Alright... now for something academic...

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Replies

  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I was always taught the brain does not know the difference between drugs, food, sex etc., it only knows "hey, that feels dang good, lets do that again." (through the release of neurotransmitters) After time, if the behaviors are repeated it can become habit, which through repeating behaviors can lead to addiction, which affects all aspects of a persons life. They are unable to function appropriately through daily living and neuropathways are altered, which makes addiction extremely difficult to break.

    That is correct... but the difference is how the pleasure sensation is transmitted to the brain and the rapidness with which the dopamine is released. If sensory organs are used in the transmission of the sensation of pleasure, then the electrical impulses must travel through the nervous system to generate the release. As it travels, the sensation deintensifies and the brain is subjected to a moderate release of dopamine. However, you do not drink alcohol for the taste, nor do you inject heroin for the pain of the stick, therefore, the reward response is far more immediate and dramatic. Addiction is far more likely under those circumstances.

    A binge-eater that succumbs to the compulsion of eating, over time, desensitizes the sensory organ (in this case the tongue) and eats not for the taste of the food, but for the act of eating itself. This is the point that food becomes an addiction.

    But I do drink alcohol for the taste.
    I do not like to get buzzed and I am not addicted

    Exactly. If you do something for the sake of pleasuring a sensory organ, then it is not addiction.

    But I used to be addicted while enjoying the taste at the same time.

    Once you are addicted, you are always addicted. You can't just taste alcohol and refrain. If you were truly addicted, the taste alone would be enough to drive you back into the depths of addiction.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    I was always taught the brain does not know the difference between drugs, food, sex etc., it only knows "hey, that feels dang good, lets do that again." (through the release of neurotransmitters) After time, if the behaviors are repeated it can become habit, which through repeating behaviors can lead to addiction, which affects all aspects of a persons life. They are unable to function appropriately through daily living and neuropathways are altered, which makes addiction extremely difficult to break.

    That is correct... but the difference is how the pleasure sensation is transmitted to the brain and the rapidness with which the dopamine is released. If sensory organs are used in the transmission of the sensation of pleasure, then the electrical impulses must travel through the nervous system to generate the release. As it travels, the sensation deintensifies and the brain is subjected to a moderate release of dopamine. However, you do not drink alcohol for the taste, nor do you inject heroin for the pain of the stick, therefore, the reward response is far more immediate and dramatic. Addiction is far more likely under those circumstances.

    A binge-eater that succumbs to the compulsion of eating, over time, desensitizes the sensory organ (in this case the tongue) and eats not for the taste of the food, but for the act of eating itself. This is the point that food becomes an addiction.

    But I do drink alcohol for the taste.
    I do not like to get buzzed and I am not addicted

    Exactly. If you do something for the sake of pleasuring a sensory organ, then it is not addiction.

    But I used to be addicted while enjoying the taste at the same time.

    Once you are addicted, you are always addicted. You can't just taste alcohol and refrain. If you were truly addicted, the taste alone would be enough to drive you back into the depths of addiction.

    That is where you are wrong.
    I was truly addicted.
    My life was completely out of control.
    Alcohol controlled me.
    I am now in control of alcohol.
    I can literally take a sip of beer, set it down and walk away.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    I was always taught the brain does not know the difference between drugs, food, sex etc., it only knows "hey, that feels dang good, lets do that again." (through the release of neurotransmitters) After time, if the behaviors are repeated it can become habit, which through repeating behaviors can lead to addiction, which affects all aspects of a persons life. They are unable to function appropriately through daily living and neuropathways are altered, which makes addiction extremely difficult to break.

    That is correct... but the difference is how the pleasure sensation is transmitted to the brain and the rapidness with which the dopamine is released. If sensory organs are used in the transmission of the sensation of pleasure, then the electrical impulses must travel through the nervous system to generate the release. As it travels, the sensation deintensifies and the brain is subjected to a moderate release of dopamine. However, you do not drink alcohol for the taste, nor do you inject heroin for the pain of the stick, therefore, the reward response is far more immediate and dramatic. Addiction is far more likely under those circumstances.

    A binge-eater that succumbs to the compulsion of eating, over time, desensitizes the sensory organ (in this case the tongue) and eats not for the taste of the food, but for the act of eating itself. This is the point that food becomes an addiction.

    This sounds a lot like that 800lb guy who posted in the forums that he got his groceries delivered 3 times daily because he literally couldn't have any food in the house or he would eat it. Olive oil, syrup etc. That is a true food addiction right there I suppose.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    My addiction has ruined my life and controls my thoughts. If I continue down this pass I can expect an early death or a debilitated life.

    Not sure the point of your post, but some struggle day to day to avoid killing oneself to the cycle of addiction.

    Implying I am not familiar with the struggles of addiction. The point to this post was to point out the trivial way in which the word 'addiction' is used to justify a lack of will power and self-control. I have 8 years of sobriety, myself. The fight against a true addiction is nothing like giving into the compulsion to eat a bag of M&M's and that is the point of this post.

