When a person abuses a substance, the brain is flooded with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that resides in the parts of the brain that control movement, emotion, cognition, motivation and feelings of pleasure. When these systems are overloaded by substances, a person experiences euphoria—a feeling that many drug abusers attempt to recreate by repeatedly abusing a substance However, the brain of a substance abuser adjusts by producing less dopamine or reducing the number of receptors that can receive or transmit signals. As long as people are addicted to or abusing substances, they cannot feel the joy and pleasure of everyday life. Many drug abusers feel depressed or when they are not taking drugs and need to take drugs to get their dopamine levels back to normal.
Not everyone who uses alcohol or drugs is an addict or substance abuser. A person becomes a substance abuser when the substance becomes so crucial that he or she is willing to risk other important aspects of life in order to have the substance. This may be after the first time a substance is used, or it may take years. Examples of this continued use despite negative consequences include using illicit drugs despite a drug-free workplace policy or using someone else’s prescription medication for the purposes of becoming impaired, among others.
A person becomes addicted once he or she is psychologically or physically dependent on a substance. Psychological dependence means that an individual believes that he or