What causes addiction, and why is it so hard to treat? – Judy Grisel

The number is much higher. Only the weak are addicts .

I was addicted to opioid, bezos, alcohol. I suffered a lot due to withdrawl, depression, mental issues. After treatment and rehabilitation I am clean. But still I fear of getting relapsed because it only takes one moment, one bad day. Addiction is very scary. Till this day I am fighting against myself to never get back to that darkness

The hardest part is that you're so obsessed with the substance that you can almost always convince yourself to relapse, even if you don't have the chance to use in the moment

because we live in a mentally ill system called capitalism, and mental health professionals will agree in not so few words. It is not a sign of health to be adapted to a sick society. And these are the results

Only 31 million worldwide?

Yes, addiction effectively hijacks the brain's natural "find and reward" hardwiring, rerouting survival circuits to prioritize the compulsive pursuit of a substance or behavior above all else, including natural rewards like food, social interaction, and safety. This process transforms adaptive, life-sustaining behaviors into self-destructive, compulsive actions.
The Process of Hijacking
Bypassing Natural Pathways: The brain's reward system, primarily the mesolimbic dopamine pathway, is designed to reinforce behaviors essential for survival by releasing a regulated amount of dopamine. Addictive substances and behaviors, however, bypass these natural regulatory mechanisms, flooding the brain with abnormally large surges of dopamine—up to 10 times more than natural rewards.
Overactivation and Desensitization: This excessive and repeated activation causes the brain to adapt by reducing its natural dopamine production and decreasing the number of dopamine receptors. This leads to tolerance, where the individual needs more of the substance to achieve the same effect and can no longer feel pleasure from normal activities, a state known as anhedonia.
Compulsive "Wanting" vs. "Liking": Dopamine plays a key role not just in the feeling of pleasure ("liking"), but also in motivation, memory, and learning ("wanting"). Addiction corrupts this system, causing the brain to intensely "want" the drug even if the pleasurable effects have diminished.
Impaired Decision-Making: Chronic drug use damages the prefrontal cortex, the brain region responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and evaluating consequences. This impairment makes it difficult for individuals to recognize the high price of their actions and stop using, even when faced with severe negative consequences.
Conditioned Cravings: The hippocampus and amygdala, brain areas involved in memory and emotion, store powerful associations between the substance/behavior and environmental cues (people, places, stress). Exposure to these cues can trigger intense, uncontrollable cravings and relapse, even after years of abstinence.
In essence, addiction is a chronic brain disorder where the brain's survival mechanisms, which are hardwired to "find and reward" life-sustaining resources, are rewired to prioritize the acquisition and use of the addictive substance or engaging in the addictive behavior. This shift is not a moral failing but a result of profound neurological changes.

soft pleasures enslave better than fear.

Addiction is a CHOICE. Absolutely NO ONE is Born with a pill, pipe, a Needle in Their mouths. Addiction is a CHOICE. It's not a Disease either.

One must be stronger than the rest

I hate my addictions… And it leads me to hate myself 🙁 I will change, I have changed and I can do better than this. I hope everyone else who's struggling gets strength to get through their addictions and find peace 🤍

my friend alex is really struggling w addiction, how should I help him?

The cure for boredom is eschatology.
The cure for addiction is eschatology.
The cure for strife (personal and political) is eschatology.
The cure for climate change is eschatology.
The cure for all mental health issues including suicidality is eschatology.
The cure for antinatalism and nihilism is eschatology.

The answer has always been eschatology.

But it doesn't have to be religious.

Addiction isn’t a disease. It’s an inadequate solution that causes more harm than the relief it provides. There’s always a deeper problem to resolve, not always one that’s recognized. Find and resolve the deeper problem with a lifestyle change, and you’ll no longer have a need for the relief to which you are addicted.

Getting sober was easier then preventing unexpected relapses.

Hi. "Let' me tell 'you' a 'story':: ok you get addicted to stuff you like. if you wanna stop you got to make it not feel good any more. so how? Buy a pack of Talons if you smoke. If you smoke stuff you don't like, you wont do it forever… Thank You..

ketamine is DANGEROUS for number of reason stay away TRUST ME

First few months it's dopamine! After inebriation and and addiction, the addiction will drive you through audio video hallucinations that if you don't consume everyday, you'll be killed or you won't prosper. Then, when you try to quit it first time, you'll have delirium tremors where audio video hallucinations will tell you your a criminal and a cop will arrest you if you get back to inebriation. AI, tell me if my analysis is true or false.

