the psychology behind addiction

The one-word answer to knowing why we get so drawn to addictions and attachments is dopamine. Many of us would have heard about it as it is the principal hormone responsible for inducing pleasure in us. Dopamine not only is accountable for pleasure but also contributes to learning and memory. As a result, the brain records the stimulus and keeps craving it.

Addictions and attachments activate the reward center in our brains using a shortcut mechanism thus flooding our brain with huge amounts of dopamine in an instant. Due to this, the brain gets easily hooked to engaging in addictive behaviors again and again. As the brain gets desensitized to dopamine levels, it craves more dopamine, thus starting a feedback loop that drives us to keep repeating the same behaviors.

In nature, rewards usually come only with time and effort. Addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. With repetitive indulgence, pleasure takes a backseat and obsession and compulsion kick in.

It is useful to understand the underlying causes of addictive behaviors so that we can better decipher our motivations behind indulging in these poisonous behaviors.

• Mental issues: There is evidence that mental health issues and addictions go hand in hand. Often people with mental issues such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are drawn to stimuli that are addictive in nature. Addictions become coping mechanisms initially, but with repetitive indulgence, they lead to chronic problems. Both addictions and mental issues feed off each other and can significantly deteriorate a person’s health if remain unchecked. On a minuscule scale, we all get anxious, stressed, and depressed, and in those times, we must build habits that uplift our well-being rather than find refuge in addictions and external stimuli.
• Trauma: A deep-rooted link has been found between trauma and addiction. Trauma lies in the eye of the beholder and the nature of the traumatic event varies from person to person. For some, it may be fighting in a war, while for some it may be a car accident or a bad breakup. Every individual processes an unfortunate event in a different way. Trauma may cause the manifestation of mental issues, leading to involvement in addictive behaviors in order to cope.
• Sexual issues: Certain sexual apprehensions, may lead to addictions and uncontrollable attachments. Depending on how conservative the society is and how sexual freedom is practiced, individuals may suffer from various sexual issues. TheLGBTQcommunity is at a higher risk due to challenging circumstances and a lack of acceptance. Shame and guilt may fuel these addictive behaviors leading to engagement in high-risk activities. Lack of comfort and confusion may drive people to get involved in substance abuse as well as different kinds of addictions to find relief. This backfires and leads to the manifestation of other mental health and serious issues. Sexual abuse during childhood and traumatic events like rape may drive the victim to get involved with addictions. Because of the lack of communication and expression of piled-up feelings, addictions and attachments become common avenues to deal with challenges.
• Negative Emotions: When people experience negative emotions such as fear, insecurity, jealousy, unworthiness, and self-doubt, their self-esteem plummets down, and they become susceptible to being influenced by the seduction of addictions. Not feeling good leaves anunfillablevoid in a person, referred to as a “hole in the soul” by the Big Book. The perception of the person gets flawed and hence the world starts to feel like a negative and hellish place. Addictions and attachments become the best ways to quench the thirst and fill this void in the person. However, the hollowness remains, driving the person to participate in ensuing negative and self-sabotaging behaviors.
• Boredom: The famous adage “An idle mind is a devil’s playground” is very true. Boredom can quickly become an easy excuse to engage in addictive behaviors. In reality, it is simply a manifestation of a lack of purpose, inspiration, and self-motivation, and of running out of creativity. People get imprisoned by the monotony of life and start feeling stuck in their lives, their jobs, and relationships craving for novelty and escape. Instead of finding healthier alternatives to relieve this boredom, people start participating in anti-social and self-destructive behaviors that cause further pain, misery, and loneliness. In her post titled “Boredom - a very real road to addiction” in Psychology Today, Carole Bennett writes, “Boredom is often simply a state of awareness that shows up just prior to the surfacing of difficult, painful things we have stuffed away from our conscious awareness.” Seeking thrills and adrenaline rush in high-risk activities may help us deal with boredom, but we end up paying a heavy price in the long run. Engaging in self-introspection and knowing what passions, interests, activities and events inspire us and make us happy can go a long way in spending quality time in worthwhile pursuits instead of feeling victimized and empty due to boredom. An open mind, optimism, and curiosity can be effective tools to overcome boredom and getting stuck in the mundane. We must accept that boredom is a part of life and take responsibility for our actions. Finding strategies to tackle boredom will definitely help us in living a happier and healthier life.