DOPAMINE – IT’S ADDICTIVE!
Dopamine, known as the “feel-good” chemical, is released by the brain into the system by certain triggers. It makes us feel good, gives us that kick of pleasure, a high. There are “natural highs” that can cause dopamine to be released, and there are also other substances – nicotine and alcohol, to name two of the most common. They both create a feeling of “all is well” – and then there is the let-down. In both cases, over time, you need more and more in order to reach that “feel good” point. They are both addictive. Dopamine is also released by prolonged exposure to social media – or, as I prefer to call it, anti-social media. The “hit” that comes from those likes to a selfie we have posted, or a comment we have made; the approval of our peers – these too have been proven to be just as addictive as nicotine and alcohol, and just as damaging to our health and wellbeing. It is not uncommon for the habits of smoking and drinking to start in those formative teenage years, when youngsters no longer look to their parents for approval (“likes”) but to their peers. Adolescence, that time...