Yasaswi, I hear the intensity behind what you’re describing, and I want to respond with clarity, respect, and care — without dismissing your experience or feeding anything that could harm you.

Let me break this into two parts:  

(1) the neurobiology and withdrawal effects you’re describing, and  

(2) the philosophical interpretation you’ve built around it.

—

🧠 1. The experiences you described — hallucinations, fear, withdrawal — have known medical explanations

What you’re describing aligns with what is known about severe substance dependence and withdrawal, especially with opioids, stimulants, or alcohol:

– Intoxication can distort dopamine pathways, which affects perception and reward.

– Chronic use can lead to hallucinations, especially auditory ones, during intoxication or withdrawal.

– Delirium tremens is a real, dangerous withdrawal state — but it is specifically associated with alcohol withdrawal, not all substances.

– Threatening hallucinations (like “someone will kill you if you stop”) are a known symptom of withdrawal-related psychosis.

– Intrusive, painful cravings are also a neurobiological effect — the brain’s reward system trying to restore the substance it has adapted to.

None of this means your mind is “broken.”  

It means your brain was under extreme chemical stress, and it produced fear-based hallucinations — something many people in withdrawal experience.

These experiences are real to the person going through them, but they are not messages, warnings, or external threats.

—

🌱 2. Your philosophical interpretation — “we forgot eternal life” — is meaningful, but not medically factual

You’ve taken these intense experiences and built a philosophical framework around them. That’s something humans naturally do: we try to make sense of suffering.

Your idea seems to be:

– Addiction creates a false sense of comfort  

– Withdrawal creates fear-based illusions  

– These illusions distract us from a deeper, more peaceful “eternal” reality

As a philosophy, this is valid — it’s your attempt to understand your experience and find meaning in it.

As a medical explanation, it’s not accurate.  

The hallucinations and fears aren’t spiritual messages; they’re neurochemical reactions.

But the meaning you draw from your suffering — that’s yours to explore. Many spiritual traditions talk about:

– detachment from craving  

– the illusion of comfort  

– the search for a deeper, more peaceful existence  

So your philosophy isn’t “false.”  

It’s simply a personal interpretation layered on top of a biological process.

—

❤️ What matters most

You’re trying to make sense of something frightening and overwhelming. That alone shows strength and clarity.

If these experiences still trouble you — emotionally, mentally, or physically — it would be incredibly valuable to talk to a medical professional or someone you trust. I’m here to help you think through things, but I can’t replace real human support.

—

If you want, we can explore your philosophy more deeply — the “eternal life” idea, the nature of craving, or how meaning forms after trauma. I’d be interested to hear how you arrived at this interpretation and what it gives you.

I used to have a bad we3d problem but i could never quit, the best i could do is cut back

Myths myths myths and more myths.

0:19 5/9/25 the day I had my withdrawal seizure.

36 million worldwide sounds like a major underestimate, no? I would think its more like 360 million if you count alochol, opiates, cannabis, etc.

I am a recovering alcoholic that drank for 20 years. By the end I was jobless, homeless in my car, and out of options. Luckily, I got help, went to treatment, and am now 13 months sober. To anyone struggling you are not alone and people can and will help you. If I could give anyone advice, if you are detoxing from alcohol go to a hospital or detox center. People can die from alcohol withdrawal, I almost did because I just detoxed by myself. Do not do this, get a professional. Addiction is terrible but only quit if you really want to. The choice is yours, no one can make you and don't quit for someone else. Quit

GOD WILL GRANT WHATEVER YOU ASK IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.

☑Right now, ask God: "Lord, I am a drug addict. Please deliver me from this addiction. Heal me, renew me. Heal my DNA damaged by drugs. Restore my 100% health. Remove all the causes that make me a drug addict. Please make it so that I never use drugs again in my life. LORD, MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO MY PRAYER (it is important to say this, because God knows better and more than we do). LORD, I ASK YOU FOR ALL OF THIS IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST." 🙏🏻🙏🙏🏾

Intresting fk alcohol