Is pleasure an addiction?

When I naively asked the above question during a very pleasant lunch with my friends, I got the following not very pleasant reactions:

“Give me a break, is having a few drinks after shopping for a couple of hours an addiction?”

“Are you telling us that having a good time is addictive?”

My response: “Okay guys, what do you expect me to do, here?” “Go away, or explain what you were trying to say?”

His response: “Anyway, you are addicted to explanations, so go ahead and clarify your statement.”

What is pleasure?

Pleasure is “A feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment, or an event or activity from which enjoyment is derived. “

Here’s my question for you: What do you really enjoy a lot about?

Videogames? Play? Drinking alcohol? Eat sugary foods? Shopping? Do you use illicit drugs? Cheat on your partner? Watch TV incessantly … watch pornography or horror movies?

All of the above could turn into addiction.

Why?

Because they give you pleasure; they stimulate the brain’s pleasure center.

Any kind stimulation from the pleasure center releases massive amounts of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter and a neurohormone produced in the brain.

Don’t stimulate your brain’s pleasure center too often, it can wear you out! The intense and repeated release of dopamine will damage the receptors in your brain and cause you to tire of the stimulation.

We people really like dopamine. In science, dopamine is called a “pleasure neurotransmitter.” With adequate amounts of dopamine, we feel good, happy, and satisfied.

And what’s wrong with that? Nothing, really … except that many illegal drugs and other things that people enjoy, like the ones mentioned above, also target the brain’s pleasure receptors, releasing dopamine and contributing to possible addiction.

Addicted people engage in the dopamine release process even if they know it is bad for them.

The pleasure center of the brain can be damaged not only by overuse but from toxins or head trauma, such as well. The result is the same.

After a while, a person will need more stimulation or longer periods of intense stimulation just to release adequate amounts of dopamine. What follows this excessive use is that the brain’s pleasure center will respond less.

Translated, less receptive simply means that the brain will produce less dopamine.

But we need dopamine, right?

Yes. However, when less dopamine is released, a person can be headed for depression or addiction to the original stimulus (eg, nicotine, drugs, alcohol).

At first, a person turns to “pleasure”; However, after the brain’s pleasure receptors are abused for a period of time, you run the risk of developing an addiction.

In light of the information I just shared, is the question “is pleasure an addiction” valid? The answer is a definite “yes”, as any excessive use of pleasure can lead to addiction.

Of course, it is important to enjoy the things that you love, so that you have a happy and fulfilling life. However, as the saying goes, “Everything in moderation”. If you keep this in mind, you will steer clear of the road to addiction.