How people develop drug
addictions
By: Aliya Harris
What is a drug addiction?
• Drug addictions are considered as a disease that impacts brain behavior, and it is classified
by an inability to control drug use. Addictive drugs act on the pleasure center in the brain,
causing a short reward that can change the way a person processes information. The
addictive qualities may be enhanced by how good they make a person feel while using
them and how bad they may make users feel when they wear off. Chronic drug abuse can
induce drug dependency which leads to withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings without
the drugs present.
The most addictive drugs:
Heroin
• Heroin is a drug that activates
opioid receptors in the brain,
serving to block feeling of pain,
increases relaxation and produce
an "out of body" sensation. It
also gives you a euphoric feeling
by a backlog of dopamine in the
brain
Cocaine
•Cocaine increases a euphoria and excitement, Its highly addictive and may be regularly
abused in a binge pattern. Binge cocaine means taking doses back to back in order to
maintain the high, which is usually followed by a "crash" that can cause physical and
mental fatigue, depression and drug cravings.
Methamphetamine
• Meth is a powerful stimulant
drug that is man-made in
laboratories in either a powder
or crystal form to be smoked,
snorted or injected for an
intense euphoric high. Meth can
increase focus, decrease the
need for sleep and appetite
levels. In large amounts, it could
also have psychotic effects or
cause aggression & violence.
What drugs
can do to
your brain
Drugs are chemicals. When someone puts them into
their bodies, they tap into the brains communication
system and tamper with the way nerve cells normally
send, receive and process information. There are two
ways drugs can work in the brain
• Imitating the brains natural chemical messengers
• Overstimulating the "reward circuit" of the brain
Some drugs like heroin have chemical structures that
mimic a neurotransmitter that naturally occurs in our
bodies. These drugs can fool our receptors, lock onto
them and activate the nerve cells. They don’t work the
same way as a natural neurotransmitter and the neurons
wind up sending abnormal messages through the brain,
which can cause problems both for our brains and bodies
Long term
effects of drugs
• Varied drugs have different impacts on your
body, and the effects of drugs might range
from person to person. Body size, general
health, the amount and potency of the
drugs, and whether or not additional drugs
are in the system at the same time all
influence how a drug affects an individual.
It's vital to realize that illegal drugs aren't
controlled substances, thus the quality and
strength of one batch may differ from
another.
Most people experience
• Memory loss
• Damaged lungs
• Liver failure
• Body aches & muscle pain
• Increase & decreased eating habits
• Anxiety
• Nightmares & trauma
Effects of a
"come down"
A 'come down' is your body's
reaction to the substances that
you have taken, after the initial
reaction. it is the after effect.
How long it lasts, and how bad it
is, depends on the type of drug
(stimulant or depressant) and your
age, sex and tolerance.
• Common after effects are
flatness, depression and
exhaustion. Or you may feel:
• shaky, dizzy, sweaty
• headache
• nauseous
• fatigued
• not hungry
• sleepy or unable to sleep.
• Drug withdrawal refers to the process
that your body goes through when
you try to stop taking drugs or are
unable to consume drugs for
whatever reason e.g. you have been
unable to acquire the drug. Continued
exposure to drugs causes your body
Drug to adapt to the presence of these
withdrawals substances in your system, and
therefore, when you stop or
significantly reduce your use of the
drug, this can result in a range of
unpleasant and sometimes dangerous
drug withdrawal symptoms.
Signs and symptoms of
overdoses
An overdose might look different from one person to the next. But there
are things you can look for if you suspect someone may have overdosed
on an opioid like heroin or fentanyl.
Look for these signs:
• Not moving and can’t be woken
• Slow, shallow breathing or not breathing
• Blue lips and nails
• Person may be choking, making gurgling sounds, or snoring
• Cold, clammy skin
• Pupils are tiny
How people develop
drug addictions
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 intentions
or a strong will. Drugs change
the brain in ways that make
quitting hard, even for those
who want to.
Factors such as peer pressure,
physical and sexual abuse, early
exposure to drugs, stress, and
parental guidance can greatly
affect a person's likelihood of drug
use and addiction. Development.
Genetic and environmental factors
interact with critical
developmental stages in a person's
life to affect addiction risk.
Why I chose my question
The reason why I chose this question was because I feel
like this topic isn’t talked about enough. Drugs have
always been a sensitive topic for me because of past
trauma, and I feel if more people talk about it, more
people will be educated on the topic and they will be
able to share their stories without feeling judgment.
Throughout this project I have learned to
manage my time better
What I More effects on drugs and what they do
to you physically and mentally
have I struggled to find information on the
learned
long-term effects but I managed to look
deeper
I accomplished finishing my capstone on
time
Heres a video I found that describes my essential question
Bibliography
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