Wired for Addiction?

For years I’ve worked with people who have serious addiction history. In the beginning, I didn’t really understand the science behind it. Though my exposure was limited, I learned a few things in that early going. 

They say the opposite of addiction is connection. It’s true. 

To live in addiction is one of the loneliest places to be. Unless you’ve been there or have family or friends who are, it’s hard to understand.

People never set out to get addicted to anything. Then why do so many end up there?

There’s no simple answer, but here’s something you may not realize. You are wired for addiction.

As humans, the brain endows us with certain abilities and tendencies. At the top of the list, our brains are hardwired for two things—to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

Think of pleasure and pain as existing on a balance scale. When the scale tips toward pain, our brains seek to neutralize that imbalance with pleasure, and vice-versa.

For early humans, the painful presence of hunger was offset by the motivation and pleasurable reward of finding food. Living out in the elements led to the innovations of fire, clothing and shelter. It’s a vital mechanism for survival.

The brain does this by producing dopamine, which activates a pleasure response to an activity or substance. Problem is, we have engineered many things that cause huge doses of dopamine, rewarding us with pleasure.

And the brain’s response? It tilts the scales toward pain, offsetting that massive release of dopamine. The result is restlessness, depression, or anxiety, until we get another dose of dopamine to offset the pain. 

It can be a vicious cycle. 

Any behavior or thing that causes the release of dopamine can be addictive. Dr. Lembke, a psychologist specializing in addiction and author of Dopamine Nation, says that compulsive over-consumption describes 90% of our population.

A majority of us exist on the brink of our next addiction.

We live in a world in which immediate pleasure-producing options are increasingly, readily available. At the same time, stress, uncertainty and anxiety are more present than ever. 

And the result? We’ve become more sensitive to pain, and there’s a lot of it out there. 

And in here. 

Why wouldn’t we self-medicate to ease the pain? We medicate everything else. Considering that we’re naturally wired to avoid pain and pursue pleasure, is it any wonder addiction is a major human issue?

So what should be our response to this rising trend in addiction?

If it’s your friend or family member—compassion. If it’s you, then compassion is still the answer. You didn’t choose this, you were wired for it. Stop beating yourself up.

But though you may not have chosen this, you are, nonetheless, the one who can change it. No one else can.

The good news is that change is doable, and it’s near. 

Here’s to getting started,

Tim

PS—BTW, I don’t use the term “addict”. It’s a label that’s final. Addiction—that’s a temporary condition. Reach out. Your next conversation can change everything.

Please share.