Oscar Wilde was known because of his literary genius but also because of his appetites, considered unacceptable during the Victorian age. He famously commented that the best things in life were either “illegal, immoral or they make you fat”. So if the darker face of pleasure is addiction, the possibility of sliding into the abyss exists for all.
Even though pleasure is critical to our survival as a species and for the propagation of our genes, today’s hyper-consumerist society has structured the globalised economy so that people relate to themselves first and foremost as ‘consumers’ voracious for fulfillment.
With a society that bases its sense of identity and self worth on what it ‘has’ as opposed to what it ‘is’; the raison d’être for existence becomes questionable and in some cases, unsustainable. Inevitably, where you have there is addiction. Not everyone succumbs, but it is blatantly obvious just how many do.
HARDWIRED TO CATCH A THRILL
Across a variety of experiences and substances, from illicit drugs and sex, to bungee jumping, frenzied shopping, compulsive eating, driving fast cars, to youngsters playing spinning games to feel dizzy; humans keep chasing the elusive adrenaline rush for that moment of instant gratification.
What is often forgotten nowadays is also just how transcendent experiences such as prayer, meditation, communing with nature, even running, can also activate a distinct pleasure circuit in the brain and release a neurotransmitter called ‘dopamine.’ The challenge emerges when we can’t get enough of the buzz, so the action is repeated again and again, often ad nauseum and to the detriment of ourselves and others.
THE ADRENALINE RUSH IS ADDICTIVE
If intoxication is defined as the ‘power to make you feel excited so that you cannot think clearly,’ that is also what addiction is. More than just a mental compulsion, it is now scientifically accepted that addiction is related to transformations in the biochemical functions of brain neurons as well as synaptic connections.
Aside from any cultural and environmental propensity towards addiction, latest research indicates that a blunted dopamine system is also a culprit for craving. This predisposition is conferred by an individual’s genes. Whilst there is no particular gene for addiction, scientists claim that a ‘blunting’ of the dopamine action within the pleasure circuit – as similar to those suffering from Parkinson’s disease – is the cause.
NOT ENOUGH DOPAMINE RELEASED BY THE BRAIN?
Basically as their dopamine neurons die off, those afflicted by Parkinson’s experience a personality shift and they eventually become less able to experience pleasure. By prescribing mid-stage sufferers with medications that activate dopamine production (or mimic the action of dopamine receptors), their problems can be curtailed. However, if the dosage is wrong then they can exhibit traits common to addicts. For instance, they seek excessive risks, hanker after novelty, fritter away money and generally behave in a highly impulsive and compulsive way.
ARE BRAINS SCANS THE ANSWER?
As it is not practical to test dopamine levels given that the
brain scanning equipment required is highly sophisticated, dosages of dopamine would be prescribed based on psychological behaviour. Those battling with addiction must remember that even though their condition is characterised in 12-step support groups as being ‘powerful, cunning and baffling’; essentially the initial trigger of addiction and relapse
is thought to be caused by stress.
Nowadays researchers are also able to trace keys that are predictive of loss of dopamine function. They know for instance that if people have a gene called the ‘A1 variant of the D2 subtype of dopamine receptor’, they have a higher risk of becoming addicted. But, it is debatable whether it’s beneficial to
undergo testing to discover this. After all, how this type of information is used is crucial. Should doctors reveal it to medical insurance companies or the government? If they did, what impact would that have on those tested?
A CALM & BALANCED LIFESTYLE IS KEY
From having an argument, to work pressure, any excitement or even fighting off a viral infection; the adrenal glands go into overdrive and secrete stress hormones that bind with the stress hormone receptors on the surface of neurons in your brain’s pleasure circuit. This sets in motion several electrical biochemical changes that cause you to crave. This is why leading a calm and balanced lifestyle is particularly required for those with a tendency to fly off the handle and fuel their addictive streak in whatever way it exhibits itself.
When it comes to young men who indulge in far more risky behaviour, like extreme sports or driving cars at high speed, than men in their 50s and beyond; could this too be dopamine-related? The capacity of the brain’s prefrontal cortex responsible for decision making, executional ability and self control to send information to other parts of the brain isn’t fully mature until about the age of 20 and this is why it is thought that teenagers in particular exhibit risk-taking behaviour. Nevertheless, this tends to be greater in males who have the gene variance that stunts correct dopamine signalling and are therefore at a higher risk for addiction.
CHANNELING ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR POSITIVELY
Whilst it can be argued that having a driven personality is not always a negative thing as it can be beneficial, especially in a professional environment, how that addictive trait plays out is the pivotal issue that then determines how successfully an individual can function in society. For instance, risk takers are often those that are at the top of their profession. If they were to be measured for dopamine variance; who knows it could actually be blunted. Either way, if you look carefully, there are far more ‘addictive types’ among successful people than there are in the general population as those natural traits and an addictive personality aren’t entirely alien from one another.
FOOD THE MOST INSTINCTUAL ADDICTION
Ultimately, with all this talk of desire running riot and to some degree being aided and abetted by a highly permissive and consumerist society, the medical community concurs that one of the fastest growing addictions is food. With societies worldwide exchanging traditional diets with a westernised diet that is highly processed, high in calories, fat and sugar, the recipe is apparently disastrous. When consumed excessively, this food also blunts the so-called pleasure circuit in a similar way that drugs and alcohol do. As people’s eating habits have altered, food manufacturers have become ‘enablers’ by creating products in portion sizes and with ingredients that can exacerbate addictive tendencies.
So next time you use the word ‘addiction’, think of its true meaning and of the scourge it is wreaking on society and if unguarded also on ourselves. One thing is saying, “I’m addicted to that TV programme”, but another is feeling physical withdrawal symptoms, doing something even though we feel disgusted by it and doing something even if we know it’s dangerous.