ALCOHOLISM & DRUGABUSE

The brain is the command center of your body. It weighs about three pounds, and has different centers or systems that process different kinds of information. The brainstem is the most primitive structure at the base of your brain. The brainstem controls your heart rate, breathing, and sleeping; it does the things you never think about.Various parts or lobes of the brain process information from your sense organs: the occipital lobe receives information from your eyes, for example. And the cerebral cortex, on top of the whole brain, is the "thinking" part of you. That's where you store and process language, math, and strategies: It's the thinking center. Buried deep within the cerebral cortex is the limbic system, which is responsible for survival: It remembers and creates an appetite for the things that keep you alive, such as good food and the company of other human beings. The cerebellum is responsible for things you learn once and never have to think about, such as balance when walking or how to throw a ball. Drugs work in the brain because they have a similar size and shape as natural neurotransmitters. In the brain in the right amount or dose, these drugs lock into receptors and start an unnatural chain reaction of electrical charges, causing neurons to release large amounts of their own neurotransmitter. Some drugs lock onto the neuron and act like a pump, so the neuron releases more neurotransmitter. Other drugs block reabsorption or reuptake and cause unnatural floods of neurotransmitter. All drugs of abuse, such as nicotine, cocaine, and marijuana, primarily affect the brain's limbic system. Scientists call this the "reward" system. Normally, the limbic system responds to pleasurable experiences by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure. Think about how you feel when something good happens-maybe your team wins a game, you're praised for something you've done well, or you drink a cold lemonade on a hot day-that's your limbic system at work. Because natural pleasures in our lives are necessary for survival, the limbic system creates an appetite that drives you to seek those things. The first time someone uses a drug of abuse, he or she experiences unnaturally intense feelings of pleasure. The limbic system is flooded with dopamine. Of course, drugs have other effects, too; a first-time smoker may also cough and feel nauseous from toxic chemicals in a tobacco or marijuana cigarette. But the brain starts changing right away as a result of the unnatural flood of neurotransmitters. Because they sense more than enough dopamine, for example, neurons begin to reduce the number of dopamine receptors. Neurons may also make less dopamine. The result is less dopamine in the brain: This is called down regulation. Because some drugs are toxic, some neurons may also die. Just step in and evaluate yourself the following facts:

The Brain and Addiction: Discover what's in your head and how drugs of abuse cause changes in the brain.

Anabolic Steroids: Buying "bulk" is never a good deal when it comes to these substances, which can cause guys to grow breasts and girls to grow beards along with more life-threatening effects.

Ecstasy (MDMA): This club drug can cause confusion, depression, sleep problems, intense fear and anxiety that can last for days or weeks (in regular drug users) after taking it.

HIV, AIDS and Drug Abuse: Behaviors associated with drug abuse now are one of the largest factors in the spread of HIV infection.

Inhalants: Chemicals in common household products can get you "high", but often at a high cost to your health.

Marijuana: Think everyone does it? And a bunch of leaves must be harmless, right? Check the facts.

Nicotine: It only takes eight seconds to reach the brain and start making changes.

Stimulants: This class of drugs can elevate mood and increase energy, but the are highly addictive.

Our Resolution: Re-defining Sex Ayurvedically