Addiction and the Brain

Watch

• What causes addiction, and why is it so hard to treat? - Judy Grisel ↗TED-Ed
• How do drugs affect the brain? - Sara Garofalo ↗TED-Ed
• The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power: Gabor Maté at TEDxRio+20 ↗TEDx Talks
• How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains | Richard J. Davidson | TEDxSanFrancisco ↗TEDx Talks
• The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise | Wendy Suzuki | TED ↗TED
• How Trauma and PTSD Change the Brain ↗Therapy in a Nutshell

Read

• Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction ↗This incisive work challenges the prevailing disease model, positing addiction as a developmental learning disorder, thereby reframing both its origins and potential remedies.Maia Szalavitz
• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction ↗Through a blend of clinical experience and personal narrative, this book illuminates the profound psychological and social determinants of addiction, advocating for a trauma-informed approach.Gabor Maté
• Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence ↗An examination of how contemporary society's relentless pursuit of pleasure, driven by readily available dopamine-releasing stimuli, contributes to widespread compulsive behaviours and offers strategies for moderation.Anna Lembke
• Neurobiology of addiction: a neurocircuitry perspectiveThis authoritative review provides a comprehensive overview of the neural circuits and molecular mechanisms underpinning the transition from recreational drug use to compulsive addiction.Nora D. Volkow, George F. Koob, A. Thomas McLellan
• The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease ↗A neuroscientist's compelling argument that addiction, while involving brain changes, is a deeply human learning process rather than a chronic disease, offering hope for agency and change.Marc Lewis

Voices to follow

• Nora Volkow ↗Her extensive research on the neurobiology of addiction has profoundly shaped public understanding and policy regarding substance use disorders.Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Neuroscientist
• Carl Hart ↗A provocative voice challenging conventional wisdom on drug policy and addiction, advocating for evidence-based approaches to understanding drug use.Professor of Psychology, Columbia University; Neuroscientist
• Anna Lembke ↗Explores the paradox of pleasure in an age of abundance, offering insights into how modern society fuels compulsive behaviours and the path to recovery.Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
• Gabor Maté ↗Offers a compassionate, trauma-informed perspective on addiction, emphasising the deep-seated emotional wounds that often underpin compulsive behaviours.Physician and Author

Glossary

• AddictionAddiction is a brain disease where someone can't stop using a substance or doing an activity, even when it causes harm. Their brain has changed, making them feel a strong need to continue. For example, someone might be addicted to video games, playing for hours every day even if it means failing school or losing sleep.
• Brain PlasticityBrain plasticity is your brain's amazing ability to change and adapt throughout your life, forming new connections and even growing new cells. This means your brain can learn new things and recover from injuries, but it also means it can be changed by habits like addiction. For example, if you learn to play a musical instrument, your brain actually changes to make those new skills easier.
• CompulsionA compulsion is a strong, often irresistible urge to do something, even if you know it might not be good for you or you don't really want to do it. It feels like you're being driven to act. For example, if you have a compulsion to check your phone every few minutes, you might do it even when you're trying to focus on homework.
• CravingA craving is an intense, powerful urge or desire for a specific substance or activity. It's more than just wanting something; it feels like you need it. For example, after watching a commercial for your favorite chocolate bar, you might suddenly feel an overwhelming craving for it.
• DopamineDopamine is a chemical messenger in your brain that plays a big role in pleasure, motivation, and reward. It makes you feel good when you do something enjoyable, like eating your favorite food or scoring a goal. For example, when you get a notification on your phone, a little burst of dopamine might make you feel excited to check it.
• Impulse ControlImpulse control is your ability to resist sudden urges or desires and think about the consequences before acting. It's like having a mental brake that stops you from doing something you might regret. For example, if you want to buy a new video game but decide to save your money for something more important, you're using impulse control.
• RelapseRelapse means returning to an old behavior or habit after a period of trying to stop or having successfully stopped. It's a common part of the recovery process from addiction. For example, if someone has stopped eating junk food for a month but then eats a whole packet of chips, that's a relapse.
• Reward SystemThe reward system is a group of brain parts that makes you feel pleasure and motivates you to repeat actions that are good for survival, like eating or spending time with friends. Addictive substances or behaviors hijack this system, making you want more. For example, when you finally solve a difficult math problem, your brain's reward system gives you a feeling of satisfaction.
• ToleranceTolerance means your body gets used to a substance or activity, so you need more of it to get the same effect you used to feel. Over time, what once gave you a buzz might barely affect you. For example, if you drink coffee every day, you might find you need two cups instead of one to feel awake.
• WithdrawalWithdrawal is the unpleasant physical and mental symptoms that happen when someone stops or reduces using a substance they've become dependent on. These symptoms can range from feeling sick to being very anxious. For example, if someone who drinks a lot of soda suddenly stops, they might get headaches or feel tired.

Threads 5

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Incentives & Rational Choice Economics

  Economics assumes people choose what's good for them. But someone with an addiction can clearly see the misery coming and still pick the drug. That breaks the whole 'people are rational' idea from the inside, and proves that what you choose isn't always what makes you happy.

• Criminal Law & Punishment Law

  Punishment assumes a person freely chose to break the law. But if addiction is a brain illness that hijacks the ability to choose, that assumption cracks. How do you punish a 'free choice' when the brain science says the choice wasn't fully free?

• Optimization Mathematics

  Your brain uses a chemical called dopamine to signal 'that was better than expected', nudging you to do it again. That's exactly the math a learning computer uses to improve itself. Addiction is that system gone wild, endlessly chasing a reward signal that's been hijacked.

• Terrorism and Violent Extremism Global Risks

  Getting radicalized usually isn't one big choice; it's a slow loop, like an addiction. Each hit of anger plus belonging feels good, so the brain wants more, and needs a stronger dose next time. It craves the next rush of certainty the way a body craves a drug.

• Advertising, Branding & the Attention Economy Media

  Slot machines hook people with random, unpredictable rewards, the same trick that keeps lab rats pressing a lever. Your feed, notifications, and game loot boxes run on that exact pattern. The attention economy is basically addiction science aimed at your phone.