Drug Abuse

Question by amber: Can drugs effect the brain chemicals?
Please help!! I’m only 17, sober now, but ive done ecstasy 3 times, shot up cocaine, snorted it, I’ve done way over 15 different kinds of pills, and I’ve done magic mushrooms. I was fine then but about 6 months later I started having extreme panic attacks. I live in fear everyday now. I have become a paranoid hypocondriac and have developed this crazy fear in my head that I will lose control over myself. I have become very scared of life. i won’t even go on a plane and I feel like life is hopeless now. Is this from the drugs? Can it be fixed?

Btw I’m even scared to take a Tylenol now..I’m like tramatized

Best answer:

Answer by Oreo
You did not use your brain before you thought of taking these illegal substances. First of all drus can effect the area in your brain known as neuro-transmitters that transmit signals from one place to the other such as controlling movement.

“Drugs are chemicals. They work in the brain by tapping into its communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Different drugs—because of their chemical structures—work differently. In fact, some drugs can change the brain in ways that last long after the person has stopped taking drugs, maybe even permanently. This is more likely when a drug is taken repeatedly.

Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. In fact, these drugs can “fool” receptors, can lock onto them, and can activate the nerve cells. The problem is, they don’t work the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, so the neurons wind up sending abnormal messages through the brain.

Other drugs, such as amphetamine, cause nerve cells to release excessive amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals (cocaine and amphetamine). This leads to an exaggerated message in the brain, ultimately wreaking havoc on the communication channels. The difference in effect is like the difference between someone whispering in your ear versus someone shouting in a microphone.

All drugs of abuse—nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and others—affect the brain’s “reward” circuit, which is part of the limbic system. Normally, the reward circuit responds to pleasurable experiences by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure, and tells the brain that this is something important—pay attention and remember it. Drugs hijack this system, causing unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. Sometimes, this lasts for a long time compared to what happens when a natural reward stimulates dopamine. This flood of dopamine is what causes the “high” or euphoria associated with drug abuse.”

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