Out of My Mind

Brain's wiring can lead to addiction

By PHILIP CHARD

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

The debate over how our society should address drug addiction has raged over many generations.

Today, some critics of the "war on drugs" compare our current efforts to the failed attempt to outlaw alcohol during Prohibition in the 1920s.

One side in this controversy views drug use and addiction as a legal and social conundrum that must be remedied by the criminal justice system, while the other sees it as a public health problem that should be decriminalized and addressed through education and treatment.

Arguments range from cost / benefit analyses that attack the efficacy of drug interdiction efforts, to research demonstrating the individual, familial and social destruction wrought by addiction and drug-related crime. In addition, many view the matter on moral grounds, asserting that drug addiction is "evil" and indicative of social decline.

What is largely missing from this debate is the recognition that virtually all addictions, even those not involving drugs, stem from neurochemical processes present in the brains of all humans. In other words, if you're hooked on chocolate, caffeine or pornography, your brain is engaging in the same basic process as that of someone who is habituated to cocaine, marijuana or alcohol.

Chemical enslavement

Granted, in terms of effects, not all addictions are the same. Compulsive gambling, for example, does not impair one's ability to drive, as is obviously the case with alcohol and many other psychoactive drugs.

Nevertheless, the process of "getting hooked" is neurochemically similar regardless of what behavior or substance one happens to become enslaved to. How does this work?

Inside our brains, an elaborate circuitry controls what neuroscientists call "the dopamine system." In response to certain activities (sex, gambling, exercise, etc.) or particular substances (nicotine, marijuana, amphetamines, etc.) this system is activated in a manner that produces some form of "high."

When we encounter something that produces this "buzz," we are naturally inclined to seek more of it. This desire for more can get out of control or revolve around particularly destructive situations or chemicals.

Russian roulette

Certain individuals, by virtue of their brain's circuitry and chemical sensitivities, are prone to developing addictions to particular substances or behaviors. For example, some people get little or no "high" from smoking pot or eating chocolate, while others find one or both of these powerfully pleasurable.

It appears each of our brains is "wired" to respond favorably to certain behaviors or chemicals. This is why the process of experimenting with dangerous drugs or risky behaviors is playing Russian roulette with addiction.

Many addicts have a dopamine system that is easily hijacked by their "drug." It may be convenient for those who are less at risk in this regard to point a bony finger at these folks and call them "weak" or "losers," but it is brain chemistry, not will or moral character, that is their Achilles heel.

Enamored as we are with free will and personal responsibility, this is not a popular idea. However, it is based on sound scientific research, so it is time to set down our moral indignation and begin adjusting our attitudes and our public policy accordingly.

If we aspire to be rational and humane, it is time to fully embrace education and treatment as the most effective and compassionate approaches to addiction.

Philip Chard is a psychotherapist, author and trainer. Call his reader comment line at (262) 547-3986, e-mail him at pschard@earthlink.net, or visit his Web site at www.healingnature.com.

Copyright 2002 Journal Sentinel Inc. Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.