Not all, but to those of us who started, what we called back then, “partying”, which consisted of alcohol and drug use, many of us enjoyed the beginning of the party but at some point kept going on no matter how terrible it turned out to be. Guess what? Research concludes this behavior is a scientific fact. Substance use, for some, eventually turns into substance abuse for others. First, a definition of habit and addiction. A habit is something that a person may do that has no consequences. An addiction has consequences. Basically, addiction is a habit out of control. Habits are a result of mental activity, but addictions adversely affect the power to think. Research shows it’s widely accepted that the cycle of addiction falls into three stages, each one having a different effect on the brain. First, when repeatedly exposed to substances over a long period, the brain alters its response to reward. At this point, the person is enjoying drinking alcohol or taking drugs. The brain is engaging its pleasure receptors and dopamine levels increase, this results in a feeling of euphoria, relaxation and intoxication. Second, withdrawal/negative affect is when a person stops using a substance, the brain’s reward pathways are impaired, and a stress response kicks in. The brain may respond in the form of convulsions, tremors, brain zaps, anxiety, paranoia and hallucination. Third, preoccupation/anticipation as a person starts to become preoccupied by the idea of drinking and taking drugs, the brain’s executive functions become compromised, this causes the brain to have difficulty regulating action, emotion and impulses. In other words, the party is a bang, years later and continual use, the brain makes adjustments, it’s a never ending party and a bust. It’s amazing that the human body, has the ability to adjust, even when a person is dumping poison into it. The human body is definitely intelligent design, so let’s hear from the designer: The Word of God. Matt 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit and you will find rest.”
After years of abusing drugs and alcohol, some of us get what the A.A. family calls sick and tired, and start to seek help. I’ve seen people stop using cold turkey, no rehab, no AA just stop using. Me, I had to do a program, and was blessed to find a faith based treatment center with a high up deacon that was an ex-crackhead. I have slipped up since then, but never failed as far as before. Jeremiah 33:6 says, “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” Through more research, I have learned that after a person stops abusing drugs and alcohol, in three weeks verbal and cognitive function may return to normal, along with emotional processing, short-term and long term memory. And, after six months, dopamine and serotonin levels will mostly be normalized and a person will be able to enjoy normal highs. In conclusion, James 1:4 says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away on his own lust, and enticed.” For myself, I thought I was just having a good time at the party, not knowing I was altering the chemistry of my brain and body function and was amazed to discover that science and the Bible go hand in hand with the outcome. Finally, Romans 8:12-13 says, “Therefore brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh For if we live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”