How does addiction occur? Why are some people more prone to addiction than others? How to “disable the program” of an already purchased addiction? About this – in a conversation with neuroscientist Catherine Le Moine.
Psychologies: Why are some people more prone to addictions than others?
Catherine Le Moine: Addiction is a complex process, the result of an interaction between a behavior or substance and an addicted person. There are two types of vulnerability. One, internal, includes biological (including genetic), psychological or behavioral factors (impulsivity, difficulty in controlling behavior).
The other, external, includes family culture (drinking or smoking families), experiences and life stages (adolescence, loss, drama), and socioeconomic conditions (uncertainty about the future).
There is definitely no addiction gene, although there may be a genetic predisposition for alcohol. Sometimes there are mutations in the genes that encode the production of enzymes responsible for the breakdown of alcohol or its removal from the body. So we are addicted to varying degrees.
Does addiction change how the brain works?
K.L.M.: Behavioral addiction and chemical addiction have something in common: they activate the reward circuit associated with the production of dopamine, the “pleasure hormone.” Its enhanced release alters the “normal” brain function. But in the case of addiction to a psychoactive substance, the reward circuit becomes desensitized as a result of constant stimulation. Then the drug addict increases the doses, which causes long-term, sometimes irreversible changes in the brain, in particular, in those areas that are associated with memory, learning, experiencing emotions, decision-making, motivation.
Is it possible to “disable the program” of an already purchased addiction?
K.L.M.: “Turning off the program” is one of the goals of addiction research. Emotional memories associated with exposure to psychoactive substances must be taken into account in treatment. This can be, for example, the feeling of togetherness or celebration that comes with taking a drug or alcohol. Then the person will associate the effects of the substance with the elements of the context (place, setting, people), and this association generates powerful and persistent memories.
Behavioral addiction probably doesn’t change brain activity as drastically, which remains more plastic
The challenge is to reduce the impact of these memories using the same strategies that are used in dealing with post-traumatic stress, in particular exposure therapy. For example, in the morning to drink coffee with the family, but without a cigarette, to meet in a bar with friends, but for a glass of fruit juice. This retraining can be done in combination with medical treatment.
Why can addiction persist after quitting the substances that caused it?
K.L.M.: Because, despite abstinence, persistent emotionally colored memories persist. This explains why a smoker may be tempted to smoke up to 15 years after quitting. In most cases, if he smokes one cigarette, many more will follow. The same is true with drugs or alcohol. The risk of relapse may be lower when it comes to drug-free addictions because behavioral addiction probably doesn’t change brain activity as drastically, which remains more plastic.
Catherine Le Moine – Neuroscientist, employee of the National Center for Scientific Research of France. Her research team is investigating how the brain encodes emotionally charged memories associated with drugs and the withdrawal effect.