An Addicted Brain - The Dopamine Debate
Overview
Originally Published: 12/30/2010
Post Date: 12/30/2010
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.