Monday, August 20, 2007
Addiction #3
Why is kicking an addiction hard, beyond the physiological reasons? Say, for example, a caffeine addiction. Caffeine enables a lifestyle that is impossible without it. One can do more of whatever one pleases. The cost, of course, is the come-down (although this can be made to fall at convenient times), as well as health risks eg kidney failure. Part of why kicking the addiction is hard is because you have to sacrifice the lifestyle benefits, and change your habits, and perhaps even your work/life balance...it's not only the chemicals themselves!
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3 comments:
It's all about dopamine, my friend!
When I said "beyond the physiological reasons" I meant to exclude such things as dopamine, but not other "psychological" explanations
The dopamine effect of addiction is most certainly there, but it doesn't describe or account for the corresponding personality changes that would occur after a lifestyle change.
comfort factor.
ie: initial adrenaline, charge and buzz when you first get that cup of coffee in the morning. I think as time wears on and you become more dependent on coffee, your threshold goes up and you don't get much buzz as you might have had say if you had the same dose of coffee at the same time of day.
But it's almost that we become dependent on the idea that we 'need' it, the memory and association of this 'buzz' and the energy, as opposed to what the coffee actually does much later when your caffeine threshold is up.
We are ultimately dependent on our routine and habits and little everyday rituals. I can definitely say for myself that I feel bit out of sorts if I don't have my take-away coffee in the morning. Having it instant in the morning can really be quite disatisfying still, I almost discount it from my memory ever having had 'coffee' for day, say if I did have a mug of it in the morning before I leave home.
Ah, I am spoilt. Very specific about where i get my coffee and what type as well.
ah...definite luxury with this capacity and choice available to exercise being spoiled.
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