A General Overview on How Brain Mechanisms, Environmental Factors, and Personality Traits Affect the Development of Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse

Faculty of Science, Alberta University, T6G 2R3, Edmonton, Canada

^* Corresponding author: meizhu@ualberta.ca

Abstract

It is currently recognized that drug addiction is a brain disease brought on by substance usage, which modifies the biochemistry and structure of the brain and has multifaceted behavioral repercussions on those who abuse drugs. This article aims to discuss the biological, environmental, and personality factors that contribute to drug addiction by overviewing the brain mechanisms behind initial motivation and subsequent reinforcement of persistent drug use, as well as how environmental variables and personal traits affect individuals experimenting with drugs. Early drug addiction can be attributed to an innate reward circuit called the mesolimbic pathway. While subsequence craving is sustained by synaptic plasticity in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. Trauma histories, social norms and social networks, and early drug exposure due to family members' experiences with drug use can all serve as triggers for drug use. However, under specific conditions, some of these variables can also have the reverse effect, averting substance usage in the first place. Studies have found a correlation between drug abuse and personality disorders, and there are shared characteristics in the personalities of addicts, it is still impractical to say for sure whether a particular personality disorder is a root cause of drug addiction, and more research needs to be done.