What are addictive substances and processes and how do they impact my body, mood, and my life?
Alcohol: Alcohol is also known as Ethanol, or ETOH, in medical terms. When alcohol is consumed, receptor sites in the brain are upregulated, acting like holes, asking to be filled with more alcohol. That is what causes a craving. When you consume alcohol, your brain releases a substance called GABA, or Gamma Amino Butyric Acid, which is your “keep calm” hormone. It also keeps your brain stable. When you drink alcohol, it releases GABA, making you feel calm. However, after such a large release, your brain is depleted, often leaving you feeling more anxious than when you started. When you add these aspects together, you can see how they lead to addiction. Over time, the constant depletion of GABA can lead to seizures.
Withdrawal: Withdrawal from ETOH can cause tremors, hallucinations, seizures, Delerium Tremens, coma, and death. The detoxification window for this is between 48 hours after stopping and up to 21 days after use ends. This is why alcohol detoxification must be done only with the guidance of a trained professional.
Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs, also known as Z drugs. They contain Alprazolam, Lorazepam, Clonazepam, and Diazepam, among many others. They all have various uses and are best used in the short term. Patients get into trouble when prescribed an increasing amount when their initial dose’s effectiveness decreases over time. Benzodiazepines work by releasing GABA in the brain. GABA is the brain’s “keep calm” hormone and one of its main stabilizers. The constant use of Benzodiazepines in high doses depletes the brain’s GABA. This can cause seizures when they stop, especially if they stop abruptly. If a person has been at a certain dose over a period that exceeds what is safe, we will always recommend inpatient detoxification. A benzodiazepine withdrawal causes seizures, coma, and death. Safety is always the top priority.
Cannabis: Cannabis is perceived to be harmless because it produces neither overdose of fatal withdrawal. It is now legal and socially acceptable, making it even more unclear about its use. People all have an endocannabinoid system, the human body’s way of relieving pain and discomfort. Using cannabis affects our endocannabinoid system.
Cannabis is a drug that is classified as hallucinogenic. Although it does not cause hallucinations in everyone, it has the potential to do so under certain conditions. While it can provide temporary relief from hyperactivity and mania, the relief is short-lived and can lead to a larger rebound situation, prompting more cannabis use. When patients with bipolar disorder use it, they may experience temporary relief, but it can also lead to hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, which is known as psychosis. This can also occur outside of a bipolar or schizophrenia diagnosis when used with stimulants. Stimulants can be either prescribed or obtained through caffeine, nicotine, or cocaine.
If you have a psychiatric diagnosis, avoidance of cannabis is the best policy.
Cocaine: Cocaine is another drug that mimics the effects of dopamine differently from opiates. It produces a feeling of power and euphoria in its users. The effects on the heart are notable immediately and over time, as it is extremely taxing on the heart muscle.
This drug is often used in patients who have undiagnosed ADHD, as it can provide energy, focus, and motivation during early use.
It is commonly abused by patients who suffer from bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder. In Bipolar patients, it can shift a patient from a depressive state into a manic state. In major depressive disorder, it can provide temporary relief from depression but rapidly leads to agitation and anxiety.
Kratom: Kratom is a plant that comes from parts of Asia. It behaves like an opioid in that 22 of the 35 chemical compounds attach to the Mu receptor in the brain. It is legal and available at smoke shops and gas stations. Many people have used it to attempt to come off opiates. It can cause typical opioid withdrawal syndrome and has been known to cause seizures upon withdrawal if usage has been lengthy or from a high dose. Use over time leads to insomnia and tremors.
Opiates: Opiates attach themselves to the Mu receptor site in the brain. They mimic the effects of your brain’s dopamine so closely that it signals your brain to stop making dopamine. Opiates, however, do not function in the brain the way native dopamine does, therefore the longer you take them, the more your own dopamine is depleted, setting you up for an increased need over time. Since dopamine is associated with joy, focus, and energy, the depletion of it over time causes physical pain, anxiety, and depression. Opiates lower your body’s drive to breathe. When a person overdoses, they stop breathing.
Long-Term Consequences of Opiate Use: Opioid Hyperalgesia is a condition that develops over time with regular use of opiates. It causes chronic aching pain in the joints and muscles around the body. It also causes poor focus, lack of energy, and brain fog. It is often confused with Fibromyalgia, which is a condition that produces similar sensations in the body and mind. When patients with Fibromyalgia are treated with opiates, Opioid Hyperalgesia often develops, worsening the condition. Opiates are not the correct treatment for fibromyalgia.
Withdrawal: Withdrawal from opiates is not fatal, but it can be a serious and intense experience. Symptoms of opiate detox may include a runny nose, yawning, pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, restless legs, depression, agitation, and insomnia. The severity of these symptoms depends on the amount and duration of opiate use. Suboxone, a medication used to treat opiate addiction, has a longer half-life than heroin or painkillers, which can result in a longer post-acute withdrawal phase. This phase is characterized by symptoms such as poor focus, brain fog, restless legs, and insomnia due to the amount and duration of the substance used.
Psilocybin, LSD, DMT: These hallucinogenic drugs are often used in an attempt to reach greater peace, spirituality, or understanding of the universe. They can produce hallucinations because they affect the dopamine in the Optic Nerve, where your eyes and brain meet to process sight. Mushrooms are perceived as safe, because they are “natural,” but can affect the brain's ability to distinguish reality from dream states. This can lead to a variety of injuries or accidents.
The use of LSD or DMT can cause a permanent condition called HPPD, Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder. This condition is permanent and causes hallucinations at various times without using the drug. It does not respond to anti-psychotic drugs the way hallucinations of Bipolar or Schizophrenia respond.
Gambling: Television now bombards people with options for online casino-style gaming. The legality and the availability of gambling make it a temptation for people who lack dopamine, as the thrill of winning elevates dopamine quickly.
Sex/Pornography Addiction: Those who are addicted to sex are often seeking a spike in dopamine. It is most seen in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder. ADHD is so highly stimulating that a person who lacks dopamine will be more prone to the rapid rise that sex or pornography can provide. In bipolar disorder, a manic state can produce feelings of hypersexuality.
Shopping:
Shopping addiction is a type of behavioral addiction that involves an uncontrollable urge to buy things as a way to feel better and avoid negative emotions like anxiety and depression. Like other behavioral addictions, shopping addiction can become an obsessive preoccupation that can cause problems in other areas of your life.
