Brain and Drugs

 

            One of the more profound realizations that came to me while journaling for this paper was that addiction is classified as a disease. Whatever form the addiction takes, it affects their body and brain and rewires the internal chemistry, and behavior is changed. Addiction isn’t just behavior problems, nor is it just the result of bad choices. It is so much more and can be studied from entirely new angles because of this.

            This can change the way we look at drug addictions. Learning about how the drugs react with our brain and the statistics of addictions really show that the stigma against drug addicts isn’t fair to them. This is something that I haven’t been exposed to or understood before. We are taught that drugs are bad and not to do them, but thousands and thousands are dying each year to them. It really is an enormous issue right now in our world with no sure solution. Thousands upon thousands of deaths per year are due to various drug abuses. So many other issues can be linked to drug use as well, so the full effects may not be fully realized. This is just one of the many ways our brain can be negatively affected.

            Another way is traumatic brain injuries. Growing up, I wanted to play football. All my friends played, and I think I would have enjoyed it and excelled. But my parents didn't like the idea of that, so I was stuck with baseball. Which is fine to me now. It seems that recently there have been numerous scary head injuries in college and professional football. I see that stuff on TV and am glad that I didn't play football. I have only had a couple bangs to the head, and seeing this research makes me reflect on how dangerous contact sports are. To have so many injuries that your brain function becomes impaired is a very unsettling thought. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found some unsettling new discoveries about the link between brain injury and CTE.

            “In the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers looked at the brains of 202 deceased people who had played football at various levels, from high school to the NFL. (The brains had been donated to a brain bank at Boston University for further study.) The researchers analyzed the brains for signs of CTE and also spoke to family members about the players’ histories. They diagnosed CTE in 87% of the players. Among the 111 NFL players, 99% had CTE” (Sifferlin 2017). They also found that the severity of the disease’s symptoms progressed the longer the person had played football.

            Finally, some medical disorders can affect the brain. Multiple Sclerosis is one that comes to mind immediately. My mom was diagnosed with it when I was younger and although I was too young to understand, I remember that it was a time of extreme anxiety for my parents. I am not sure how her treatments were, what her doctors said, or even how she really felt about her situation. A couple of years ago she was told that her initial diagnosis was false and that she didn't have MS. I always thought it was so odd, but it turns out that researchers estimate that 20% of those with MS in the United States are misdiagnosed. MS can be very damaging to the brain because the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths of the central nervous system. This can cause memory problems, fatigue, lack in concentration, and even paralysis in some cases.

            Alzheimer’s disease is another common one we see today affecting brain function.

It is crazy to see both the physical evidence from microscope slides of how damaging Alzheimer's Disease can be and seeing the before and after of someone affected, seeing the degradation of their capabilities and their personality especially. Especially in close family members, like grandparents who were intellectual behemoths but are reduced to a shell of their former state.

            Seeing the data, we can see that our brain is one of the most delicate and amazing structures in our body. Learning about how and why it is affected by drugs and injury can help in the prevention and treatment of those afflicted.

References

Sifferlin, A. (2017, July 25). Brain injury: CTE found in 87% of football players' brains. Time. Retrieved from https://time.com/4871597/degenerative-brain-disease-cte-football/ 

Understanding MS. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/MS-FAQ-s#siteExitModal