Question 1
Alcohol, medicines with abuse potential, and illicit drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and heroin are referred to as psychoactive substances since they alter the mental function of the consumer. Pyschoactive drugs influence the operation of neurotransmitters at the synapse of the central nervous system.
Alcohol affects the human being’s brain function through its interaction with several neurotransmitter systems. It is classified as a depressant due to its ability to increase the neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) production and decrease the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, usually at the level of thalamus and reticular formation. According to Sullivan et al. (2010), ethanol, alcohol’s active compound, inhibits the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from the cortex. In addition to affecting GABA production, ethanol also affects the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors. Short-term alcohol consumption creates an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission. The inhibitory neurotransmitters are increased while the excitatory neurotransmitters are decreased. The depressant characteristic of alcohol may be linked to behavioral manifestations such as alterations in memory, reduced concentration, mood changes, and drowsiness. The excitatory effect of alcohol is caused by the suppression of the inhibitory neurotransmitter systems. However, the brain attempts to restore balance for long-term alcohol consumption by reducing GABA (Valenzuela, 1997). The decrease in GABA is caused by the reduction of receptor levels or the varying protein composition of the receptor that causes reduced sensitivity to neurotransmission. The attempt to create equilibrium is associated with alcohol-related behavior, such as developing a long-term tolerance to alcohol. Any abrupt attempt to discontinue the consumption leads to withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, tremors, hallucinations, insomnia, agitation, and confusion for long-term users.
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Alcohol addiction treatment has been put in place to provide safe and humane measures for alcohol detoxification. The biomedical interventions used to treat alcoholism include alcohol intoxication therapy, withdrawal symptoms, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and alcohol-related neuropsychiatric disorders (Soyka, 2017). Clinical trials have provided credible evidence that compounds that interact with the serotonergic, GABA and opiod are effective bio-medical interventions for treating alcohol use disorders.
Question 2
Question 9 from the Alcohol dependency scale best describes addiction .
The question: Do you panic because you fear you may not have a drink when you need it?
Drug addiction is the compulsive non-medical administration of drugs that have negative side effects. The drugs impact the human brain and cause extracellular fluctuations of dopamine neurons (Dichiara, 2007). Dopamine is a chemical synthesized by neurons and released into the body. The dopamine neurotransmitter activity influences the activity of other neurons. It then facilitates cell development and modification that increases or reduces glutamate influence (Wise & Robble, 2020). These adaptations determine the effectiveness of reward predictors that help mitigate subsequent search behaviors.
Alcohol is a depressant drug that increases striatal dopamine levels. It causes adaptations that reduce the responsiveness of the drug. The brain adapts to the alcohol and builds a tolerance for it which eventually leads to the overstimulation of the reward center. This leads to the production of excess dopamine (“The origins of addiction”, 2015). The brain tries to create equilibrium by reducing the dopamine produced or reducing the effectiveness of the dopamine receptors. Over time the receptors that recognize the presence of dopamine begin to diminish due to the excess dopamine being produced, which overwhelms its pathways (“The origins of addiction”, 2015). This generally results in an alcohol having less effect due to the weaker response by the brain’s reward center. The absence of the drug weakens the dopamine neurons further, which creates more cravings for it. It then creates a cycle that leads to the formation of a habit. People addicted to alcohol heavily rely on alcohol to normalize their dopamine levels and worry if they lack a drink. Continued yield to the craving eventually leads to uncontrolled and unhealthy drinking. Any attempts to withdraw from drinking at this point lead to adverse withdrawal symptoms such as seizures.
References
Dichiara, G., & Bassareo, V. (2007). Reward system and addiction: What dopamine does and doesn’t do. Current Opinion in Pharmacology , 7 (1), 69-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2006.11.003
Soyka, M., Kranzler, H., Hesselbrock, V., Kasper, S., Mutschler, J., & Möller, H. (2017). Guidelines for biological treatment of substance use and related disorders, part 1: Alcoholism, first revision . National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 9 June 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28006997/ .
Sullivan, E. V., Harris, R. A., & Pfefferbaum, A. (2010). Alcohol’s effects on brain and behavior. Alcohol Research & Health .
The origins of addiction [Video]. (2015, October 28). YouTube. https://youtu.be/soO5geRXbr4
Valenzuela, C. F. (1997). Alcohol and neurotransmitter interactions. Alcohol health and research world , 21 (2), 144.
Wise, R., & Robble, M. (2020). Dopamine and Addiction. Annual Review of Psychology , 71 (1), 79-106. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103337
