“This permanence is the result of a process that researchers call ‘chunking’: a person using drugs or alcohol experiences a burst of the activating neurotransmitter, dopamine, encoding memories and stimuli associated with that high in the brain. As substance use turns chronic, those same networks in the brain are increasingly engaged, and eventually the habit becomes automatic. Baler likens it to riding a bicycle – once the brain knows what to do with the pedals, brakes and handlebars, the action is inevitable. When any part of this chain, or chunking, is triggered – maybe it’s a visit from an addict friend, or the sight of a McDonald’s where you once got high in the bathroom – it can lead to a full-blown relapse. That’s why lifelong abstinence can be such an impossible goal for even the most committed of recovering addicts.”

The above passage comes from an article on addiction by Rebecca Ruiz, which was recently published in aeon magazine. It’s a great read. Rebecca points out how, despite their long benevolent track record, recovery groups like AA don’t necessarily take into consideration the latest brain science on addiction. I tend to agree with her here. Groups like AA (and all spiritually based groups actually) should continually update their operating systems.

That being said, I definitely see recovery groups like AA as a good thing, but I think of them as a sort of spiritual kindergarten; it’s a transitionary type of thing, a place where you learn the basics or fundamentals, at least it was that way for me.

Anyway, in regard to the specific passage above, I find this to be a very important insight into addiction. Speaking  personally, I did indeed find that the only effective way to quit using recreational drugs for good was to completely–and consciously–change major aspects of my life, including details like the way I dressed, the people I associated with, the food I ate and the music I listened to.

Tags:addictionaeon magazinealcoholalcoholics anonymousbrain science