Addiction is a complex process that is going on in the brain often dangerously unnoticed. When an addicted person inhales the smoke, drinks alcohol, or uses other ways to intake the drugs, they do not notice how fast the desire for the new dosage takes control over the limbic system. It happens because the Prefrontal Cortex, responsible for making decisions, is located too far from the Midbrain and Limbic system to make reasonable decisions. This paper aims to discuss how addiction functions in the body due to the peculiar properties of the central nervous system.
Interestingly, people who become addicts usually do not notice and do not understand how addiction overtakes their minds and souls. Therefore, it is very important to learn the chemical and biological rules that steer this process. The brain has the three most important areas that control the functions of the human body. The first one is the Prefrontal Cortex, which is located in the prefrontal lobe zone and is responsible for the human power to make reasonable decisions (Howard, 2016). The second one is the Limbic System also called the Reward Circuit of the nervous system, which releases the dopamine neurotransmitter.
This system is responsible for remembering pleasant experiences and empowers the body to take in pleasant substances and repeat pleasant experiences. Then, the third system that governs the body’s functions is the Midbrain which is responsible for survival. It has the memory and concentration responsible for the next 15 seconds and cannot see anything over that time. The job of the Midbrain is to ensure survival, so it is completely focused on the short 15-second periods. The Midbrain releases the Glutamate neurotransmitter and is responsible for detail, touch, and smell.
Thus, the process of forming an addictive habit was described as an example of how connections occur in the three brain areas. Addiction occurs when a person starts to intake addictive substances being influenced by the Reward Circuit or the Limbic system located in the temporal lobes. This system is located very close to the area of the Midbrain with its short memory and impulsive decisions. The main problem of addiction is that it destroys how the body is informed about its basic, higher, and highest needs, destroying the whole body’s nervous system.
References
Howard, P. (2016).Science of Addiction. Web.