Dopamine
Happy! Good! Great!
True or false: The higher the dopamine rises, the worse the feelings tend to be when the dopamine drops back down.
True! What goes up must come down. The brain recognizes excess dopamine, and it wants to bring it back down to baseline to maintain homeostasis. When dopamine inevitably comes back down, the difference between the dopamine level experienced from substance use and our "baseline" is going to make us feel "low" in comparison.
Fun fact: when dopamine comes back down after substance use, it tends to fall a little below baseline, which accounts for the tendency to feel particularly low when the "crash" comes after substance use.
True!
This means that two people can do the same activity and, depending on their baseline dopamine release, one might enjoy the activity much more than the other.
What might this mean for people's different reactions to the same substance?
True or false: With continuous substance use, the brain quits producing its own dopamine and relies on substances to provide dopamine release.
True!
This is one reason why many individuals struggle with enjoying anything other than their DOC when battling addiction.
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has described addiction as, "the narrowing of things that bring us pleasure" for this reason.
Typically speaking, the average person's dopamine increases by about 50% above their baseline when they eat chocolate. What percentage of dopamine release is thought to occur with amphetamine use?
1000% above baseline.
How does this impact the likelihood of developing an addiction?
True!
Remember, dopamine's intended, main function=reinforcing behavior that supports our survival.
True or false: If touching a hot stove released dopamine, it would be a behavior we would want to repat.
True!
True or false: the brain feels fewer and fewer cravings for excessive dopamine surges as natural dopamine levels are maintained.
True! Your brain has to get used to natural dopamine levels, which often has to have time to return to baseline from below baseline when substance use stops.
Dopamine is commonly known as the "pleasure molecule," but what is the purpose of that feeling of pleasure?
To motivate and reinforce a behavior. It's the brain's way of saying, "this activity is good for us, it helps us, we should do it again."
How do you think this impacts developing an addiction to a substance?
One of the chemical changes that take place in the brain due to substance use is the brain's attempt to ________ dopamine supplies.
Regulate or replenish.