Dopamine Addicts: This Is the New Serious Threat to Humanity

Many people approach this with reserve. After all, I deserved it, after all, I worked for it, why should I deny myself? Dopamine is a very fast and effective injection of pleasure, which we crave more and more. But what if pleasures start to threaten not only our financial system, but also our mental health?

You can get used to any addiction very quickly, demanding more and more, even when it is not possible (credit cards have their limits after all). Constantly "rewarding yourself" , whether it is shopping, eating or other pleasures, causes our reward system in the brain to slowly become desensitized, and what once brought joy is now not enough. Taking pleasure from an activity releases dopamine, a chemical that is responsible for how we feel in a moment of apparent happiness.

Dopamine Addiction - A Serious Challenge for the 21st Century

A new phenomenon of "dopamine addiction" has appeared on the Internet, which is directly related to the current times, where, due to the rush of life, but also satiety, it is very difficult to find pleasure that lasts longer.

Special groups are appearing on TikTok that connect these types of addicts and offer a joint detox, which experts believe can have fatal consequences. A one-day dopamine detox that limits all pleasures will not bring anything if we do not change our habits in the long term.

What's more, after a short break, the body will want to compensate for this type of loss by getting us into further trouble.

Both shopping apps and gaming platforms are designed to constantly surprise with new stimuli. Pop-up notifications about new collections and spectacular discounts only fuel the spiral of misfortunes. The body simply demands satisfaction, regardless of the consequences. To control your dopamine addiction, it is worth ensuring hormonal balance in the body and replacing dopamine with serotonin.

Serotonin versus dopamine, or how to overcome pleasure addiction?

Dopamine is responsible for short-term pleasure. Regularly providing rewards to the body only increases the need for them. Excess dopamine is very dangerous and can lead to deep addictions to various substances, shopping or gambling.

Serotonin, on the other hand, is called the long-term happiness hormone. It works in the long term, which reduces the need for short-term stimuli. To get rid of addiction, it is not enough to simply stop taking dopamine. It is a more complex process that requires implementing long-term changes. First of all, you should limit "seeking pleasure".

In order not to feel the loss, it is worth replacing it with more healthy habits, such as movement, sports or dancing, which will be able to activate the serotonin reserves in the body. It is also worth taking a close look at your daily routine. Reducing stress, a healthy diet and sleep will be a huge support during recovery from dopamine addiction. It is important to understand that dopamine only brings apparent happiness for a short while, so you should focus on activities that will turn short pleasures into long-term happiness.

What could be the effects of dopamine addiction?

Dopamine itself is a reaction to the delivery of a short-term pleasure to the body. And just as quickly its level rises, so quickly it also falls. What can be the effects of this? First of all, the need for "more". If someone used to be satisfied with scrolling through 10 minutes of TikTok, then with regular delivery of this stimulus, eventually, to achieve the desired effect, you will have to do it for an hour or more.

Addiction to quick pleasures also causes the body to treat most activities as "boring", waiting for a stronger stimulus. If the body is regularly provided with the pleasure of shopping, then going for a walk or reading a book will simply be unattractive.

And all this can lead to mood disorders, including frustration that one cannot immediately achieve what one wants or allow oneself to have pleasure. Such a person becomes nervous, irritable, and emotionally unstable. This is a very easy introduction to the development of depression or even anxiety.

Dopamine addiction also negatively affects concentration and brain function. All tedious tasks that require patience and are not rewarded become not only uninteresting, but at some point even difficult to perform.

All of this makes us fall into a vicious circle, from which it is very difficult to get out. After all, if I provide myself with pleasure, then everything is fine. Why should I change it? If only because the constant stimulation of the body with dopamine can lead to dysregulation of the circadian rhythm, which consists of sleep disorders, fatigue and ultimately a worsening of mood.

In cases of deep addiction to pleasure, the addicted person isolates himself from society and locks himself in his addiction , because only it brings constant satisfaction. The consequences resulting from it play no role.

Generation Z is the most addicted, but so is Generation Alpha

Generation Z, who literally grew up with their phones in their hands, treats social media as their natural environment and is less sensitive to the threats it poses. A study on the impact of social media use on dopamine levels, conducted on a sample of 200 Generation Z representatives by Renata Almachnee and Mary Cozzie from Marist High School in the United States, published in the Journal of Student Research, found that frequent use of social media leads to behavioral addiction. What does this mean in practice?

The appearance of reactions, comments on platforms, as well as constant notifications, activate the release of dopamine as a reward system. Constant exposure to these stimuli can effectively desensitize the body to the feeling of pleasure, which can cause a lack of satisfaction from mundane activities.

Also at risk is the Alpha Generation, for which the Millennials compensate for their “dysfunctional childhood.” The constant supply of stimuli to the youngest leads to such a strong addiction that it is increasingly difficult to meet the demands of this social group.

Little alphas very clearly manifest their dissatisfaction, and parents literally bend over backwards to meet them. As experts say, only introducing consistent rules can help overcome addiction. In any age group.