The Compass of Pleasure Response
Addiction and the Future of Pleasure
Addiction is a term that’s tossed around lightly. Many people use it every day to describe their strong desire or liking for something such as coffee, candy, or sports. Although most people believe they understand the meaning of addiction, the real concept of it is rooted deep inside the brain. Defining addiction isn’t as easy as the understanding of how much you love sports or the fact that you can’t go a day without coffee. The only way to truly define addiction is through the symptoms of a true addict:
“When the behavior [of the addict] continues despite continued negative life consequences… When the addict’s behavior seems necessary in order to ‘feel normal’ and to be able to face the typical stresses of life… When the addict repeatedly breaks promises to himself or others about quitting…When the addict regrets having engaged in the behavior” (117-118).
These symptoms are what define addiction and are the best way to classify it as well as begin to understand it.
But defining addiction is just one step. To actually understand addiction we must know what causes it and what happens internally during it. To many, addiction to drugs, gambling, and other activities may seem like a choice; however, addiction isn’t the addict’s choice. Only the initial indulgence in the activity is. What takes place after the drugs are consumed or that first game of poker takes place is completely neurological. In fact, addiction is a disease. When a heroin addict takes a hit, it stimulates the neurotransmitter system of his brain, producing dopamine and activating the feeling of pleasure he gets. This physical change that takes place in the body at this time is what classifies addiction as a disease. Addiction not only produces a large amount of dopamine, but the greatest change in the body is the rewiring of the brain. The long-lasting, rewiring changes to the brain are “electrical, morphological, and biochemical functions of the neurons
Addiction is a term that’s tossed around lightly. Many people use it every day to describe their strong desire or liking for something such as coffee, candy, or sports. Although most people believe they understand the meaning of addiction, the real concept of it is rooted deep inside the brain. Defining addiction isn’t as easy as the understanding of how much you love sports or the fact that you can’t go a day without coffee. The only way to truly define addiction is through the symptoms of a true addict:
“When the behavior [of the addict] continues despite continued negative life consequences… When the addict’s behavior seems necessary in order to ‘feel normal’ and to be able to face the typical stresses of life… When the addict repeatedly breaks promises to himself or others about quitting…When the addict regrets having engaged in the behavior” (117-118).
These symptoms are what define addiction and are the best way to classify it as well as begin to understand it.
But defining addiction is just one step. To actually understand addiction we must know what causes it and what happens internally during it. To many, addiction to drugs, gambling, and other activities may seem like a choice; however, addiction isn’t the addict’s choice. Only the initial indulgence in the activity is. What takes place after the drugs are consumed or that first game of poker takes place is completely neurological. In fact, addiction is a disease. When a heroin addict takes a hit, it stimulates the neurotransmitter system of his brain, producing dopamine and activating the feeling of pleasure he gets. This physical change that takes place in the body at this time is what classifies addiction as a disease. Addiction not only produces a large amount of dopamine, but the greatest change in the body is the rewiring of the brain. The long-lasting, rewiring changes to the brain are “electrical, morphological, and biochemical functions of the neurons
Cited: Linden, David J. The Compass of Pleasure. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2011. Print.