Most of us have come into contact with someone who has a drug addiction. They look like normal people on the outside, but their mental state is entirely different. That’s what people who attended the Health Fair /Town Hall meeting learned Friday night. The meeting covered drug addiction and the abuse of opioids.

Research indicates that brain changes that occur over time with drug use challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. “Many people who struggle with abuse took opioids as a pain release and now their body requires the drug.” said Lisa Cripps, DeKalb Prevention Coalition Coordinator.

That is why drug addiction is considered a disease. Most drugs affect the brain’s reward circuit by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy activities, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. Over time the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine, which reduces what the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug. They might take more of the drug and try to achieve the same dopamine high.

The temporary high eventually goes away and causes the individual to get depressed. “One night I rented a hotel room. I had some drugs and vodka. I was at a low point and did not want to live anymore.” said Thomas Gabriel, former drug user and Johnny Cash’s grandson who performed at the event last week.

Gabriel started using drugs at a young age because it was available everywhere. Eventually he got addicted and developed serious health problems because of the abuse. Later he checked into Sober Living Service Omega House in Smithville and got clean.