Psychology of Drug Addiction & Substance Abuse Disorder, Causes & Solutions:

What Is It That Makes Drugs so Addictive?

When we originally established our services as Drug Addiction Treatment, it was to provide additional support to those facing narcotic addictions. Since then, American Youth Against Drugs has gone on to help rehab centres, offer guidance to recovering addicts and even encourage the youth of today to steer clear of drugs. If there’s one reason why we’re so against drug use, it’s because of their innate tendencies to become so addictive.

Some people find themselves suffering with dependencies as a result of emotional trauma; while others fall victim to the addictive properties from the chemicals used to create the drugs themselves. But what is if that makes these types of drugs so addictive; especially narcotics like heroin, cannabis, cocaine and LSD?

The addictive properties of drugs

There are only a few drugs that rely on natural, organic properties within their composition – and the rest will typically rely on man-made products, chemicals and other ingredients that react with one another when introduced. Cocaine for example will often feature baking powder, or even talc, to help to bind the narcotic, while heroin can use a range of cleaning agents to provide liquid consistency to the formula.

Many of these chemicals are toxic in and of themselves, so when used to provide additional features to narcotics; the results can be very dangerous. In some cases immediate use has been known to be fatal – and even those that develop resilience will usually develop internal conditions that can lead to a painful death.

But that doesn’t answer what it is that makes these drugs so addictive. Why do some people feel like they can’t live without them and others crave them in much the same way as a thirsty person needs water? Well, it has a lot to do with the catalytic properties of the drugs being used when they are mixed and how they react with the digestive system, nasal passage, or blood stream.

Internal reactions that occur within the body

Whenever a foreign substance is able to enter the bloodstream, the body will send cells to attack and isolate these chemicals. With consistent drug use, these cells will soon get overwhelmed, allowing for the toxic properties of drugs to enter the cells and mutate them. Once mutated these cells will begin to crave fresh sources of nourishment in order to stay alive – and instead of this nourishment coming from healthy foods, it will instead be replaced with the need to consume more drugs.

This is why some people begin to suffer with mental and emotional dependencies, whilst others will develop physical cravings. In the latter instance the body will actively seek the toxic chemicals from narcotics, as it will have been misled into thinking that these drugs are a necessary part of growth. And this is why addictions can become as extreme as many of them do – because the brain will begin to crave more and more nutrients, although the nutrients being craved will be entirely toxic in nature.