Introducing drugs during this period of development may cause brain changes that have profound and long-lasting consequences. The fact that this critical part of a teen’s brain is still a work in progress puts them at increased risk for trying drugs or continuing to take them. But drugs can quickly take over a person’s life. Those changes may last a long time after a person has stopped taking drugs.11 Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences.† It is considered a brain disorder, because it involves functional changes to brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control.

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Telehealth appointments can facilitate access to medications for opioid use disorder. Both methadone and buprenorphine can be misused to achieve rewarding effects if injected instead of taken by mouth as prescribed.2 People without an opioid use disorder could experience a high when taking them orally. Naltrexone treatment is typically started after the person has completely stopped taking other opioid drugs; otherwise, the medication may cause withdrawal symptoms.16 Unlike methadone and buprenorphine, naltrexone works solely by blocking opioid receptors so that opioid drugs can no longer cause feelings of pleasure.14 Evidence also suggests that naltrexone reduces opioid cravings.15

Explore Topics in Substance Use and Addiction Science

Medications for opioid use disorder are also safe for women who are breastfeeding and for addiction specialist degrees, certifications, and qualifications their infants. Buprenorphine treatment may lead to better health outcomes for infants than methadone treatment. Treatment for opioid use disorder is important during pregnancy.

Are medications for opioid use disorder safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

• Treatment of chronic diseases involves changing deeply rooted behaviors, and relapse doesn’t mean treatment has failed.
• Developing an FDA-approved e-cigarette for smoking cessation could improve public health.
• While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly.
• Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems.
• Brain imaging studies of people with addiction show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control.12 These changes help explain the compulsive nature of addiction.
• The initial decision to take drugs is typically voluntary.

This booklet aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing scientific information about the disorder of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug use and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat substance use disorders. Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to addiction and the broader spectrum of substance use disorders have changed dramatically. Those views shaped society’s responses to drug use, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punishment rather than prevention and treatment. When scientists began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people with an addiction were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. For much of the past century, scientists studying drugs and drug use labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. New NIDA animation tackles a common question and explains the science behind drug use and addiction to help light the…

Scientists use this knowledge to develop effective prevention and treatment approaches that reduce the toll drug use takes on individuals, families, and communities. Groundbreaking discoveries about the brain have revolutionized our understanding of compulsive drug use, enabling us to respond effectively to the problem. Learn about health effects, risks, and treatment options. Supporting scientific research on drug use and addiction Provides scientific information about the disease of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug…

About NIDA

Both methadone and buprenorphine can reduce pain. Only minimal amounts of methadone or buprenorphine pass into breast milk.37 Breastfeeding helps the mother and infant to bond, and it can ease the symptoms of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome and improve a baby’s health outcomes. They help engage and keep people in treatment, increase patient satisfaction with their care, and reduce many of the traditional barriers to treatment, including stigma.12, 33

NIDA Research Programs & Activities

Watch artist and advocate William Stoehr’s intimate testimony, as he shares his story of loss to an opioid overdose and… What’s really in bath salts, N-bombs, and synthetic opioids? For example, it is now well-known that tobacco smoke can cause many cancers, methamphetamine can cause severe dental problems, known as meth mouth, and that opioids can lead to overdose and death. Imaging scans, chest X-rays, and blood tests can show the damaging effects of long-term drug use throughout the body. Stopping drug use is just one part of a long and complex recovery process.

This leads to compulsive use of the drug despite the negative impact that that compulsive drug use has on a person’s life. Scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse answer common questions teens ask about drug use and addiction. NIDA is a biomedical research organization and does not provide personalized medical advice, treatment, counseling, or legal consultation. NIDA plays a leading role in the National Institutes of Health HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term®) Initiative, an effort to develop new scientific solutions to the overdose epidemic, including opioid and stimulant use disorders, and the crisis of chronic pain. So, people with acute or chronic pain may be advised to continue using these medications.

