International Research Compendium - Drug Free Australia

These addictive cycles are endless unless the addict seeks help.
Once the addict surrenders to the need for help, the process of recovery and the
renewal of the Self begins.
How addiction begins: The stage of falling in love with the drug(s).
In the beginning, acting out and experiencing the mood change creates fun,
excitement, new ideas and stimulation. This forms the basis for what is known as
euphoric recall – remembering the pleasurable aspects and denying or forgetting the
emotional pain. The person behaves mainly within socially acceptable limits. But
inside the mind, there starts to develop a deep and totally consuming mental
dependency. Like many other diseases, addiction grows and develops within, long
before it reaches a stage where it is recognized by the addict and others. Addiction
starts out as an emotional illusion and becomes entrenched in the addict before
others around the addict or even the addict himself realizes that an addictive
relationship has been formed. The person becomes hooked on the drug(s).
What happens in the brain at this stage:
Initial substance use produces a huge release of dopamine in the Nuc. Accumbens
and throughout the neural circuitry mediating the activation of goal directed
behaviour.
Dopamine D1 receptor stimulation results in the activation of cyclic AMP-dependent
protein kinase (PKA), PKA_induced phosphorylation of the transcriptional regulator
cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), and the induction of
immediate gene products, such as Fos. The induction of Fos and other immediate
early genes promote short-term neuroplastic changes in response to occasional drug
use.
Addiction is progressive and leads to lifestyle change
When drug use continues, acting out starts to lose some of its seductiveness; the
drugs always retain their ability to change one’s mood, but over time much of the fun
starts to vanish.
More energy is redirected to the addictive process. Like any other progressive illness,
addiction will take more of a person’s energy, focus and ability to function, eroding
the ability to be a “normal” human being. Activities and people who were important in
the past are now less important. Time with family, old friends, and hobbies is set
aside to make room for the addiction. Addiction will continuously demand more, and
because the addicted person has lost control, he or she must give in to the demand.
There is an almost constant battle between Self and Addict. Should I act out or
shouldn’t I act out
The behavioural aspects of addiction become more prevalent. Others start to notice
that something is wrong or abnormal and start to see the presence of the Addict. The
addicted person may get labelled as “irresponsible”, “troubled”, “tense”, “crazy”,
“strange” or “weak”.
And the addict starts to build a defence system against attacks from others.
A behavioural dependency starts to develop, which means that the person starts to
act out the addictive belief system in a ritualistic manner, and the person’s behaviour
becomes more and more out of control.
What happens in the brain at this stage
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