The physiology of addiction

We all know there are many different reasons why a person becomes addicted to a substance or a behavior. This month I wish to share information on what happens inside of the brain with substance addictions.

 When scientists began studying addictions in the 1930s the common belief was that any addiction was the result of a weak personality or of no self-control. Fortunately experts now understand addictions are serious medical and psychological concerns.

 For clarification, some drug addition can cause mental disorders and some mental disorders cause a person to become addicted easier. While addictions themselves are not genetic the tendency towards addiction may be hereditary.

 Recently there has been much talk about dopamine in the media. While dopamine is a key neurotransmitter with addictions it is not the only one involved. Dopamine is part of the brain’s reward center. When a person makes a good decision, such as exercising, dopamine sends out a “this feels great, that was a good decision” message.

 Addictive substances can mimic the brain’s neurotransmitters and overload the brain’s reward system causing a person to feel abnormally high bursts of “this feels good” messages. It has been described as a feeling of euphoria. Once the drug leaves the brain and the high wears off dopamine drops to abnormally low levels, causing a person to feel depressed and empty. The person then seeks more drug in an attempt to repeat that feeling of euphoria and again must deal with the resulting abnormally low levels of dopamine.

 Scientists have recently learned that the psyche does indeed like its homeostatic position, like a set of perfectly balanced scales. When there is too much pain the body seeks pleasure to balance the scales. When there is too much pleasure the body seeks pain to balance the scales. This need for homeostasis can accelerate addiction cycles.

 After prolonged use of drugs which mimic neurotransmitters the brain stops making its own and depends solely on the drug for its supply. This is especially true of nicotine. Another danger is high dopamine bursts can damage the brain.

 Here are some thoughts on sugar addiction which is becoming a national epidemic.

 Refined sugars contain zero nutrients and have the exact same effect on the brain that cocaine does, only stronger. One study revealed rats consistently chose sugar over cocaine, regardless of the strength of the cocaine.

 One major concern is the food industry can hide refined sugar in their ingredient lists as there are 262 different names for sugar. As a result we often consume added sugars without knowing it.

 The biggest challenge is even though the human body can function efficiently without caffeine or alcohol, and definitely without drugs, the brain and nerves cannot function without glucose, specifically energy-regulating areas like the hypothalamus. The ideal situation is to break sugar addictions yet still give the brain appropriate glucose sources.

 According to an article from Mayo Clinic, the best sources of brain glucose are whole grains and legumes since they provide a slow, steady supply of glucose instead of that instant high from refined, nutritionally vacant sugars. These foods are nutrient rich and feed the body.

 The good news is science has proven it is possible to overcome any addiction, and refined sugar is one of the easiest to conquer.

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