The Science of Addiction
General addiction is caused by using some sort of addictive substance (ranging from nicotine to alcohol) causing an individual to spend time, money, resources. In all forms of addiction, the person usually start voluntarily and then later lose control and their behaviour becomes involuntary - they spend all their efforts, time and resources to get it. In fact the word addiction is derived from a latin term which means ‘enslaved by’ or ‘bound to’. Addiction is based on the principle of hedonism which is our pursuit for pleasure by doing what we like and not doing what we don't like.
To understand the process of addiction you need to track the journey from liking to needing. Take for example an individual who is not interested in taking addictive substances or is just a ‘social drinker’. They start with controlled occasional use but slowly lose control due to some external factor like stress due to family problems. By taking the addictive substance, they get some sort of happiness depending on the various neurotransmitters released in our brain.
Neurotransmitters that give us 'happiness' are of 4 types:
• Endorphin – released due to physical pain (pain gives boost of endorphin)
• Dopamine – released due to a reward system
• Oxytocin – released due to trust and bonding
• Serotonin – released due to feeling of importance
Some people say that pain and pleasure is intertwined. When we were cavemen, we were always fearful and focused on survival so our only pleasure came from endorphins released by pain. By deliberately doing more dangerous activities we activate that specific type of happiness. Endorphins are also considered a requirement for survival as it boosts our energy and morale when in danger, but all life can’t be based on this.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that works on the mesolimbic system. This pathway is a more sustainable model compared to endorphins where secretion is connected to rewards. When you get good marks on a test after hard work, your brain secretes dopamine and makes you feel happy. However, the amount of dopamine released is kept in check and the situations that give rewards are short-term. Before when humans hunted, they had to wait for long time for they prey to fall in traps, and then by finally catching it the system would be triggered. This saves energy as your brain waits until everything is over to release short bursts of the dopamine neurotransmitter. Addictive substances like drugs, caffeine, alcohol, etc. hijack the dopamine system bringing that 'happiness' you feel for a lesser effort.
Oxytocin is related to trust like the relationship between mother and child so that when the mother is close oxytocin is released within the child's brain and vice versa. It can only be released when there is a bond, either with a partner or someone else and so is a subjective happiness as we can’t have people around always. Therefore, this model is not as sustainable as the dopamine reward system.
Serotonin is released only when you receive attention and importance. There is an evolutionary aspect to this as when animals fight each other, the predators and the strong receive respect and importance for being more dominant. They cause other animals to bow down and bend to their dominance and receive a boost of serotonin for it. By compromising to someone your serotonin levels go down.