Amber Hollingsworth explains a three-component brain-based model of addiction: (1) dopamine functions primarily as a 'desire' chemical that drives wanting and obsession; (2) a rebound effect follows consumption, leaving the person below baseline (withdrawal-like symptoms such as irritability and low motivation); and (3) impaired judgment/ executive control reduces the ability to weigh long-term consequences. Together these factors create a self-reinforcing trap. The video closes with resources: an online course (Recovery to Go) with a time-limited $50 coupon (code: 50 OFF) and suggested related YouTube videos for deeper reading.
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You might already know quite a bit about the brain's role in addiction, but you probably haven't put all the concepts together in this exact way. And it's not until you understand how these three components come together that you can really get a big picture understanding about addictive thinking and behavior. Now, you probably already know something about the role of dopamine when it comes to addiction. So I'm not going to go into that a whole lot other than to say dopamine is the central neurochemical involved in pretty much any kind of addiction. A lot of people think dopamine is like your feel good chemical, but that's actually incorrect. Dopamine is actually the desire chemical. So when dopamine is released in the brain, it makes you motivated towards something, it makes you want something. And that's exactly how dopamine tricks you. You think you're going to feel a certain way when you achieve whatever it is you're trying to achieve. But you rarely do think about, for example, when you decide that you really, really want some brand new pair of shoes or a new car or something like that. And maybe you're researching it online, you're looking it up, you're looking at pictures, you're thinking about how awesome it would be if you had this thing. And you get so excited, so pumped, you go out, you get this thing, and it's fun for about a few days and then the novelty wears off. And yeah, I mean, it's okay and all, but. But then you're right back to the wanting desire cycle. That is the trick of dopamine. And that neurochemical is activated in all types of addiction. So. So that's component number one, this desire chemical. So anything that's addictive impacts dopamine in some way, which makes you obsessive, which makes you really want something and be willing to go after it. That's level number one. But then I want you to add in level number two, which is what I call the rebound effect when it comes to addiction. So after the dopamine chemicals released and you want it and you're excited about it, and you go after it and you get this rush of other feel good brain chemicals, there's this rebound effect that happens after, and it's sort of like a letdown effect. So wherever you are at to begin with, let's say you know, you're at your baseline, you're at your regular self, and then you engage in your addictive behavior, you have this spike of feel good chemicals. But then your brain in an effort to try to keep everything within the normal limits counteracts all those good brain chemicals throwing you into a deficit. So yes, you get that initial pump and feel good, but you always leave off feeling worse. And that is the withdrawal cycle. Now you may think, well, I'm not dependent on a substance, I'm not going to go and withdraw. But, but even if you don't need to go into the hospital level withdrawal, you probably have some level of withdrawal if you're engaging in addictive behavior. Even if it's just crankiness, irritableness, lack of motivation, tiredness, all of those things really play into the withdrawal cycle. Even if you're not to the point that it's really severe, you're having some level of that. This is important is because it leaves you feeling worse off than when you started. So as you can see, if you just layer in these two things, you got this chemical going on that makes you want something, that makes you think it's going to be awesome, it's going to be the answer to your prayer, it's going to be the best thing that ever happened. Mixed with, you feel way worse after the fact. Now let's layer in the third component. This is the triple whammy right here. The other thing that happens in your brain when it comes to addiction is because of the way it shifts the energy and power sources that are happening in your brain. Yeah, I know that's a really simplistic way of looking at it, but basically it sort of cuts off power supply in other areas. The effect of that is a loss of judgment. Your ability to think critically, to weigh pros and cons, to decide, you know, what's going to happen in the long run. Do I really want this to think through? The situation in a smart way is very much compromised. Now you got this three component trifecta, you really want it, you feel terrible without it, and the volume of your judgment center is turned down so low you can't think otherwise. This is the trap of addiction. When you get all three of these things working against you, you can see why it's so easy to get stuck when you have all three of these things working against you. Now, if you're a recovery nerd like me and you want to understand this brain science stuff a lot more in depth, then here are some additional resources. I go way in depth into the science and the psychology of addiction in my online course called Recovery to Go. I have linked it for you in the description and I've put a coupon code for you in the description as well for $50 off. The code is 50 off and it is all caps written in the description below. And it is good until the end of November. So make sure you jump on that if you want it. And another resource for you which is totally free is right here on YouTube. You can watch these two videos next. They go a lot more in depth into the science and research behind what happens in your brain when you become addicted and why you think and feel and behave the way that you do.
