait?
Several outcomes in who we are and what we look like can be attributed to genetic makeup. Heredity dictates whether or not we will reproduce twins just as it will determine the eye color of children. Our view of biology therefore explains that addiction as a disease is something that can be inherited and travel through generations of genetic predisposition. Though being prone to addiction does not mean we will “get it,” it still plays a part in how our bodies react to drugs, alcohol, and other, habit-forming actions and substances.
Is addiction a mental illness?
While many people would like to remain certain that addiction is one very straight-forward disease, the truth is that addiction often exists alongside serious mental illness. Debilitating mental problems can not only trigger addiction to begin, but also go undetected by both those suffering from and those treating addiction.
Does alcohol make you feel good?
When you drink alcohol, it gets into your blood stream and that eventually takes it to the brain. In the brain, ethanol causes Dopamine levels to increase. This is a primary characteristic of many addictive substances, because this is the main neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. Like really good.
Does ethanol help with glutamate?
Finally, ethanol also buddies up with gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). While alcohol stops glutamate from doing its job , alcohol puts GABA receptors into overdrive. This only heightens the slow-mo and low-function effect, because GABA receptors’ job is to make you feel sleepy and relaxed.
Is alcohol a substance?
From the Ancient Greeks and Romans to Americans in 2018, Alcohol has been cultivated, imbibed upon, and abused. Some people have a harder time than others with abstaining and are more prone to addiction. While it can seem like a lot of fun, alcohol is extremely dangerous when used in excess or too regularly.
