3 stages of addiction
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/01/29/addiction-changes-brain-biology-in-3-stages-experts-say.html
According to The New England Journal of Medicine, addiction
can be broken down into three stages: binge and intoxication, withdrawal and
negative affect, and preoccupation and anticipation. The authors state that
each of these three stages affects the brain in a unique way and affects a
person’s behavior, altering both the way the react to stress and their ability
to control certain actions.
The first stage of addiction is binge and intoxication. The
main idea of this stage is that people take a drug in order to feel euphoric. In
some cases, intoxication can lead to changes in the connectivity of the brain,
which results in a feeling of distress when the drug is not present in the
body.
An important function of the human brain is its capability
to get a person out of stressful situations, which leads into the second stage:
withdrawal and negative affect. The second stage indicates that in order to
avoid the distressed feeling, the person must consume more of the drug.
Lastly, the third stage, preoccupation and anticipation,
decreases a person’s ability to resist strong urges and to follow through on
decisions.
The author stated that the three stages are not necessarily separate,
and that more often than not, they can blend into one another. “For example,
the stages of withdrawal and anticipation or cravings are very closely tied,
she said. In many people, the symptoms of withdrawal will trigger cravings,
because the brain learns that withdrawal is very stressful, and if you take the
drug, the stress will go away, she said. In other instances, a person may skip
the withdrawal phase and go right into cravings, she said” (Miller).
While this research does not give an explanation as to why
some people are more likely than others to form addictions, it does pave a
pathway that could help treat addiction. By being aware of the details of each
of the three stages, one can be aware as how to treat the addiction and make
changes in the brain to keep new addictions from forming.
This article was interesting to read because it shows that there aren't necessarily three distinct stages to addiction; they bleed over. However, as time goes on and the individual crosses these stages, their ability to refuse the drug decreases. The phrase "nip it in the bud" applies here; it is more beneficial to identify and address addiction as early as possible. It is also important for individuals to keep in mind that when they are consuming a drug, it is never healthy to intake too much of one substance. No matter how good the high is, if they want to feel that high later in their life for relatively cheap, they need to consciously limit themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is interesting how the three stages of addiction are distinct but yet indefinite because the blend into each other. I've also found from personal experience that during the second stage is when a person is most in denial about having an addiction. Overall, the article was very interesting and eye opening to the biology behind addiction.
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