High estrogen can make you more susceptible to abusing drugs. If you are a woman, chances are you are familiar with fluctuating estrogen levels. Symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, and depression are common. If you suffer from any hormonal imbalances, your overall health is not the only thing impacted. Motivation, stress, and energy can be impacted. Learn more about the role of estrogen in addiction.
Estrogen and Substance Abuse
An important connection between estrogen and progression of substance abuse has been noticed. Higher estrogen levels can make women more vulnerable to the effects of certain drugs. Estrogen intensifies the brain’s dopamine reward pathway, which creates an increase in pleasurable feelings. When a woman is in the high-estrogen phase of menstruation, she may take some type of other drug for enjoyment and not realize the fluctuations she is experiencing.
Progesterone Lowers Drug Seeking Behavior
Progesterone plays a role in preparing the body for pregnancy. Like estrogen, when progesterone falls, estrogen becomes the dominant hormone. Researchers have noted when people struggling with dependency on drugs are given progesterone, the hormone plays a therapeutic role in curtailing smoking and cocaine use. Progesterone reduces a drug’s rewarding effects and lowers motivation for seeking out substances.
Check Your Levels
As you can tell, hormones responsible for progression towards substance abuse can be treated if you know what to look for. It helps to have those levels checked when you get checked into a treatment program. Getting a full physical and accounting of how your body is doing in recovery will support your journey forward in recovery, taking into account your chances of sobriety if you are working towards a holistic approach of healing the mind, body, and spirit.
The body is impacted by addiction just as much as the brain. When you look at all the levels in the body and ways it is impacted, you may appreciate more greatly how much better you feel when you are in recovery, giving your body a chance to heal and feel more stable overall.
The Springboard Center’s addiction treatment programs are tailored to meet the needs of each client. By utilizing a set of diverse methods of addiction treatment, we are able to deal with your addiction from all angles and concentrate on every aspect of your healing process. It is important to recognize that many of our services offer a group setting and environment, so that the client spends time with other people affected by the same chronic disease and problems. 432-620-0255
