Not all people struggling with addiction were abused as children of
course, but recent studies are showing that there could be a relationship
between the two. The development of brain imaging technologies has allowed
researchers to gain an exciting view of how the brain works, and the findings
are definitely worth mentioning.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to better understand
addiction
Old-school thinking was that those suffering from addiction should just
be able to ‘stop using', and they were accused of lacking will power, or moral
behaviours. In 2011 however, addiction was classified as a primary chronic
disease caused by impaired functioning of the brain's pleasure reward system by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). It
disproved the “flawed character” theory – largely in thanks to the abilities of
MRIs to track brain activity when people are shown or given addiction triggers.
Triggers are often as simple as a photo of someone using, or say, a
hamburger for those who have food addictions. When an addict is shown one of
these triggers, researchers have found that the brain releases overdoses of
dopamine (much higher levels than in non-addicts), which in turn triggers their
‘need' to acquire their substance of desire.
Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse explains it best here, in relation to food
addiction: “It just basically stimulates release of dopamine. And the more they
release, the more they want the food. We always say, "Well, why do we have
a problem with obesity in our society?" And I said, "My God, we're
surrounded by stimuli with which we're conditioned. If as an Indian, you like
pizzas, you may see Domino's red and blue dices and then dopamine goes inside
your brain and you want it, you start craving for it . And you don't know why
you want it.”
This also applies in exactly the same way to drugs and alcohol, but
instead of the red and blue dices, triggers may include bar signs, ads in
magazines or on television, watching movies, or even just running into an old
friend. Whatever the trigger and whatever the addiction, the dopamine reaction
is the same – and the need to acquire the substance, even unconsciously,
becomes top priority. But what does all this have to do with child abuse?
Brain patterns are similar in addicts to those who have
suffered abuse
Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff of The University of Miami has discovered that
abused children experience architectural changes in their brains. MRIs have
been able to show actual thinning of the cortex. But the real connection to
addiction is in the chemical changes that occur simultaneously. Abuse of
course, causes extreme amounts of stress in a child, which alters the
production of cortisol, epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin, the chemical
messengers in the brain that affect mood and behaviour. In the same way that
photos or triggers cause an abnormal dopamine release into the brain, high
levels of stress can often have the same effect. Thankfully, research is also
finding that the sooner a child is treated for abuse, the better the results.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, often used in addiction treatment, can in
fact have a positive effect on re-calibrating and retraining the neuro-chemical
systems in the brain, especially the dopamine pathways of the pleasure reward
cycle. Thus, in children that receive appropriate treatment following abuse,
MRIs show that the brain can slowly return to a healthy state. Unfortunately,
however, children that don't get the appropriate treatment are left with brain
chemistry patterns similar to those of an addict – which, it would seem, would
leave them at risk for addiction in the future. More research, however, needs
to be done before any solid links can be made.
At Shafa Home, we offer effective, holistic treatment and have an
excellent success rate with clients from around the world. Contact one of our
team today to arrange a consultation.
This article is the sole property of
"The Cabin", they are its original authors.
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