Amber Hollingsworth explains the biological underpinnings of addiction with emphasis on dopamine as the ‘desire’ chemical (not simply a pleasure transmitter). She describes how dopamine motivates goal-directed behavior (hunting for food, craving purchases) and how addictive substances hijack that desire system — producing strong wanting before use, short-lived relief after use, and a reinforcing loop that worsens underlying problems. The video uses everyday examples (hunger, shopping), a referenced mice lever/cocaine study, and situates substance use as a maladaptive attempt to fix internal neurochemical or interpersonal problems.
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In this video, we're going to talk about the biological underpinnings of addiction. I mean, what's causing the whole problem to begin with? So let me start by saying maybe you've seen my videos on dopamine or alcohol or improper amphetamines or opiates, where I talk about the brain. If you have, I'm really sorry, because those are some of the early videos I made. And they're not the greatest videos. They're really good information. I still stand by what I said. Just not the best videos. In fact, one of our clients, you know who you are, says that it's like watching Dora the Explorer explain addiction in the brain. I know, embarrassing, right? But, hey, you got to start somewhere. In this video, we're not going to necessarily go way down deep into the cell level of the brain, but I am going to help you understand what goes on in the brain overall. Chemically, neurobiologically, that causes the whole problem. Most people have heard that addiction and dopamine are, like, connected somehow. So let's start there. Dopamine is a chemical in your brain. A lot of people call it the pleasure chemical, but it's really not. It's really the desire chemical. So it's supposed to kick into play and motivate you when you need something thing for survival. Like if you're starving and you're hungry, the dopamine kicks in because it makes you want food, and it makes you start planning and strategizing and concentrating and doing whatever it takes to get food. So it's that same thing that drove cavemen to hunt for weeks at a time until they got a kill so they could eat that same thing. So when our body needs something for survival, dopamine kicks in and says, go get it. Okay, now put that in your brain and hold it right here for one second. We'll come back. Now, maybe you've seen some of my other videos where I talk about the fact that most of the time when people are addicted, it's like they're trying to fix an inside problem with something externally. Now, those inside problems have neurochemical either causes or results or shifts or inconsistencies or whatever you want to call it. So even if it's psychological or interpersonal, that's causing a brain reaction to whatever it is for that person. So a lot of times people tend to get addicted when they're grieving, when they've had some kind of major unwanted loss. Basically, when you're going through a really sucky time in life, that's when this disease gets you. I know it's not right. Just kicks you when you're down, right? Think about it. Right after you've eaten and you're super full and you're not hungry, there's no dopamine. It doesn't say, go eat. You don't start thinking about food. But, dude, go to the grocery store when you're hungry, and it's a disaster. I did that just last week and I came home with like 15 things for dinner. I know it's a mess because the dopamine says, get it, plan, strategize, do whatever it takes. And. And you're just going after it. So if you're using substances, and those substances tend to fix, maybe not effectively or efficiently or productively, some sort of brain instability and consistency deficit, then naturally it's gonna be like, oh, this is the thing. This is the thing that fix it. And so dopamine kicks in and it says, go get it. Remember, it's the desire chemical. A really good way to understand it and think about it is like this. Have you ever been, like, really wanting to buy this really awesome shirt or new pair of shoes or car or whatever? It's all you could think about. And maybe it was expensive. So you are scheming and planning, well, maybe I just won't get this. And I'll get this, or I'll work this extra job or I'll do whatever it takes. And I'm gonn that. And then when you got it in about two days later, you're like, meh, wasn't nearly as good. The having isn't nearly as good as the wanting. And wanting is where dopamine comes into play. And for. And when you're trapped in addiction, it's like you want, you desire. You have to have this substance because you think, this is gonna make me feel so much better. Just like when you feel like you have to have that pair of shoes or whatever, it. And then it doesn't really do the trick, and you left feeling kind of like meh. And then dopamine kicks back in and you go after the next pair of shoes or whatever it is. So the brain keeps telling you, you need this thing. You want this thing. It's kicking in, it's activating, it's putting all your focus on it. But whatever that drug or alcohol is, it might sort of fix that underneath brain problem or interpersonal problem temporarily. But it's not a very effective strategy, whatever it is, because it keeps either making the problem worse or it only fixes it for a minute or other problems keep happening or the drugs or alcohol themselves cause other issues that you now need to fix. And so then the dopamine has to kick back in and it either says, chase more of this substance. If you use more or do more, maybe it'll be better. Like if I pay more for a pair of shoes, maybe I'll like them more. Maybe, maybe for five minutes, but probably not. In fact, I kind of, in fact, I kind of get excited if I have like something super cool that I got for really inexpensive that makes me pretty happy. I don't know about you, but dopamine is this desire drive chemical, you know, that study with the mice in the cages and the lever and the cocaine and stuff, you know, used to, we would think, okay, the mice comes in the cage, it presses the lever, it gets the cocaine dopamine released. No, that's not the way that worked. It's actually the mouth sees the lever, dopamine is released, and then it gets cocaine. So it happens before if you've been trapped in addiction or alcoholism, you know what I'm talking about. Like that really good rush of a feeling actually comes just before, before you get the substance. It's at the thought of giving it. It's when you make the phone call to the dealer. It's the day you get your prescription. It's when you're leaving work and you're on your way to the ABC store. Whatever it is, it's that I'm about to get it. Rush, euphoria. It's like the high starts then, because the high does start then because that's when the dopamine is being released. So just remember, wanting is so much more of a powerful feeling, especially connected to dopam, than having. In fact, having is kind of a letdown which leads to more wanting. And so hopefully you get it. It's all just a big trap that you get stuck in and can't get out of. That dopamine is really driving you probably to fix some kind of serotonin problem or attention inconsistency, adrenaline problem or some other kind of problem that you are. You know, maybe it's a bonding problem like oxytocin, a fitting in problem, and it feels like this substance is temporarily fixing that. But the problem with drugs and alcohol is typically it may feel better for a minute, but it makes it 10 times worse after the fact. And then you need more and more and more. I know you get it or you wouldn't be watching this video. Now if you haven't already, I'm gonna recommend that you check out my videos on the stages of addiction or alcoholism that's gonna help you better understand the stages of dopamine problems. So hopefully this video helped you understand something about yourself and the way your brain works, whether or not you're an addict or an alcoholic or just one of those weird normal type people. You know, for me, my dopamine dysregulation syndrome tends to make me go after want, desire, either spending money or eating sugary foods. Man, that dopamine makes me go get it. Tell me in the comments below what dopamine makes you chase and go after. Even though it might not be the best thing for you in the long run. If you or a loved one has a drug or alcohol problem and you don't want to waste a lot of time and money doing all the wrong things, save yourself the heartache. Subscribe to this channel and I'll make sure you're always five steps ahead of addiction.
