We’ve all heard the “don’t do drugs” speech, from our parents, or our school, or kids around us. We know they’re bad for us and to never do them, try them, etc. But how many of us really know that using drugs can affect long term happiness and the science behind it?
Our brains contain neurotransmitters, which are essentially chemical messengers. These neurotransmitters receive messages from nerve cells, and then connect to receptors. Each neurotransmitter binds to a specific and unique receptor. A neurotransmitter and a receptor fit together like a lock and key, and only work when connected to the right partner. Then this can cause hormone release, muscle contraction, and more. When someone takes drugs the drug can see what the neurotransmitter looks like, take the neurotransmitter’s shape, and trick the receptor into binding. Then this connection causes higher than average releases of dopamine or serotonin. What happens then is that the receptor becomes misshapen or mangled, which means the next time dopamine or serotonin is ready to bind to the receptor, it can’t because the receptor is no longer the perfect shape. This leaves an excess of dopamine and serotonin just sitting around, hanging out within the brain. When the brain sees that there is too much of these hormones in the brain, it cuts off production, or greatly reduces it. This means that no more dopamine or serotonin gets released. When this occurs, people often turn to drugs to give them the hormones instead, because it is the only way the brain can feel happy again. For milder drugs like cocaine, the brain can sometimes recover and continue producing neurotransmitters almost like normal after a little bit. But for serious drugs like heroin or methamphetamine, the brain cannot recover from this and the receptors and neurotransmitters may never go back to normal. So when you make the choice to take drugs, even if you think that you will never actually get addicted, or if you think that it’s a one-time thing, you could be damaging your brain so badly that the only way you will ever release hormones that make you “happy” (dopamine, serotonin, etc) is by taking drugs. Make the decision to stay away from any kind of drugs, and protect your brain and your ability to feel happiness naturally.
SOURCE:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22513-neurotransmitters
https://drugabuse.com/blog/understanding-the-effects-of-long-term-drug-abuse-on-the-brain/
https://recoveryfirst.org/blog/treatment/the-hormones-at-work-during-addiction-and-drug-rehab/
Out of My Mind 