Drug Addiction and Homeostasis

Homeostasis refers to the regulation of an organism's vital functions via internal processes. The central nervous system governs the human body's maintenance of homeostasis. The introduction of any chemical substance into the body via ingestion, inhalation, or absorption can disrupt the body's homeostasis, or alternatively, create homeostasis when there was previously an imbalance. Therefore, the use of narcotic drugs can alter a body's homeostatic state, just as much as the use of psychiatric medications can. Antidepressants are designed to regulate an individual's neurological processes and responses and ideally to create homeostasis. If mood disorders such as depression are caused by organic imbalances in brain chemistry, then so too can addictions be caused by upsets in the body's homeostasis. The addict seeks to self-medicate through the use of various substances, whether alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana. For example, cocaine increases the rate of neurotransmission and is therefore called a stimulant. When an individual takes cocaine, the drug causes the brain chemical dopamine to accumulate in the brain. The result is an upset in homeostasis, characterized by increased arousal due to the brain trying to compensate for the dopamine imbalance. When the effects of the drug wear off, the body gradually returns to a state of homeostasis. However, with overuse of cocaine, a state of homeostasis is not reached. According to David Allen Deans, "people who are predisposed to drug addiction, or who have an addictive personality, are in a content state of homeostatic imbalance before being exposed to drugs." The drugs serve a medicinal purpose in the case of the addict because they create the homeostasis that should exist without the drug. The reason why withdrawal from cocaine can be traumatic is that without the drug, the individual experiences mood swings and imbalances. It may take days, weeks, or months for the body to return to homeostasis without the aid of the substance.

Works Cited

'The Biological Mechanisms of Addiction." Addiction. Spark Notes Health Study Guides. Online at < http://www.sparknotes.com/health/addiction/section4.rhtml>.

Deans, David Allen. "Drug Addiction." California State University, Northridge. 1997. Online at < http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/students/drugs.htm>.