Our body needs sensations that lead us to pleasure, our brain is the one who commands this dependence through neurotransmitters. The consumption of some foods, such as chocolate and coffee, stimulate the production of serotonin, which is a brain neurotransmitter responsible for the sensation of pleasure and happiness. To give you an idea, due to their beneficial effects, these foods are consumed a lot and, depending on the frequency of consumption, they can even become addictive to a sensitive person.
So far so good, the problem started when dangerous substances appeared: drugs. They have practically the same active principle as some foods, for example: chocolate that has Anandamide, a type of fat that activates the same brain chemical receptors involved in the consumption of marihuana.
Anandamide is an analogue of the active ingredient in marijuana, has functions in the nervous system and in the immune system (defence of the organism). This type of substance acts on the brain mechanism to make us fall into the trap of narcotics. From then on, all sources of pleasure cease to have the same importance and only the consumption of the narcotic becomes pleasant, or that is, the chemical substances found in drugs, besides being harmful, give us pleasure, imitating the molecules that our brain need.
There are several substances that cause this distortion: alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, cocaine, among others.
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By Líria Alves
Graduated in Chemistry
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUZA, Líria Alves de. "Why do we like to use drugs?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/drogas/por-que-gostamos-consumir-drogas.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.