The “Feel Good” Brain Chemicals

Recently I posted “Our Addictive Culture” and “The Four Types of Addiction.” In those articles, I wrote about the obvious – that addiction is everywhere, and is so common that sometimes it is hard to view it as addiction and not as “normal.”

In this post, you will see why it is so pervasive. The reason is so simple, it is often ignored: IT FEELS GOOD! Well, until it doesn’t – more on that later.

Regardless of the Type of addiction (Substance, Process, Systemic or Codependency), certain chemicals get stimulated and released in the brain. These chemicals are what make us feel good and feed the addiction.

Here are the brain chemicals, their purpose and their results:

Chemical Dopamine     Norepinephrine       Oxytocin     Prolactin     Serotonin

Purpose Attraction     Excitement       Bonding     Relief     Satisfaction

Result Increases focus, increases arousal, increases anticipation of pleasure (stimulates the psychological craving or obsession)   Increases adrenaline, increases heart rate, increases hyper-awareness, increases expectation of excitement and fulfillment. (stimulates the physiological compulsion)   Creates a feeling of connection, feels like “falling in love” or “coming home” or “filling a void,” increases trust in the addictive experience, decreases anxiety.   Feeling of euphoria, increases sense of togetherness or “at oneness,” releases tension.   Increases calmness, feeling of “delighted satisfaction,” increases relaxation, releases or eliminates stress, can lead to sleep or deep rest.

 (Note: Although the information in this chart is based on numerous scientific studies, I have simplified it for ease of understanding. Research studies that go into much more clinical detail can be found online.)

Take a moment to re-read the Results column. Do I even have to ask, who doesn’t want to feel that way? It’s what every human being longs for!

The problem is that when this chemical cycle wears off, we are left with the same uncomfortable feelings we had before. If we could not tolerate or accept those feelings in the first place, we are not likely to after a period of feeling wonderful. So we want and pursue more of the good feelings. And the addiction spiral begins to take hold as we need more and more of a “fix” in order to keep avoiding discomfort. At the same time, the discomfort keeps getting worse as we go through withdrawal.

But notice that these are BRAIN chemicals. They are a natural part of us, so we do not have to artificially induce them. Yes, addictions can do it faster and more intensely – that is exactly the problem. We become dependent on the “quick fix.” That is what makes addiction so alluring and powerful: we can control our “doses,” and thus dictate how we will feel at all times.

Except that there is an increase in tolerance – we need more and more to attain the same effect. We begin to put the attainment of relief first, thus impacting our relationships, careers, health, happiness, well-being, even our lives. Upon the inevitable withdrawal, our feelings of emptiness, separateness, anxiety, depression, fear, et cetera begin to increase. It can prove to overwhelm us.

So let’s get back to the fact that since they are brain chemicals we can trigger them naturally. How does that happen and what is the result?

Take another look at the Purpose column on the chart. Any experience in life that stimulates those conditions stimulates their corresponding chemicals. Watching your baby take their first step, seeing a beautiful sunset, landing your dream job, meeting your soul mate – everything that really matters to us, whether in great or lesser degrees, stimulates the release of these “feel good” chemicals.

That is a two-edged sword for people in recovery, because on the one hand we want a better life, with good jobs and happy relationships and such. But these things stimulate the same chemical reaction that “got us hooked.” So in early recovery, experiencing a lot of great life experiences can trigger relapse – we want more, faster. However, later in recovery the opposite happens – if we don’t pursue what makes us feel alive we get stagnant, stuck, dissatisfied, depressed. And that can lead to relapse if we do not take action by discovering and pursuing what makes us feel alive and vital.

We will look at that a bit deeper in the upcoming post, “Recovery: Coming Alive.”