A complicated brain illness, addiction is defined by compulsive substance use despite negative effects. Addicts are generally aware of their condition yet unable to stop. The substances include sedatives and hallucinogens, as well as alcohol and caffeine. Symptoms of addiction include inability to stop, denial, secrecy, changes in mood, hunger, sleep, hazardous behaviour and physical withdrawal symptoms.
Addiction affects our mental, physical, and emotional health, disturbing our daily lives. It was originally defined as the excessive use of alcohol or drugs, but has now expanded to encompass compulsive gambling, computer gaming, sex addiction, and overspending. A lot of excellent rehab therapies are available to help you recover and lead a normal, productive life.
White River Manor provides 5 star luxury rehab in South Africa in the tranquil environment of a classic country hotel. The team’s professional experience in addiction and wellness treatment, combined with a world-class facility spells dedicated commitment to your recovery.
Clients can choose from a unique variety of private rooms to make their stay trip as pleasant as possible.
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The treatment plans are unique and adheres to the principles set out above.
Recognizing the issue is the first step after which White River Manor can assist you on the way to rehabilitation.
Addiction occurs when a behaviour or habit becomes compulsive and is repeated despite known negative effects, and it is linked to structural and functional changes in the brain.
Our susceptibility to addiction is multi-faceted, resulting from a combination of genetic, environmental, and developmental variables.
When we participate in a behaviour that the brain deems rewarding, the neurochemical dopamine is produced in our reward circuits, making us feel good and increasing the likelihood that we will repeat the behaviour to reap the same dopamine benefit. When dopamine is produced, any surplus is swiftly scooped up by neighbouring neurons, who then release an inhibitory neurotransmitter that prevents the dopamine from overstimulating the receiving cell.
When you get addicted to a substance, it becomes more essential to your brain, resulting in cravings.
Addictive chemicals induce an increase in dopamine levels in the synapse (the gap between two neurons), resulting in an increased perception of pleasure. When the natural delicate balance of the brain circuitry that controls reward, memory, and cognition is disrupted by repeated drug use, drug addiction develops, culminating in compulsive drug usage.
Why are some people who take drugs able to do so without becoming addicted, while others continue to do so despite the consequences?
Drug seeking is a goal-directed activity in which a specific action (finding and consuming drugs) leads to a specific result (the drug high). The dorsomedial region of the striatum, connected with reward processing and acts predominantly through the neurotransmitter dopamine, mediates this sort of associative learning.
Devaluing the consequence (by lowering the drug’s efficacy, for example) tends to reduce the pursuit of the activity in this type of learning. When the high isn’t as strong as it used to be, the desire to seek it out wanes.
Long-term drug users, on the other hand, do not suffer from this diminished result; in fact, a parallel associative learning process emerges in situations of chronic drug use. This is a stimulus that users identify with being high and drive them to seek out drugs.
The goal-directed behaviour’s “must have” becomes a habitual “must do” reaction over time.
Although impulsivity is frequently associated with stimulant drug use, it may also be a contributing factor in the loss of control that happens when a drug user becomes addicted. Some research suggests there is an inherent factor that makes certain people more prone to impulsivity and, as a result, drug addiction — which might explain why not all frequent users get hooked.
A greater understanding of the brain and learning mechanisms involved in the shift from drug use to addiction might aid researchers in better identifying and treating people who are most at risk of developing compulsive drug consumption.