    Sensitive recovering addict. I just dont like to see trivialization of anyones struggle. If you do face an addiction it can sometimes set you back when it's implied you just lack will power as somehow that internal struggle is meaningless. My brother also struggled/struggles with alcohol and cocaine, I chose/choose food, but we both face a demon everyday that we either win or lose against for the rest of our lives. I dont think my struggle to nourish and not harm by body is any less admirable than my brother's struggle to avoid taking another snort of coke. In fact, I would argue it is more noble because I have to face the addiction every time I eat. I have to decide with every single bite do I want my preferred addictive substances because I need to eat or because I need to feed. Sometimes that line is not always clear.
  • sandip69
    sandip69 Posts: 20
    a fascinating debate. There's clearly no black and white here. People tend to vary a great deal and how they deal with compulsion and addiction and I don't think they are 2 mutually exclusive conditions. There's always some sort of perceived gain when we do something which is "bad for us" and physiological addiction e.g to alcohol where abstaining can sometimes kill you is the far end of the spectrum. Abstaining from heroin will not kill you, it will just make you feel bloody awful. Laying off the pies and burgers is another thing entirely, that's just willpower and finding the motivation/inspiration
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    The recovery approach is different for each individual due to different severity levels. One person may want to participate in different approaches that suit their specific needs, such as AA, OA, group therapy, one on one cognitive behavioral therapy, medication and there are those that decide to stop on their own. There are different severity levels that come with addiction and I do not believe there is a one size fits all approach, recovery should be tailored to individual needs. Addiction is addiction. Yes, there are basics in how the body and brain work, however, individual circumstances and environments can exacerbate the problem, hinder progress and make overcoming any type of addiction much more difficult for a person. One person may be able to approach recovery differently than the next person, but that does not take away from the struggles of each individual. Can a person become addicted to substances? Yes. Can a person become addicted to food? Yes. Is the word "addiction" overused sometimes to absolve a person from taking responsibility? Yes. Are some things over diagnosed? Yes. However, addiction is real and it exists, regardless of severity levels.
  • robdel302
    robdel302 Posts: 292 Member
    Interesting article, I'm still reading it but a lot of it makes sense. I have issues with A.D.H.D. so I fully understand the problem with a lack of dopamine. Food was never an addiction but more of a stimulus. And a stimulus is something those of us who already suffer from low levels of dopamine are always on the hunt for. I was recently prescribed wellbutrin for my A.D.H.D. and I rarely binge when I take it.

    It’s possible that some of the people suffering from a food addiction could be due to some other hormone. For example, dark chocolate and spicy foods have been noted to correlate with the release of endorphins; page 242 mentions these neurotransmitters can have “dopamine type effect”. There could be some sort of Pavlovian link here; this warrants further study…
  • Fithealthyforlife
    Fithealthyforlife Posts: 866 Member
    In our brain are opioid receptors. When a person gets hooked on narcotics, these receptors build up a tolerance, and the person needs more and more narcotic to deliver the same affect. The behavior pattern of cravings, usage, tolerance, and withdrawl is addiction.

    Our body is a complex organism, and under ideal circumstances, we should not become addicted to things like food if the body is running at peak performance. But if deficiencies exist, a person will crave certain nutrients. The more junk food the person eats, the greater the deficiency will become, and the more they will crave. The pattern is one of addiction.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    My addiction has ruined my life and controls my thoughts. If I continue down this pass I can expect an early death or a debilitated life.

    Not sure the point of your post, but some struggle day to day to avoid killing oneself to the cycle of addiction.

    Implying I am not familiar with the struggles of addiction. The point to this post was to point out the trivial way in which the word 'addiction' is used to justify a lack of will power and self-control. I have 8 years of sobriety, myself. The fight against a true addiction is nothing like giving into the compulsion to eat a bag of M&M's and that is the point of this post.

    Sensitive recovering addict. I just dont like to see trivialization of anyones struggle. If you do face an addiction it can sometimes set you back when it's implied you just lack will power as somehow that internal struggle is meaningless. My brother also struggled/struggles with alcohol and cocaine, I chose/choose food, but we both face a demon everyday that we either win or lose against for the rest of our lives. I dont think my struggle to nourish and not harm by body is any less admirable than my brother's struggle to avoid taking another snort of coke. In fact, I would argue it is more noble because I have to face the addiction every time I eat. I have to decide with every single bite do I want my preferred addictive substances because I need to eat or because I need to feed. Sometimes that line is not always clear.

    I never said that food addiction doesn't exist. What I said is that one is far more likely to become addicted to narcotics/alcohol than someone is to become addicted to food. What I meant was that too many people claim to be addicted to food when they really aren't, and that trivializes the struggles of those who know what a true addiction is.
  • robdel302
    robdel302 Posts: 292 Member
    I never said that food addiction doesn't exist. What I said is that one is far more likely to become addicted to narcotics/alcohol than someone is to become addicted to food. What I meant was that too many people claim to be addicted to food when they really aren't, and that trivializes the struggles of those who know what a true addiction is.

    It doesn't help that the new DSM V actually has a "binge eating disorder". But it specifically lists it as a disorder and not an addiction. Probably because the concept of an addiction seems to be more of a blanket term for anything that can become a severe habit as opposed to brain function.

    Neurochemically, the peer reviewed essays seems to be on point. Some of the other replies reek of confirmation bias. What some fail to understand is peer reviewed essays aren't supposed to prove the study as absolute but highly probable. Such is the realm of science, there is always new information to be discovered that changes how we perceive things.

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