The term addiction usually refers to the chronic use of one of three kinds of psychotropic substances, legal drugs (eg. alcohol, nicotine), illicit drugs (eg. cocaine, marijuana) or prescription drugs (eg. valium, prozac), in large enough quantities to cause life-damaging consequences in various aspects of one's life.
Craving is the primary symptom of addiction, and if severe enough, an addict will destroy anyone or anything to get to the "substance" which they are deluded into believing will satisfy their craving and bring happiness.
Cause of Addiction
Biochemical imbalances in eight key neurotransmitters are the driving force behind all addictions. (Brain cells or neurons, produce chemical substances called neurotransmitters and they control virtually every aspect of your life by communication with other cells.) When they are deficient, the addicted person finds it extremely difficult to satisfy their cravings. Addicts become progressively powerless over the dictates of their imbalanced brain chemistry.
8 Key Neurotransmitters
1- Serotonin (an inhibitory neurotransmitter that exerts a soothing influence on unpleasant emotions and prevents us from overactions.)
2- GABA (inhibits, similar to serotonin, and that helps alleviate anxiety and worry and influences intellectual activity.)
3- Endorphins and Enkephalins (two groups of structurally similar inhibitory transmitters that are powerful natural pain relievers.)
4- Endocannabinoids (acts as a modulatory system, fine-tuning the body's responses to a variety of stimuli)
5- Acetylcholine (inhibits dopamine's potential for unrestrained delusional, paranoid content)
6- Dopamine (known as the "euphoria" neurotransmitter.)
7- Taurine (inhibits similar to GABA)
8- Histamine (regulates alertness and wake-sleep cycles)
Substance abuse is thus caused by replacing one or more of the key neurotransmitters with an artificial chemical such as alcohol, cocaine or valium, to temporarily satisfy a craving.
The more that a psychotropic artificial substance is used, the more the neurotransmitters which the chemical is mimicking are depleted, and increasingly larger amounts of the addictive chemical must be used to achieve the same stress reduction effect (tolerance). The condition worsens as the natural transmitter is depleted. The addict is compelled by their biochemical imbalances to seek the object of their craving at any cost, even if it jeopardizes their health, personal relationships, and job.
Addiction Cure
A long term solution can only be achieved if the cause is addressed and the imbalances are normalized.
Any attempts to bring about a long term correction with any psychotropic chemical will ultimately generate more chaos and perpetuate the abuse.
The corrections in the imbalances which are the cause of the problem, can only be achieved by providing the proper nutrients to allow the regeneration of the neurotransmitters to occur.
Most drug addiction treatment programs do not focus on healing the brain first and this is why current recovery programs have a very low rate of success.
Howard
has a keen interest in alternative and integrative health methods.
His research has revealed that a person's eating habits and lifestyle
can have a dramatic affect on their health. Howard has extensive
background in video production and has conducted numerous video
interviews with professionals in the alternative health field.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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