By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Human beings categorize things in terms of good or bad, better or worse, pleasant or unpleasant. A cool breeze on a hot day for instance is considered good, whereas the same level of wind on an already cold day is generally considered unpleasant. This is a normal reaction based on external factors (in this case, wind) and how those factors impact our experience. We feel comfortable or uncomfortable depending upon our environment; but our conscious experience is dependent upon an unconscious reaction.
The human nervous system is a complex series of physical nerves and chemical transmitters that run throughout our body, receiving messages, or stimuli, that send information to our brains. The brain then sends messages back through the nervous system that tells the affected part of the body how to react. Some of those reactions are minor and others are a major reaction, but every reaction has a purpose. Inflammation, for instance, though sometimes quite painful, is a function of the body’s attempt to heal itself.
All of these processes occur without our own conscious thought. In spite of our brain being directly involved, we have no awareness of the process, only the effect. An infant reacts when it is uncomfortable or hungry, but there are no deliberate thoughts involved. As we grow older and the part of the brain we control develops, we learn to interpret stimulus by their effects such as cold, tired, and hungry, or warm, rested, and sated. But the body is still ahead of our interpretive brain and has already sent messages that affect that interpretation.
When the external chemicals we call drugs are introduced into the body they disrupt the stream of messages to and from the nerves and other chemical messengers the body uses to operate, changing some of the body’s messengers and blocking other messengers entirely. Different drugs affect different messengers, but every drug has an effect, whether it is aspirin or oxycodone. Again, we only consciously experience the effect and not the process as it is happening. But understanding that process can help us understand how the effect happens.
When a person experiences pain, the body instantly reacts. Specialized nerve cells activate chemical messengers and send a message to the spinal cord and then to the thalamus and other areas of the brain. At that point the brain determines whether to increase or decrease pain; it can release natural painkillers (endorphins) or neurotransmitters that increase pain and/or hormones that stimulate the autoimmune system. This is a generalized example of the response, but the body reacts in this manner to protect and maintain itself.
When certain drugs called opioids (after opioid receptors present in the body) are introduced into the human body, they hijack the body so to speak. The normal function of the brain is disrupted, and it is no longer the brain that determines the response – and opioid drugs continue this process regardless of whether or not there is any pain signal that requires a response.
Pain response is a normal function of the body, and when the brain releases endorphins (the natural painkiller) they have a calming effect and can also give us a sense of euphoria, or a sense of well-being and happiness. This is part of the brain’s reward system, which further impacts our conscious thoughts, and is a mechanism that helps us move through and beyond the pain we are experiencing. In the doses the body itself measures this is normally beneficial. But when an external chemical agent such as an opioid takes control of the reward system the results can be catastrophic.
Opioids not only block pain messages, but they also force the body to release another chemical agent known as dopamine, which the body releases normally in response to pleasurable activities. So, the opioid itself becomes the source of pleasure on a biological level and leads to addiction as many individuals seek to maintain that level of pleasure. And given that extended use of opioids leads to the body attempting to build a resistance to the foreign chemicals, more of those chemicals are needed to achieve the desired result. Unfortunately, this need for increased dosage of opioids can lead to overdoses and death.
Recovery from opioid use and abuse can be extremely difficult as the addicted individual must consciously work to overcome something which affects them on a subconscious level. It is a painful process that sadly many of those affected do not complete. Understanding the basic mechanics of opioid addiction is the beginning but should always be followed up by consulting medical professionals. Local hospitals and drug counseling agencies have programs specifically designed to aid in overcoming opioid use and addiction.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
