How Addiction Changes Your Brain Chemistry

Drug and alcohol addiction are complex conditions that can impact physical and mental health but also alter brain chemistry. Understanding how addiction changes your brain chemistry is crucial so you can truly comprehend the struggles that you and others might face and where to turn for support and treatment.

To protect yourself from the long-term effects of addiction, contact BrightView at 888.501.9865 to enroll in one of our flexible outpatient drug addiction treatment programs. We make addiction help as accessible as possible for our patients by providing locations throughout the U.S. and telehealth treatment options. We also accept walk-ins, with or without insurance, and offer everything you need under one roof.

How Addiction Changes Your Brain Chemistry

To understand how addiction can change your brain chemistry, you must first familiarize yourself with how the brain’s reward system works. You may have heard of dopamine, which is a brain neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure. When you engage in enjoyable activities, your brain releases dopamine, making you feel so good that you want to engage in the activity again.

Some examples of activities that trigger the release of dopamine are:

• Shopping
• Exercising
• Eating
• Getting a massage
• Getting a good night’s sleep
• Listening to your favorite music
• Gambling
• Drug or alcohol consumption

The pleasurable feelings dopamine induces are important for encouraging you to repeat activities that support your health and survival, such as sleeping, eating, and moving your body. However, dopamine can also instigate the repetition of potentially hazardous behaviors like gambling and substance use. In these cases, continually engaging in these activities can eventually lead to addiction.

The dopamine rush from drug or alcohol use can be more intense than getting a massage or listening to your favorite band. As addiction sets in, your brain starts to adapt to excessive dopamine levels by reducing its production. This makes it harder for you to feel pleasure from healthy activities, leading you to seek out harmful substances to experience the same level of pleasure, which contributes to the addiction cycle.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Addiction on Your Brain Chemistry?

A long history of addiction can have additional consequences for your brain health. Some of the potential long-term effects of addiction on your brain chemistry include:

• Impaired cognitive function
• Memory loss
• Reduced decision-making abilities
• Difficulty concentrating
• Emotional dysregulation
• Lower tolerance for stress or negative emotions

Since addiction causes changes in the brain that reduce the rewarding effects of healthy behaviors, you may be vulnerable to depression and low mood when not using drugs or alcohol. Your dopamine levels will sink without these substances, and the only way you can achieve feelings of pleasure will be through consuming more alcohol or drugs. 

However, all is not lost. Many of the adverse effects of addiction on the brain can be minimized and reversed after you quit drinking or using drugs. Initially, you will feel worse as your body detoxes, and it can take some time for your brain’s dopamine production to return to normal. This process is much more effective when you enroll in an addiction treatment program and receive therapy and the appropriate medication to ease withdrawal symptoms and provide you with healthier coping strategies.

Call Today to Heal from the Effects of Addiction by Enrolling in Treatment at BrightView

If you are ready to start turning your health around, it is time to enroll in drug addiction treatment at BrightView. With various outpatient treatment options, including dual diagnosis and medication assisted treatment (MAT), we have the expertise and resources to address all your recovery needs. Start the healing process today by calling 888.501.9865 or completing our online form.