Q&A: Is a drug addiction similar to psychological addiction?

A drug addict’s brain is physically dependent on the drug to produce the chemicals a healthy person’s brain naturally produces. Drugs such as cocaine and nicotine cause your brain to release dopamine, and over time your brain will stop producing dopamine on it’s own and rely on the drugs to do it instead. This is when drug users go from using drugs to have a good time and using drugs because they crave them and begin to suffer withdrawal without them. It takes time for the brain to begin producing dopamine again by itself, and the intermediate time is when people go through withdrawal. Former addict’s brains are very sensitive to drugs long after they’ve recovered, meaning they are wired to become easily addicted.

A psychological addiction also affects dopamine levels in the brain, the difference is that the changes are due to a behavior rather than a substance. Psychological addiction often accompanies physical addiction, as the brain links the behavior of using the drug to a positive emotional response. Psychological addictions include behaviors such as gambling, compulsive overeating, cutting/self harm, compulsive shopping, etc. Partaking in these activities triggers the release of dopamine, which causes feelings of elation, focus, and energy. Dopamine is the driving force behind human motivation do do anything, from activities as basic as eating, to our ambition and drive to work. Dopamine is the reward that motivates us to do these things. When the brain responds strongly to a certain behavior, we are more likely to repeat it, and the more it is repeated the stronger the psychological addiction becomes.

The difference between overcoming physical and psychological addictions is that physical addiction requires a substance to be removed, while psychological addiction occurs when a particular behavior is removed. This can be difficult, as it isn’t always as easy to take away as a drug can be. Overcoming psychological addiction usually requires therapy focused on avoiding that behavior and finding alternative methods to achieve the same feelings through healthier means. While people are predisposed to relapse into addicting behaviors again, they are not nearly as powerfully affected as someone who has recovered from a physical addiction. The changed thought process helps rewire the brain and undo the conditioning that led to the addiction. With physical addiction the same thought process is not involved, it is a forced withdrawal of an actual substance being put into the brain.