How drug abuse rewires the brain and messes with your motivation systems

"Drug abuse rewires the brain, messing with its entire motivational system," says Alan Leshner, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, following extensive research on addiction. MRI scans and other modern tech are finally proving what people have suspected for decades—and what animal studies hinted at—that an addict's brain is physically and chemically different from a healthy one. It turns out that a series of neurobiological shifts marks the transition from voluntary use to that "compulsive" stage of addiction. The biggest takeaway? Using cocaine, heroin, nicotine, amphetamines, and other drugs disrupts the chemical processes responsible for that sense of pleasure we all know...

thank God they finally confirmed what’s been obvious for ages. plus, this is just the physical side of things. on a deeper psychological level, there's way more going on... especially within that motivational system itself.

Well, thank God for small mercies... why on earth would you think I have such a craving for a smoke?

Because it’s the only time the pain actually fades for a second... the longing disappears... the sadness, the anger... it all just melts away, and for one brief moment, I can finally find peace with the things I simply cannot accept...

I know this one guy from my university science program who smokes weed every single day, yet he’s still pulling straight A's on all his exams... can you even believe that? Honestly, I just don't get how that works.

It’s not a drug. It's actual medicine. And yeah, maybe for a small group of people, but it works.

man, screw that—too much weed just kills your drive

eh... I mean, obviously your brain isn't quite the same once you've stuffed it full of all that stuff... but it’s actually pretty wild to see what a mind can pull off afterward. Just look at some of the heavy hitters—the great poets, the novelists, those legendary painters... basically all the big-name artists. A huge number of them were definitely riding a wave of various substances at one point or another...
I've got this guy I know, works in molecular biology, just smokes weed every single day, and he still manages to pull through with a 5

shadowgardener12 said:"Drug abuse alters the brain, hijacking its motivational systems," claims Dr. Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, following extensive studies on the brains of various addicts. MRI scans and other modern techniques are finally proving what was assumed for decades and attempted via animal testing—that an addict's brain is physically and chemically distinct from a healthy one. It has been established that a series of neurobiological shifts marks the transition from initial voluntary use to what is termed compulsive addiction. Most significantly, the consumption of cocaine, heroin, nicotine, amphetamines, and other addictive substances disrupts the chemical processes responsible for the pleasure we all experience.

Thank God they’ve finally confirmed what has been common knowledge for ages... and even then, this only covers the physical aspect. On a deeper psychological level, there is much more happening within that motivational system itself...

Nonsense.
If a person possesses true willpower, this entire theory falls apart...

Misusing anything is going to leave you with negative consequences.

But actual usage? That’s a completely different story.

hollowhawk15 said:I know this guy from my State University science program—guy smokes weed every single day but still pulls straight A's. Seriously, look at that!!! But I just don't get it.

So we're basically going to have a bunch of incompetent professors coming out of that department? That's just terrifying!

Look, there's a spectrum here—some substances are clearly more harmful than others. It’s just a shame how people tend to lump everything together under one "drug" label, ignoring the fact that some, like hallucinogens, carry much lower risks—especially if someone actually knows what they're getting into...

vividmaker532 said:Look, some drugs are definitely more dangerous than others. It’s honestly such a shame how people lump everything under one big "drugs are bad" umbrella, because there's a huge spectrum here. Some stuff, like hallucinogens, can be way less harmful, especially if someone actually knows what they're getting into and prepares for the trip...

Yeah... I mean, if you've already gone down that rabbit hole 😬

To kick things off, I wanted to ask... which drugs actually cause permanent damage to the brain and cognitive functions? Because it’s not like they destroy everything. In fact, most of them don't really touch those areas at all...

wanderingraven15 said:First off, I’m curious—which drugs are we actually talking about when we say they permanently wreck your brain and cognitive abilities? Because honestly, it feels like they don't just destroy everything. Most of them don't seem to wipe out all function, right?

And how can you be so sure most of them don't? These things kill off brain cells, and those aren't exactly things you can just regrow... it's kind of like how alcohol works, too. You know, just do the math on what happens when someone is using heavily and consistently over a long period of time.

wanderingraven15 said:First off—I want to know which drugs actually cause permanent damage to your brain and cognitive abilities? Because let's be real, they don't just wipe everything out. Most of them don't even touch those functions.

Ecstasy, LSD, DMT, PCP...🤣

Sam Hughes5 said:How can you be so sure they aren't destroying them? They’re killing off brain cells—the kind that don't grow back. Alcohol does the exact same thing... just connect the dots on what happens when you're using heavily over a long period.

Actually, neurons don't just "regenerate"—once there's damage or an injury, the area just heals over with scar tissue instead.

Michelle Cook83 said:Basically, brain cells don't actually regenerate themselves; instead, they just patch things up with some kind of connective scar tissue once there's an injury or damage.

it's... well, I was just saying it doesn't regenerate. But hey, thanks for the expert lecture. 😘

Michelle Cook83 said:Ecstasy

The idea that E destroys your cognitive functions is just plain wrong.

CNN recently aired a special titled "The 40-year-old generation" where they interviewed some of the very first long-term users of E alongside experts who systematically debunked most of the myths surrounding ecstasy. Honestly, the sheer panic people felt over E back in the 90s was nothing more than a textbook knee-jerk reaction to an unknown substance.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the drug debate here in the States, prejudice still tends to trump scientific fact. Because having an open, honest conversation about drugs is such a massive taboo, I suspect the American public will be waiting another century before they actually sit down to listen to a program like this.

Link to the show (22MB, requires a free account on SendIt)

It’s somewhat ironic—if you can call it that—that in America, the two most widely used substances are actually among the most dangerous in terms of long-term consequences and the most trivial in terms of immediate effects: nicotine and alcohol. Naturally, those two are perfectly legal, whereas certain psychedelics are branded as the most hazardous drugs out there—even though, frankly, no physical harm from them has ever really been proven. Take LSD, for instance; it operates in such microscopic doses—we're talking micrograms—that it's virtually impossible for it to be toxic. I don't think there's any substance known to science that could be poisonous at such a negligible dose...
I suppose I could attempt to debunk endless drug myths here, but the reality is that most people—at least in this country—have had their brains conditioned by government narratives and general ignorance to the point where they aren't even interested in seeking the truth. It's rather unfortunate.

ps. Just to be clear—I'm not exactly advocating for drug use or suggesting that all drugs are fine. My focus is primarily on hallucinogenic psychedelics (psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, LSA, salvinorin A...) which carry absolutely zero physical risk when compared to alcohol or nicotine.
And one more thing—regarding potential psychological distress from hallucinogens (bad trips, paranoia, etc.), that is entirely the individual's fault due to poor preparation. Hallucinogens aren't toys; they are potent tools for consciousness exploration that require several days of mental preparation if one wants the experience to be constructive (for those interested, just Google "set and setting").

Michelle Cook83 said:Basically, brain cells don't just regrow—they just patch things up with some kind of connective scar tissue after an injury or damage happens.

Look, lady, that whole hundred-year-old belief was basically debunked way back at the start of the 2000s. There was this super interesting article over on ScienceDaily—I gotta dig it up—but the gist is... we don't actually know anything for sure, and honestly, anything is possible. 😁
👋

Unlike our local news outlets, international media isn't afraid to actually report on the positive breakthroughs regarding drugs: it turns out ketamine—which hasn't hit the mainstream in the US yet, though it definitely will once we finally drag ourselves into the 21st century—can wipe out depression symptoms in just two hours, which is a massive contrast to every other treatment out there that takes weeks to kick in.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5253800.stm