This is particularly the perception for one of the most popular teen drugs known as Ecstasy. Ecstasy as well cocaine, alcohol,crack and even marijuana can do serious lifelong damage to the brain and subsequently to one's quality of life. The lifelong factor results from the brain's amazing ability to overcompensate and repair itself. When things are in balance, the status quo is met, and the brain repair system appears content. But when things get out of balance, the repair department comes to life and reacts quickly.
Drugs work in the brain by mimicking natural chemicals, called neurotransmitters.
By imitating these chemicals the drugs can override the system and keep pleasure centers and other regions active much longer than normal. But the brain will eventually try to correct this error. Some brains respond to the imbalance quicker than others. The first line of defense in the brain's repair department is to reduce the amount of chemical that the brain produces on it's own. That reduction leads to the drug user's perception of tolerance.