Addiction is now the leading cause of accidental death

Sep 14, 2015 20:23 GMT  ·  By

In this day and age, addiction is the leading cause of accidental death. There are all sorts of substances out there that we can become hooked on and specialists warn nobody is safe. 

In a new video, researchers with the American Chemical Society explain what goes down in the body that leads to people becoming addicted to one stimulant or another, be it a drug or something else.

As you've probably guessed, all addictions start in the brain. Basically, addictive substances hijack this organ of ours and alter its normal working routine, scientists say.

Contrary to what some might think, being addicted to alcohol or drugs does not mean being weak and not having enough willpower to ditch a habit that is obviously taking its toll on one's health.

Addictive substances make our brain feel good and so, naturally, overcoming an addiction means overriding this organ. Needless to say, going to war with one's own brain is not an easy thing to do.

Addictions are known to affect a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which becomes flooded with the feel-good chemical dopamine whenever we are exposed to the substance we are hooked on.

In time, the brain comes to consider such rushes normal, and when dopamine levels drop, it sends us in search of ways to get them up again. The result is we find ourselves looking for a new fix.

Trying to quit an addiction means experiencing extremely low dopamine levels in the brain. It's what medical experts call withdrawal, and it usually takes a while for the brain's natural chemistry to be restored.