The encyclopedia of anthropology describes the human brain as “the
far most intriguing, complicated, and highly organized organ in the human
body. Furthermore, the human brain is
far more complex than all other known creatures, stars, galaxies, and planets
in the universe. It is no wonder that
research on the human brain has been an extremely daunting and challenging task
for scientists. However, despite the
demanding nature of brain research, scientists have made great progress in
understanding the intricacies of the brain.
From the teaching of Aristotle to the finding of Broca, advances in the
brain research have enabled scientists to further understand the functionality
of the human brain, and this, in essence, has helped them develop methods of
analysis and treatment for illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression,
anxiety, and many others” (Carre', 2006).
Since the human brain is the most complex organ in the human body
it is the center of all human activity. The
human brain is responsible for everyday activities like, sleeping, eating and
walking because it regulates the basic body functions by enabling you to
interpret and respond to every experience you have; it also shapes your thoughts,
emotions and behavior.
The human brain is made up of many parts that all are supposed to
work together as a team. Different parts
of the human brain are responsible for coordinating and performing specific
functions. The human brain sends and receives
chemical and electrical signals as part of a communication system called the
central nervous system. This system
controls your body’s functions ("Drugs + Your Brain," 2012). Drugs and alcohol can alter important brain
areas that are necessary for life-sustaining functions and can drive the
compulsive drug and alcohol abuse that marks addiction.
Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a
substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling)
that can pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and
interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work or relationships
or health (Psychology Today, 2013) .
Many people who suffer from addiction are usually not aware that their
behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.
Addiction can be referred to in several different ways. One definition is the physical addiction
which is the biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a
drug so that the drug no longer has the same affect; this known as
tolerance. Because of tolerance, there
is a biological reaction when the drug is withdrawn. Another form of physical addiction is the
phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or cues associated with the
drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar,
for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues
(Psychology Today, 2013).
There are certain areas of the brain that are affected the abuse
of certain drugs. The limbic system is
the pleasure center of the brain, it links together a number of brain
structures that regulate an individual’s ability to feel pleasure and drugs
affect that area the most because drugs make people feel good temporarily, that
is why people keep taking them but after a while the pleasure fades away. Feeling pleasure motivates an individual to
repeat behaviors such as eating, which is an action that is critical to our
existence. The limbic system is
activated when we perform these activities and also by abusing drugs. In addition, the limbic system is responsible
for our perception of other emotions, both positive and negative, which
explains the mood-altering properties of many drugs (drug abuse.gov, 2010).
The brain stem is another area that is affected by drug
abuse. It controls the basic function
critical to life, such as heart rate, breathing and sleeping. Someone who is abusing drugs heartbeat may
increase or decrease depending on the drug of choice; they may also have
trouble breathing at times and have trouble sleeping because the drugs can make
them anxious and restless.
Another area of the brain
affected by drug abuse is the cerebral cortex which is divided into areas that
control specific functions. Different
areas of the cerebral cortex process information from our senses, enabling us
to see, feel, hear and taste. The front
part of the cortex, the frontal cortex or forebrain, is the thinking center of
the brain; it powers our ability to think, plan, solve problems, and make
decisions (drug abuse.gov, 2010).
Intrinsic motivation is the drive that leads an individual to
engage in an activity without being externally rewarded for that action
("Intrinsic motivation," 2009).
The act of abusing drugs is from an individual’s desire to feel good, so
the intrinsic factors that may influence them to refrain from using drugs may
differ based on an individual’s needs.
Abusing drugs can have major effects on an individual mentally and
physically. Many people become very
tired of using but very rarely stop because they do not have that internal desire
to want to. The desire to refrain from
using drugs must begin with the fulfillment of psychological needed that
guarantee survival; according to Maslow, these needs are known as deficiency
needs. Deficiency needs can only be recognized
because of external sources that come from the environment from loved ones who
have strong influence over an individual (Florida International University,
2009). Intrinsic motivators such as reinforcement of
personal responsibility are mostly connected with individual’s refraining from
using drugs, which may come as a result of an extrinsic motivator.
.
Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from outside an
individual, such as the drive to obtain money or rewards which provide pleasure
that the task that one does to obtain the reward does not provide in itself
("Extrinsic motivation," 2009).
Extrinsic motivation might cause a person to work harder on refraining
from using drugs even though they may not have any desire to stop. Some examples of extrinsic motivators could
be the threat of losing a job, problems in your marriage or relationship and
health issues.
People are extremely influenced by the environment and the people
that are around them. There are many
heredity and environmental factors involved in an individual’s desire to
refrain from using drugs such as religion, economics and the availability of
the drug of choice. Social norms play an
important role in an individual’s choice to refrain from using drugs because
they have a desire to fit in with a particular group of people and be
accepted. If an individual is heavily
into religion, they will turn to their religious organization for support to
help refrain from using drugs. If a
person relocates from the environment that their drug of choice was easily
accessible that could also help them refrain from using drugs, but that could
be temporary because many addicts tend to seek out drugs no matter where they
go, so that is where intrinsic and extrinsic motivators come into play.
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