Addiction and You Part 2

In the last post in this series we explored why many common addictions happen. There also uncommon addictions, many not related to dopamine at all, but I will cover these in a future post. But what happens to us when we become addicted? And why does addiction turn into dependency?

Let’s take cocaine as an extreme example, that nicely demonstrates what happens in addiction. When someone ingests cocaine, it results in a large dopamine spike. Such a large pleasure spike is attractive to the brain and so it makes a solid memory (via the hippocampus) of what brought such pleasure and also attaches a conditioned response to it (via the amygdala). This conditioned response increases motivation and desire for cocaine in the future.

This process is the same for all dopamine related addictions, some of which were discussed in the previous post. With regular repeated uses of cocaine, the constant unnatural spike of dopamine in the brain results in a reduction in dopamine receptors, ultimately meaning the same level of dopamine will feel less pleasurable next time. This is a bad place to be caught – your brain motivates you to take more/do more of the pleasurable thing, yet at the same time it makes it a little less pleasurable every time, meaning you need more of it to have the same feeling of pleasure you had the first time. And on it goes, until you are addicted to a thing that doesn’t bring you much pleasure and you feel low the whole time.

Cocaine, in fact, is particularly bad for this because of two impacts. Firstly, it causes the release of a huge amount of dopamine. Secondly, it actively blocks the dopamine reuptake mechanism, meaning the dopamine stays around for longer – both making you feel the pleasurable high for longer, but also damaging your receptors for longer.

Where are we left with all this? Scrolling social media endlessly, not enjoying it yet not able put it down. Eating sugary or fatty foods until we are overweight, yet still being drawn towards more. Spending money every day on things you don’t need and getting stressed or low due to money or clutter. All the while, using up time on these activities that could be use productively on ourselves, our own mental wellbeing and connecting meaningfully with others.

However, no matter where you are on the continuum of addiction – whether you are taking cocaine every morning or spending three hours a day browsing social media, there is hope. Luckily, our dopamine receptors can regenerate/repair. There isn’t a drug, as expensive as it is damaging, to do this. You can do it yourself. Holistically.  By following simple steps and staying determined to win back control over the out-dated parts of our brain. But it is a slow process and the further you are into addiction, the longer it takes to regain control. To regain control means to not depend, or need, substances and things that are not beneficial to us. It means to be in control of your actions and to feel pleasure, again, in the simple things.

In the next post, we’ll explore what can be done to break the cycle of addiction.