Effect on Your Brain
Your brain is wired to make you want to repeat experiences that make you feel good. So you are motivated to do them again and again.
The drugs that may be addictive target your brain's reward system. They flood your brain with a chemical called dopamine. This triggers a feeling of intense pleasure. So you keep taking the drug to chase that high.
Over time, your brain gets used to the extra dopamine. So you might need to take more of the drug to get the same good feeling. And other things you enjoyed, like food and hanging out with family, may give you less pleasure.
When you use drugs for a long time, it can cause changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. They can hurt your:
- Judgment
- Decision making
- Memory
- Ability to learn
Together, these brain changes can drive you to seek out and take drugs in ways that are beyond your control.
Signs of Addiction
You may have one or more of these warning signs:
- An urge to use the drug every day, or many times a day.
- You take more drugs than you want to, and for longer than you thought you would.
- You always have the drug with you, and you buy it even if you can’t afford it.
- You keep using drugs even if it causes you trouble at work or makes you lash out at family and friends.
- You spend more time alone.
- You don’t take care of yourself or care how you look.
- You steal, lie, or do dangerous things like driving while high or have unsafe sex.
- You spend most of your time getting, using, or recovering from the effects of the drug.
- You feel sick when you try to quit.
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| Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan |
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment Government of India
