Pain, Addiction, Relief

We think we have free will, she continued, but we are foiled at every turn. First our biology conspires against us with brains that are hard-wired to increase pleasure and decrease pain. Meanwhile, we are so gregarious that social systems — whether you call them peer pressure or politics — reliably dwarf us as individuals. “There is no way you can escape." From NYT interview of Dr. Volkow, Director National Institute for Drug Addiction

The brain craves dopamine. This pleasure hormone gives us an overall feeling of well-being, connection, self-efficacy, ease. Addictive behaviors are influenced by how well our brains absorb dopamine. If you have too few dopamine receptors, additive substances and behavior won't have much purchase but too many can make the addictive substance or behavior unpleasant.

Addiction, however, also has a social component. Volkow writes, "Meanwhile, we are so gregarious that social systems — whether you call them peer pressure or politics — reliably dwarf us as individuals. There is no way you can escape.” Which is to say that we are profoundly influenced by the people we spend our time with.

We can choose to spend more time with people who push us to go inside, connect with our deep selves or those which, for whatever reason, push us to negative self-judgements, shame, fear, disconnection. To experience deep connection and love for your inner self is a natural balm for pain. Heroin, alcohol abuse, overwork, and overuse of pain medications are also balms for pain, but in contrast to the soul are not of the life-supporting kind.

Pain whether emotional or physical is part of life. How we comfort ourselves in pain, with equanimity, curiosity, and compassion versus fear, aversion, or shame, is an individual, economic, cultural, and political choice.

As a culture, the US is not doing so well dealing with pain. According to the NYT, "The toll from soaring rates of prescription drug abuse, including both psychiatric medications and drugs for pain, has begun to dwarf that of the usual illegal culprits. Hospitalizations related to prescription drugs are up fivefold in the last decade, and overdose deaths up fourfold. More high school seniors report recreational use of tranquilizers or prescription narcotics, like OxyContin and Vicodin, than heroin and cocaine combined."