#24 - What's Your Addiction?

Greetings Beautiful People

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Wherever you are, thank you for reading...

1) Quote

2) Your Brain on Drugs
So I have this Addiction Theory. I believe that we all have addictions and therefore the quality of our lives comes down to the quality of our addictions.

By addiction I mean something compulsive, a habit which you can’t control, something which if you don’t do you feel withdrawal symptoms. A definition I once read stated that an addiction is something you can't stop yourself doing for two weeks. By that definition I’d have to admit that for many years I was addicted to all sorts, including: television, cigarettes, alcohol, chasing women, porn, KFC, crisps, giving unsolicited advice and trying to fix everyone’s problems but my own.

Nowadays I feel a lot happier and in control and I think it’s largely down to the fact that instead of trying to fight old addictions I’ve developed healthier addictions which replaced them. Mostly. These new addictions include: healthy exercise, healthy food, writing, communicating with amazing people, finding inspiring information, sharing inspiring information and buying books.

I’ve shared my Addiction Theory with a few people recently and when I asked the question “What are you addicted to?” I got some interesting feedback, including:

-trying to be perfect
-work
-bad men/women
-making my home lovely
-chocolate
-cake
-games
-sport
-pleasing people
-success
-winning
-social media

Then I suppose there are those addictions which we have but might not admit to:

-being right
-being centre of attention
-arguing
-drama
-drugs
-stress
-escapism
-self-pity

If we dig a little deeper though it’s not these things we’re actually addicted to though is it? It’s the way these things make us feel. 

Perhaps it could be argued that we’re addicted to wanting to feel better.

After all if the Universe is a constant state of expansion then it would make sense if that were our natural state too. Does this mean anyone who says they don’t want anything more is lying? Hmm... I wouldn’t go that far, but it does seem to me that whether our motivation is material or spiritual, extrinsic (external things such as results, money or status) or intrinsic (inner values  eg. joy, authenticity, inner peace) there is a natural drive to want to move from HERE to THERE because of the belief that THERE feels better than HERE does. The Dalai Lama always seems quite cheerful and wise but I'm sure he considers himself a work in progress. 

“It is the natural and inherent impulse of Life to seek to live more. It is the nature of intelligence to enlarge itself and the quality of consciousness to seek to extend its boundaries and find fuller expression.”
The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles

Do our addictions fit in with Life finding greater expression through us? This is where I think it gets really interesting, because satisfying our addiction triggers the release of certain neuro-chemicals in our brains.

[What follows is a paraphrasing of part of Simon Sinek's Ted Talk. The talk is based on his book Why Leaders Eat Last - please see video below. He starts talking about brain chemistry from about the 5 minute mark onwards]

Dopamine – The Reward/Accomplishment Chemical

Highly highly addictive, very short-lived high.
Triggers: achievement, sex, cardiovascular exercise, smoking, eating, alcohol, gambling, mobile phones, relaxation & meditation.

+ bananas, fish, watermelon and almonds help to increase the production of dopamine
- stress reduces dopamine levels and can lead to depression

Endorphins – The Pain Killer
These are the chemicals released to mask physical pain. They kick in after about 25-30 minutes of vigorous exercise and make you feel very good. Prolonged high, can last hours.

Triggers: exercise, stress, pain, smiling, laughter, spicy food, ultraviolet light. 

Dopamine & endorphins can be considered "selfish" chemicals as we can get these on our own. At the same time they do not give us a real sense of fulfillment, connection or love. For those feelings we need another two chemicals, serotonin and oxytocin:

Serotonin - The Leadership Chemical
This is responsible for feelings of pride and status and explains why we have graduation ceremonies, award ceremonies etc. Those in the audience actually receive a hit of serotonin just watching.
Triggers: sunlight, massage, exercise, remembering happy events, dark chocolate,

*brands exploit this so that customers can experience the feeling of status without the sense of human connection.

Oxytocin – The Love Hormone
Feeling of love, trust, security and friendship. Plays a big role in pair-bonding and bonding of mother/child. Also creates social cohesion, reduces stress and anxiety. The reason business deals are sealed with a handshake.
Triggers: physical contact (hugging, kissing, sex) love, sharing, giving

We seem to live in a dopamine-addled world of instant gratification: instant messaging, instant coffee, instant search results, instant downloading, and instagram. 

So in answering the question “What are you addicted to?” perhaps the real answer isn’t “chocolate” or “Candy Crush Saga” but dopamine, endorphins, serotonin or oxytocin. 

Thanks to Simon for sharing his insights. This is a link to his book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HFIBQ3A

I’d also recommend Daniel Pink’s book Drive if you are interested in the latest research on motivation.

3) Song – Addicted to Love, Robert Palmer

What are you addicted to? 

Please let us know your thoughts by commenting below or email me at sterling.to@gmail.com or freeformbeats@gmail.com. I may do a Part 2 if I get some interesting feedback. 


Have fun out there.

Dx