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Addiction - how does it work?

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beyond-infinity

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Jul 24, 2003
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Generally the more you take of a substance the less effective it becomes. In addition with drugs that deplete biochemicals surely you get to the point where the drugs would no longer be effective at all. So I'm wondering what the effects are of a drug like meth or speed for example, when doing them continuously over a long period of time...
 
yeh.. but what I'm saying is thst say u deplete ur serotonin then u don't get any more effects no matter how much u do. So why do peeps carry on doing the drugs? What do they get from it?
 
It keeps them from withdrawling. However I have wondered the same thing... It seems like people should be able to realize that they have an addiction ad should stop. But then again, I've never experienced it so I can't say I know how it feels.
 
well tolerance is somewhat separate from addiction, tho the two do effect eachother. That is one of the major problems for drug addicts, particularly opiate addicts, they are addicted to the substance so they have to use it on a regular basis, as a result of frequent use they build a tolerance and need to take more each time they dose, which obviously increases chance of overdose and costs more money which leads to many problems associated with drug addicts such as living on the streets
 
I am not sure about amphetamines, but with opiates, what happens is they flood you brain with dopamine and eventually your brain loses the ability to produce it on its own. without dopamine you feel like shit, your body needs it, that is why people cannot just stop when they realize they are addicted. it's not only about getting high, you need it just to feel normal. people who use opiates for medical puposes get addicted as well, and if they get better they have t be tapered off, i'm sure their withdrawal is easier since they don't have the psychological dependance.
 
I just looked that up again to make sure i knew what i was talking about, and aparently dopamine IS an endorphin, the one most responsible for pleasure, however, i was alittle off, the opiates take the place of dopamine, as it fits into the dopamine recptors and it makes you feel way better, so your brain quits making it and lets the opiates do all the work, when the opiates are gone our lazy ass brains have to learn to make dopamine again.
 
Yeh.. opiates are different in that if I am right, you are giving chemicals to your brain rather than using them up, unlike say amphetamines? With amphetamines surely you would come to the point with constant use where you have no more dopamine and continued use would no longer have an effect (basically repeating what I said earlier). So I'm still at a loss as to why peeps carry on doing it. Unless it does have a mechanism similar to opiates?
 
read up some more----you are right amphetamines use up. specificaly, serotonin and dopamine. also since people tend not to eat, all your vitamins and minerals are used up as well. i don't understand an addiction like that either, but this lack of seritonin and dopamine explains my personal opinion that amphetamine addicts are often assholes, kinda hard to be nice when you have no seritonin or dopamine left in your brain. stro's article is the only plausible explanation i can see for long term meth abuse
 
you have point, mostly a psychological addiction anyway, but, they gotta sleep sometime, so maybe those brain chemicals build up a little then? so you wake up and do more and feel great again. that could be a never ending cycle.
(this is all me speculating here, i have no source on it)
 
beyond-infinity said:
yeh.. but what I'm saying is thst say u deplete ur serotonin then u don't get any more effects no matter how much u do. So why do peeps carry on doing the drugs? What do they get from it?
Click to expand...

ive wondered the same thing.

my theory is that drugs do a lot more than just one thing each.. ecstasy does more than just use seratonin, which is why youll continue to get high from it. the high will change over time.

the only real life example of this i can provide is marijuana. ive been a daily smoker for 2 years and the high has definitely changed. it changed about 6 months after i started using.. i still like it but it isnt the same.

i rolled 2 days apart and it worked each time.
 
There's a point where you stop getting high, but you are just using out of habit, so that you don't fall into withdrawal pyschosis. I'm taking supplements and trying to wean off so that I can feel my body highs again when I tweak... I haven't felt those in months.
 
psychosis is caused by lack of biochems, no? so if u keep using the drugs u will deplete yr chems so that u will fall into psychosis no matter how much more u do. logically the drugs should no longer work and you should in fact get better when u STOP using, not get worse. Unless it is physical addiction and your body depends on the drugs. Any biochemists around here can explain the neurological side of addiction?
 
^^ I don't know about that. I've noticed there are two sides to psychosis for meth... 1 is when you're on it for a prolonged period of time, and you develop this insane, paranoid delusion which you don't fall out of until you rest. The second is when you have not used for a little bit, and you develop this uncontrollable anger and extreme emotions, making one very moody and violent.
 
Could anyone explain the role of the liver and enzymes in the addiction process?


Edited to add: Unlike the "pure" models using rats and their brains and biochems as a model, isn't it important to factor social realities? Unemployment, social isolation, and other problems go along way in promptin the compulsives use of drugs.
 
Have to reply to this - I am a Ritalin/Klonopin addict. As far as last comment (social situations, poor, etc), I do not fit the mold. I grew up with 2 great parents in a middle class neighborhood, and am very successful. This is the disease part of addiction-some people can use occasionally, others (myself included), can not. Eventually, you can't get high off a drug no matter what the dose-you use it to stay "normal". I guess that's when it's time to quit! Ritalin and amphetamines increase dopamine and norepinephrine, not seratonin. Taking an anti-depressant that increases seratonin (an SSRI) can be protective against phycosis and permanent neurotoxicity. Just my 2 cents.
 
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