As many people know, alcohol and nicotine are extremely addictive, but the reason why is unknown to most individuals. Through my research, I was interested in why quitting can be so difficult.
Throughout drug abuse, synaptic changes occur, affecting the way individuals normal synapses function. Long-term depression (LTD) and long-term potentiation (LTP) cause the synaptic changes in the amygdala and hippocampus.
When people think about addictiveness, it is not always understood that there are actual changes in the brain, but in the paper it discusses the causes of synaptic changes, as I mentioned above. As addiction continues, the amount of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChR) drastically increases in brains that have an addiction to nicotine and alcohol. The amount of receptors increases due to the drug supplying more neurotransmitters and needing places to enter the cell without flooding the synaptic cleft.
When someone quits, they have a massive amount of vacant nAChR that are hungry for neurotransmitters, and this is why it can be so difficult to quit. In a study I found, the researchers discovered that the amount of receptors does not begin to return to normal until around 6-12 weeks of abstinence. But for full return to normal with receptor content, it takes close to a year. This study did not include behavioral aspects that are difficult to stop, such as constantly having something in your mouth.
Through my research, it made me want to inform more individuals about how addictive and life changing these chemicals actually are. I feel as though many individuals who begin these drugs say its not a problem and they can stop whenever, but with the great effects they have on the brain it is not that easy.
Quitting is Scientifically Hard
