Cocaine, Dopamine and Anger
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Cocaine, Dopamine and Anger
Chiynita if you are reading I want to share this information with you that I think will help you understand your anger.
I have anger too, you have expressed yours and I have expressed mine. Let's get past it and work on recovery.
Cocaine and the Brain: The Neurobiology of Addiction
Christine Farrenkopf
Another factor in the reinforcement of cocaine use lies in the fact that after cocaine administration, dopamine levels fall significantly below normal, pre-consumption levels (8) p.1272. The user therefore feels a "low," and the immediate response to alleviate this low is to take another hit of cocaine to again raise the level. Such behavior is referred to as a "binge," when a user continuously takes hits of cocaine to recover from ensuing lows (3) p.158. This demonstrates the "loss of control in limiting intake" aspect of the definition of addiction.
Because of the altered physiological state of the brain, events that previously caused stimulation of the DA pathway (pleasurable experiences other than cocaine use) no longer do; only cocaine can induce the feeling of happiness. When an addict ceases taking cocaine, he has no source of stimulation of the DA pathway and therefore experiences severe depression, irritability, and anxiety (symptoms that are opposite of the effects of the drug) (8) p.1271. (This is the "emergence of a negative emotional state when access to the drug is prevented" aspect of the definition of addiction.) Other factors also contribute to the negative behavior associated with withdrawal. For example, tests in lab animals have shown that levels of coricotropin releasing factor (CRF), which induces stress, rise while in withdrawal (8) p.1273.
I have anger too, you have expressed yours and I have expressed mine. Let's get past it and work on recovery.
Cocaine and the Brain: The Neurobiology of Addiction
Christine Farrenkopf
Another factor in the reinforcement of cocaine use lies in the fact that after cocaine administration, dopamine levels fall significantly below normal, pre-consumption levels (8) p.1272. The user therefore feels a "low," and the immediate response to alleviate this low is to take another hit of cocaine to again raise the level. Such behavior is referred to as a "binge," when a user continuously takes hits of cocaine to recover from ensuing lows (3) p.158. This demonstrates the "loss of control in limiting intake" aspect of the definition of addiction.
Because of the altered physiological state of the brain, events that previously caused stimulation of the DA pathway (pleasurable experiences other than cocaine use) no longer do; only cocaine can induce the feeling of happiness. When an addict ceases taking cocaine, he has no source of stimulation of the DA pathway and therefore experiences severe depression, irritability, and anxiety (symptoms that are opposite of the effects of the drug) (8) p.1271. (This is the "emergence of a negative emotional state when access to the drug is prevented" aspect of the definition of addiction.) Other factors also contribute to the negative behavior associated with withdrawal. For example, tests in lab animals have shown that levels of coricotropin releasing factor (CRF), which induces stress, rise while in withdrawal (8) p.1273.
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