The Sara Bellum Blog

Image Courtesy of Lesley Mitchell

Thanks to all the SBB readers who are leaving comments and asking questions on the Sara Bellum blog. It’s time for Question #4-let us know what you think.

Question #4: So, we’re curious…how would you describe the Sara Bellum blog to a friend? 

To answer the question, you can either submit a comment by writing your response in the “Leave a Reply” box below, or send us a message. As always, we will read all comments and consider all feedback. The following month, check back with the SBB to see how we’ve addressed your suggestions and to answer the next question.

Please remember, even though we’ve posted a fourth question, you can still respond to Question #1 , Question #2 and Question #3. Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!

This picture is showing us an inside view of the brain from the top down. It compares healthy brain activity (left side, with all the red areas) with diminished brain activity in a drug user (right side).

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word disease?  You might think of cancer, diabetes, or epilepsy.  But do you think of drug abuse? Probably not. But, for some people, drug abuse can lead to a disease called addiction.

A disease is when something in the body doesn’t work like it’s supposed to-an organ or a whole system has something wrong with it and disrupts functioning.  Diseases can be caused by many different factors, from your genes (what you inherited from your parents) to germs and viruses to not getting the vitamins that your body needs to stay healthy.

Some diseases can be cured with medication or changes in lifestyle and may never come back.  Others are chronic diseases, meaning they last for a long time or can come back again.

Addiction is a chronic disease.  Drugs change the way the brain works, and using them can lead to addiction.  Once a person is addicted to a drug, they feel the need to take that drug over and over just to feel like their “normal” self.  Tracking down and taking the drug usually becomes more important than eating, sleeping, dating, doing school work, or earning money.

Even if they stop using drugs, people with addiction have brains that have been chemically altered, making them vulnerable to relapse (resuming drug use).

To learn more, take a look at The Science of Addiction. Share something you didn’t know before.

Relapse… If you keep up with the SBB you know by now that addiction is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that takes hold in some people who abuse drugs. You may also know that some people can quit their drug use. But often a person will return to using drugs after they have quit. This is what NIDA Scientists call a relapse.

Why does it happen?  Addiction changes the wiring of the brain to cause uncontrollable craving and compulsive drug use–despite the consequences. For someone with an addiction, going without the drug for periods of time can make that person feel so anxious and stressed that they need the drug just to stop feeling bad.

A person who is addicted to a drug usually needs professional treatment to quit drug use. This can include medication or “talk therapy,” or a combination of both. It also helps to have support in the family and the community. While quitting drug use is possible, addiction is a long-lasting disease, and treating it takes time-and just because someone gets treatment and stops using a drug does not mean that these strong cravings go away for good, especially when certain cues are present.  These cues vary from person to person and can trigger a relapse.  

Imagine that your best friend is addicted to cigarettes and says she smokes to relieve stress, but that she recently quit because her boyfriend hates the smell of cigarette smoke. Since she has connected cigarette smoking with stress relief, the next time your friend faces a stressful situation, like a fight with parents or final exams, she will most likely crave a cigarette, increasing her risk of a relapse. Her use of cigarettes, which led to an addiction to nicotine, has also caused her to associate “relaxation” with cigarettes.

Not everyone will relapse once they have quit drug use; it depends on the person, their genes, their environment, and many other factors, including personal commitment and family support.

For more information on addiction and today’s  ”Word of the Day,” check out the myths about drug abuse or the Brain and Addiction page on the NIDA for Teens Web site.

Is there something magical about drugs and alcohol with us humans?  So what’s our fascination and why do some of us like them so much?!  Actually, before we try and answer that one, let me just say: we are not alone.  Some of the drugs we use, abuse, and become addicted to today were actually “discovered” by animals first. 

For example, you know why we have coffee today?  Well, the “legend of the dancing goats” says that coffee beans were first discovered in a field in Ethiopia by a goat herder who noticed that his goats were acting weird sometimes, running around and dancing wildly.  He couldn’t figure out why and so decided to study them. He saw them eating small red berries on a certain shrub found in the area-turns out they were coffee plants.  After eating the berries with the coffee beans inside, the goats started their “dancing.”  Legend also has it that the goat herder also started eating the berries and dancing with them! 

