Have you ever wondered why some people are more prone to addiction than others? Even for certain diseases like diabetes or hypertension? Just like we have different looks, our bodies are different too. Studies carried out on addicts have Drug Rehabilitation Centre in India pointed out to dopamine has been the main cause of addiction. Drugs that increase dopamine in the brain can have untoward effects on certain addictive behaviors such as compulsive gambling, Drug Rehabilitation Centre in New Delhi hypersexuality, and overeating. One such drug is Levodopa. One of the most addicting drugs is cocaine which acts mainly by inhibiting the recycling of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters in the brain and it induces pleasure as well as affects bodily movement, motivation, and cognition. Drug Rehabilitation Centre in gurgaon Dopamine thus controls certain pleasurable feelings in the body caused by eating food, and addictive behaviors. That's why addictions are pleasurable and the brain becomes hooked to the dopamine to produce the same effect, every time the habit is repeated.
The question now probably lingering in your mind is how dopamine causes addiction. As stated above, certain habits such as gambling, shopping, computer games, etcetera, cause the release of dopamine from the brain. However, when these habits are repeated regularly, less and less dopamine is released in the brain and thus, pleasurable feelings are reduced. A person will thus try to repeat the habit severally to have the same pleasurable feeling. Due to low dopamine levels in the brain, the person will have low moods, feel irritable, and feel less satisfied with the habit. Addiction thus sets in and the person becomes hooked to the habit in the quest to try to gain more pleasure from it. However, most addictions have a cost to pay especially when it comes to finances, careers, or family affairs as they spend a lot of time on the habit. A resultant job loss or financial constraint can bring in a lot of despair and the addict will result in the addictive behavior to seek more pleasure and to try to escape from reality. Addiction thus becomes a total part of their lives.
Studies have shown that most compulsive gamblers have low dopamine levels. It's also observed that environmental factors can influence dopamine levels. Dopamine is thought to induce strong feelings of satisfaction and for addicts, the unconscious need for its release becomes important, for instance, when the gamble. All addictive behaviors and drugs of abuse stimulate the release of dopamine or increase its activity in an area of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens. Several studies have shown that people with genetically low dopamine levels are also more prone to become addicted to certain behaviors or drugs of abuse. These drugs of abuse can trigger large surges of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens hence causing euphoric and relaxed feelings. Ironically, smoking tobacco can also cause the same dopamine surges in the brain. Another study concluded that those addicted to multiple substances such as alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin have reductions in dopamine 2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum of the brain. These changes can persist for months, even after stopping to take them, hence an increased risk of relapse to the same drug abuse. In all these cases, dopamine levels in the brain consistently reduce and one will thus require higher doses of the drug or increased involvement in the addictive behaviors to try to achieve the same pleasure and feel as before. Dopamine thus plays a major role in addiction.
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