Something I learned....
 

Hope it's okay to share Dee and co?

I watched a doco on the Science Discovery Channel on addiction. It was so interesting. It said that when we use a chemical to feel good it's obviously stronger than a natural high and with addicts who abuse the chemical, whatever it may be those natural highs go into hibernation (food, exersize, people, whatever makes a normal person feel good).

The addicts brain just craves the chemical high and the more it's used the natural highs go into a deeper deeper sleep. That's why a lot of us feel miserable initially and nothing seems pleasurable anymore unless we have another 'fix/drink'.

The only way to get those natural highs back and working for us is to completely abstain from our chemical of choice and time....usually a lot of time.

Explains why sober peeps continue to feel better and better with time. This helps me to know as there is a reason in the beginning why u feel like your life is no longer pleasurable :)

I've heard that some people have fried the reward circuits in their brain because of overuse and won't ever experience a natural 'high' again. That must be tough.

That sounds right. also hearing about people going through surgeries without any pain killer because they wouldn't have an effect.

I don't know about that surgery, that's when my neurons would wake up! lol

What goes up, comes down, then it evens out, for most of us. Give time time!

Thanks for the post and time is the best weapon. :)

Loved the post...... good stuff for sure.


I don't think, nor have I seen, that it HAS to take a lot of time. For sure, some of us get that in our head and we make it take a lot of time......but I've been amazed at how QUICKLY ppl can recover from very very VERY low nasty bottoms.

I've not experienced that time is in my favor either....I've got a history of sitting back, waiting for the miracle to just happen to me or maybe just being too lazy to WORK for what I need. In those instances, time is more like an enemy.

My life gets depressing.....I get sad, or mad, or whatever - "upset" for sure. AKA, I start to suffer again from untreated alcoholism even though I'm not drinking........ and on those days..... time is not the answer, not even close. In times like that, I need action. I need to re-plug into the recovery path and get to work. I probably reeeeally need to get out of my head and go help someone else out. I know this, today..in advance....but yanno, we can be forgetful and we can fall into the trap of laziness even when we know better than to let that happen.

For me, I've found the quickest solution to enjoying life hasn't come so much from the passage of time but from being actively engaged in living a spiritual life. In other words, being an active participant in my program of recovery keeps me happy, joyous and free.

I guess it's kinda like grief, time helps but it's what u do with that time that matters or you'll still be in that same place of grief 10 years from now.

My drinking became daily when my beloved mum died, get sober 18 months later and suddenly the grief is as strong as it was the day she died because I'd been numbing it for so long, not 'dealing' with it.

Make sense? :)

i too watch that show.

You are right it was QUITE INTERESTING and I found myself making some notes, which I have since researched and found more 'back ups' of what was said.

Science Discovery has some really interesting shows, and not all on addiction, lol It is one of my favorite channels.

J M H O

Love and hugs,