Drugs Lecture- Jennelle Long

The lecture on Drugs was very interesting to me in learning that caffeine which is extremely popular and most people consume every single day falls under the same category as drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and opiates. Like most college students, coffee is the first thing that I drink when I wake up and have at least one to two more cups throughout the day. Soda is also something that I enjoy, but do not consume everyday. There are days that I will crave it but for the most part this is not something that I need everyday. The genetics of addiction was fascinating to me, that you could be born with a more vulnerable personality because you were exposed to this growing up in your home. This does not mean that you have to be addicted to drugs or alcohol but also gambling, shopping, and many other topics. Individuals become addicted to the feeling they are getting when taking part in these activities.
The reward deficiency syndrome which is defined as the brains pleasure center is less sensitive to dopamine. A lower sensitivity leads to individuals to turn to drugs to get that pleasure that they are lacking. Drugs only have their pleasures when they reach the pleasure area of the brain.
Personally, I do believe that addiction is a disease and once you are addicted it is not something that you can just snap right out of. There are long periods of time where you may begin to go through withdrawals and want to fall back onto the path that you were once on. We have to understand that some people may then turn to other drugs such as nicotine and medical marijuana to cope.