Question

Discuss some of the biological reasons why psychoactive drugs may be so compelling to the user, and why cessation of use (quitting) may be so difficult. Influences you might address include addiction, neuroadaptation, tolerance, permanent or relatively permanent changes in the brain/body, etc. Feel free to use sources/evidence to support your point including examples, scholarly articles or videos, your textbook, personal experience, etc. Please post your initial response by the end of our in-person class time to allow others time to respond to posts by Sunday. Your vesponse should be relatively detailed, but no more than around 200 words. After posting your initial response, return to read the responses of others and respond to at least two others.

Answer 1

Ans )

Psychoactive drugs are basically stimulants ,depressants, narcotics , hallucinogens which act on central netvous system . Substance abuse causes changes in brain structure temporarily produces changes in the neuronal circuits , the brain connectivity is dysregulated and remodelled to form continous and progressive adaptations called neuronadaptations . Affects the mesolimbic system which is the site for reward. The limbic regions such as hippocampus and amygdala , hypothalamus ,prefrontal cortex are affected . Use of stimulants cause basal ganglia to release certain chemical dopamine , causing pleasure as reward ,compelling individuals to continue it and thus the drug becomes involuntary habit from a small elicited response and is called as dependance where it becomes habitual and the user can no longer control the need . Also produces tolerance over time where the abuser requires higher amounts of the same drug to feel the desired effects or "rush" . It becomes difficult to quit the addiction due to withdrawal symptoms causing nausea , vomitting , shivering , tremors , sweating , psychological imablance because the body regulates the state of homeostasia through regular supply of these drugs . On sudden cessation , the homeostasis is dysregulated ,making it difficult for the body to adapt causing reduced activity in the hypothalamus or reward section of brain causing depression and signs of withdrawl.

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