Plenty of similar stories and observations have been made of other animals that seem to get “high” from naturally occurring drugs or fermented fruits.  Cats are attracted to the valerian plant and to catnip, which seems to give them extreme pleasure.  In parts of Africa, the marula fruit ripens, and animals - from monkeys to elephants - are attracted to the overripe and fermenting fruits that make them act “funny.”  Birds have been seen sitting on smoking tree trunks after bush fires and seem to be intoxicated - they get dizzy and fall off of the smoldering trunk only to get up and do it over and over.

Back to our question…so why do we (or at least some of us) and our animal counterparts like these natural-occurring substances and synthetic or man-made drugs?  The answer is simple…blame it on our brains!  We have evolved a brain that allows us to see, hear, taste, move, think, etc., and also to repeat things that feel good.  That happens because a part of our brain sends out feel-good signals when we do something we enjoy, like eating good food, playing a video game, kicking a goal in soccer, listening to our favorite music, or going upside-down on a roller coaster. The system that says to us: “hey, that was good, do it again!” is called the “reward system”.

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The SBB has already told you about some of the nasty effects that methamphetamine can have on the body-remember that post about how scavengers won’t even eat the dead bodies of meth users?

Not only can meth mess up your body’s chemical structure and even cause problems with your heart and lungs, it also changes your appearance and behavior. Soon, meth users might not even look or act like themselves.

Bad news for teeth and skin.  Ever heard of “meth mouth?” It isn’t pretty.  Meth reduces the amount of protective saliva around the teeth.  People who use the drug also tend to drink a lot of sugary soda, neglect personal hygiene, grind their teeth, and clench their jaws. The teeth of meth users can eventually fall out-even when doing something as normal as eating a sandwich.  As if that’s not bad enough, meth can also cause skin problems-and we’re not just talking about regular zits. 

Take a look at these pictures from the Department of Justice-but beware, they are disturbing!

Meth users’ skin can start to look like this because they frequently hallucinate-or strongly imagine-that they’ve got insects creeping on top of or underneath their skin.  The person will pick or scratch, trying to get rid of the imaginary “crank bugs.”  Soon, the face and arms are covered with open sores that could get infected.

No peace of mind.  In addition to the “crank bug” hallucinations, long-term meth use leads to problems such as irritability, fatigue, headaches, anxiety, sleeplessness, confusion, aggressive feelings, violent rages, and depression. 

Users may become psychotic and experience paranoia, mood disturbances, and delusions.  The paranoia may even make the person think about killing themselves or someone else.

For more information about how methamphetamine could harm your body and mind, check out MethResources.gov or read more in-depth information on NIDA InfoFacts.

Lots of teens have questions about drugs. Each year, NIDA scientists spend a whole day chatting online with high school students and answering their questions.

At the last “Drug Facts Chat Day,” “torgo” asked:

What made you guys (girls) want to research drugs?

As one NIDA scientist put it, “I have always been interested in biology and psychology, so I wanted to better understand the connection between the brain and the body. Doing research gives me the chance to unlock some of the mysteries of the brain. Like we now know our brains keep growing until we’re in our mid-20’s–that’s a lot longer than what scientists believed before.”

So that research answered one question but opened up many more, like how do drugs affect a brain that isn’t fully developed? That’s what science is all about…asking questions and searching for answers!  

And there’s still so much we don’t know.  Maybe you will make a breakthrough discovery that will lead to cures for devastating brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or drug addiction.

If you’re interested in a career in science, maybe these tips will help:

• Start talking. Chat with your science teachers about your options.
• Do your own research. Visit the NIH website and look at the different kinds of research NIH scientists are doing. What grabs your attention? Why?
• Think about the future. Look into colleges with the help of a guidance counselor. Tell your counselor about your interests in science and research-they may know of the perfect program.
• Get experience. Once you’ve narrowed down your interests, try to get involved, volunteer at a science museum or create a science research club at school.