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How Does Addiction Start?


Because addiction is unique to every individual, it makes it difficult to fully understand.  However, there are a lot of things that ever addiction has in common, and one of those is that addiction results in biological changes in the brain.  Changes such as balances in dopamine and serotonin levels and damage to neurological pathways.

This is important because the reward center in your brain releases dopamine in response to pleasurable experiences. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter primarily associated with mood regulation, plays a crucial role in addiction.  Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that facilitate communication between nerve cells in the brain. 

Addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug, alcohol, gambling, etc., in social a situation.  It can also start by taking a prescribed pain medication and then continuing to taking it longer, in higher dosages, and more frequently than prescribed. From there, some people continue to use or engage in the behavior more and more frequently, until it becomes an overwhelming part of their daily lives.  









As time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug to get high. Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As your drug use increases, you may find that it's increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Attempts to stop drug use may cause intense cravings and make you feel physically ill. These are called withdrawal symptoms.

The risk of addiction and how fast you become addicted varies by drug. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others.

Behavioral addictions can occur with any activity that’s capable of stimulating your brain’s reward system.  Addictive behaviors such as gambling, social media scrolling, video gaming, shopping, sex, porn, etc.

All types of addiction become behavior that is difficult to control and continues despite adverse consequences, often times negatively impacting everyday behaviors to the point of disrupting relationships, livelihood, health, finances, and other pillars of normal life.