Attachment Files

An Addicted Brain - The Dopamine Debate

Summary/Abstract

Evidence and Explanations for the Role of Dopamine in the Brain

Content

There is nothing pretty about becoming addicted to a harsh drug like heroin. The habit involves risky behavior, such as using needles, and the image of a person shooting heroin is not very appealing. How can we explain why people use drugs when the drawbacks are so obvious? For many years people have thought that being addicted simply means the person does not have enough will power to quit a bad habit—even scientists and doctors accepted this idea. A more recent theory is that the high produced by a drug is such a pleasurable experience that it overshadows everything else.