This impairment in self-control is the hallmark of addiction. But with continued use, a person’s ability to exert self-control can become seriously impaired. Even relatively moderate drug use poses dangers. Both disrupt the normal, healthy functioning of an organ in the body, both have serious harmful effects, and both are, in many cases, preventable and treatable. Treatment approaches tailored to each patient’s drug use patterns and any co-occurring medical, mental, and social problems can lead to continued recovery. People who are recovering from an addiction will be at risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives.

• Today, thanks to science, our views and our responses to addiction and the broader spectrum of substance use disorders have changed dramatically.
• Occasional drug use, such as misusing an opioid to get high, can have similarly disastrous effects, including impaired driving and overdose.
• Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
• This booklet aims to fill that knowledge gap by providing scientific information about the disorder of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug use and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat substance use disorders.
• Even relatively moderate drug use poses dangers.

As a result, methadone produces less intense feelings of pleasure in people with opioid use disorder while reducing their withdrawal symptoms and drug cravings.5 Additionally, medications are used to help people detoxify from drugs, although detoxification is not the same as treatment and is not sufficient to help a person recover. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives. Introduces viewers to the brain’s reward pathway, brain development and how addiction science continues to advance treatment and prevention of substance use disorder. Many people who are taking medications for opioid use disorder have acute pain—for example, after surgery—or live with chronic pain.38 Pain management for these people requires special consideration. Treatment with methadone or buprenorphine is recommended for pregnant women with opioid use disorder.

Reflecting on NIDA’s 50th year and looking to 2025

Addiction is a brain disease that results from repeated use of a substance. I had never heard of the word until unfortunately I had a family friend pass away from a heroin overdose, and then the word addiction started coming up, addiction, heroin addiction. So, I will say, for me, when I was 14 years old I had no idea what addiction was.

They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. An official website of the United States government The Academy for Addiction Professionals is a leading addiction professional training center and an approved education provider for both the Florida Certification Board (FCB) and NAADAC. The CAP course and exam, as administered by the Florida Certification Board or local board to your state, seeks to set minimum standards for the treatment of addicts to ensure that everyone receives a high level of care from certified individuals.

While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. Treatment of chronic diseases involves changing deeply rooted behaviors, and relapse doesn’t mean treatment has failed. If people stop following their medical treatment plan, they are likely to relapse. Like treatment for other chronic diseases such as heart disease or asthma, addiction treatment is not a cure, but a way of managing the condition. Yes, addiction is a treatable disorder. One of the brain areas still maturing during adolescence is the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain that allows people to assess situations, make sound decisions, and keep emotions and desires under control.

Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction. As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. Medications for opioid use disorder are safe, effective, and save lives.

Methadone and buprenorphine can be equally effective in helping people reduce opioid use.10 Both medications help people stay in treatment. Several buprenorphine products are approved for treatment of opioid use disorder, including tablets that are placed under the tongue, extended-release injections, and implants. Buprenorphine also binds to and activates mu-opioid receptors in the brain, but to a lesser degree than methadone; it also can block other opioid drugs from attaching to those receptors.

This role comes with huge responsibilities which require the utmost in knowledge and ethical behavior. Addiction can feel very scary, especially if someone in your family has an addiction and it can feel like life is out of control. So, not having control of how much you drink or how much drug you use This causes changes in the reward circuitry of the brain and makes the inhibitory circuitry of the prefrontal cortex less strong.

These medications include methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.2 Another medication, lofexidine, is available to treat the acute symptoms of opioid withdrawal.3 They may also help treat withdrawal symptoms that occur when people stop taking opioids and reduce drug cravings without creating the strongly pleasurable effects of opioid drugs. As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a medical disorder that affects the brain and changes behavior. Fortunately, researchers have found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives. Beyond the harmful consequences for the person with the addiction, drug use can cause serious health problems for others. Some people with disorders like anxiety or depression may use drugs in an attempt to alleviate psychiatric symptoms.