​“I’m so addicted” but what does it really mean to be addicted

How many times have you heard the phrase “I’m addicted to…” Which is usually linked to a person or a particular type of food! But what does it really mean to say ‘addicted’?

Addiction can be defined as an over indulgence of an activity or particular substance to the point where it becomes compulsive and affects our everyday behaviour.

Addiction has a powerful influence over the brain which is exerted in different ways. This could either be through cravings, where a person loses control over the addiction, or where they continue with that behaviour while being aware of its negative effects.

Previous research has indicated that drugs and alcohol can cause addiction. However, more recent research has shown other pleasurable activities, such as gambling can also corrupt the brain.

The brain and addiction: Our brain has an established reward centre which engages with pleasures in the same way, regardless of its nature (whether it’s a monetary reward or a psychoactive drug). The brain releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The repeated use of the addictive product allows the hippocampus to create a memory of satisfaction and the amygdala creates a conditioned response to that particular stimuli.

New research has found that the experience of pleasure alone does not stimulate people to continue with their addiction. Dopamine is not only responsible for its part in pleasure, but also learning and memory - these are two key elements which change the feeling of liking something, to becoming addicted to it. Glutamate also plays a key role, interacting with dopamine, taking over the brains system of reward-related learning.

Tolerance: A reward is considered to be given as a token of appreciation, however repeated use of a reward loses its value. Addictive behaviours provide a “quick” shortcut to the rewards system and so eventually dopamine has less impact on the system. Those who have an addiction, find that over time, the desired substance does not give them pleasure in the way that it did originally and therefore more is required to obtain the same level of pleasure.

This article offered a basic overview of some of the brain systems which are involved in addiction - according to research the same systems are used for all addictions, but do we experience levels of addiction, or can they be grouped in terms of strength? This is something to consider the next time we hear/use the word “addiction”.

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