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Asked by Ian_R to Anais, katy, Lauren, Richard, Stuart on 9 Mar 2016. This question was also asked by Marta-Canado.
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Lauren Laing answered on 9 Mar 2016:
That is a really great question! I’m afraid I don’t know very much about addiction, perhaps one of the other scientists might have an idea?
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Stuart Atkinson answered on 10 Mar 2016:
I’m not a biologist or psychologist either, but I think the process of addiction has more to do with personality than the physical effects of the chemical. Of course, things have effects on our bodies and minds when we consume them, but it is the desire to repeat the process that is the basis of addiction. I’m not an expert but I imagine there are parallels with other non-chemical addictions such as gambling.
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Anais Kahve answered on 10 Mar 2016:
Hi Ian, the neurobiology of addiction is very interesting. You can be physically dependent on a substance or psychologically dependent on a substance. If you are physically dependent this means that without the substance your body cannot cope without it. For example, people who are addicted to nicotine in cigarettes find it really hard to quit smoking because as soon as they stop they start to get symptoms of withdrawal. These symptoms include restlessness and hunger which can lead to weight gain. Because people don’t like these symptoms so they continue to smoke. But, if you are psychologically dependent on a substance like cocaine, then trying to quit is even more difficult. This is because cocaine activates something called the ‘reward system’. If you take a drug and you enjoy it then your brain changes slightly so that the next time you take it you need more of it. This happens because receptors in your brain that respond to the drug increase in number. In order to satisfy these receptors your brain tells you to take more of the drug. This is called addiction.
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