DOPAMINE FOR DUMMIES
Dopamine is sometimes called “the reward chemical” or “pleasure molecule” or the “anti-stress molecule.” It is the primary neurotransmitter found in the brain which is responsible for happiness and other emotions. It is essential for the normal functioning of the central nervous system. Dopamine provides feelings of enjoyment and reinforcement that motivate a person proactively to “feel good.”
In 1990 Dr. Kenneth Blum and Dr. Ernest Noble (former director of the NIH's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and researcher from UCLA) published their seminal study showing the Dopamine D2 Receptor Taq 1 allele (a gene) and alcoholism.
Several years after discovering what came to be known as the “alcoholic gene,” additional studies led Dr. Blum and others to conclude that it was a misnomer. It was concluded that the genetic anomaly previously found in alcoholics is also present in drug addicts and other people with compulsive or impulsive disorders including overeating and obesity, attention-deficit disorder, and pathological gambling.
In 1995 Dr. Blum defined the condition – when genes do not work together as a cohesive unit -- as the “Reward Deficiency Syndrome” which he hopes will one day be recognized officially as a disease. He believes over 1/3 of the U.S. population has some form of Reward Deficiency Syndrome, and that genetic factors account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person's vulnerability to addiction, including the effects of environment on gene expression and function.
In a healthy person, Dopamine and other neurotransmitters “cascade” like water cascading from one pool to another in a waterfall. One neurotransmitter flows into an area of the brain and triggers release of another neurotransmitter. The flow begins with Serotonin. When it is released in the hypothalamus area of the brain, Enkephalins are released and initiate the transmission of GABA, which acts like a traffic cop. GABA is important as it fine tunes the release of Dopamine. GABA allows just enough dopamine to be released to provide reward, comfort, and pleasure from ordinary activities and a degree of calming to fight off unwanted stress. People who suffer from Reward Deficiency Syndrome cannot cope with the accompanying angst, agitation and emotional pain. Their brains are unable to produce enough Dopamine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Endorphins.
When levels of these "feel good" chemicals are low or blocked from the brain's receptors stress, pain, discomfort and agitation are the result. To provide temporary relief, people with low dopamine levels self-medicate with alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, junk foods, sugars, carbs, caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants which ultimately leads to poor sleeping patterns and further depresses their dopamine levels. Exposure to prolonged periods of stress and alcohol or other substances can also lead to a corruption of the "cascade function."
Some people with low dopamine levels do not self-medicate with alcohol and drugs, but become clinically depressed and anxious.
These behaviors bring with them the possibility of more long-term consequences.
Both genetics and environment greatly affect the Brain Reward Cascade. Therefore, it is often quite difficult to determine what caused the Reward Deficiency Syndrome -- a genetic defect or a defect to the gene. In either case, people who suffer from Reward Deficiency Syndrome have the power to change their genes' expression. That is, they have the ability to respond to whatever life circumstances they may be in right now and change them to something better through healthier choices-- nutrition (nutrigenomics), exercise, positive thoughts and emotions (epigenetics). Either way, the choice and the power are theirs.
In order to overcome genetic predisposition to addiction, certain nutrients such as amino acids should also be used to assist the brain in increasing or decreasing certain neurotransmitters or enzymes controlling the brain reward cascade.
At the Malibu Beach Recovery Center, we help our clients raise their dopamine levels naturally though diet, several hours a day of yoga breath work, and a combination of food supplements and amino acids. By the time our clients graduate, their dopamine levels are higher -- and their moods are better. They smile. Their skin glows and their eyes sparkle.
We send them off with the tools they need to sustain those now elevated dopamine levels: an online cookbook with rules, recipes, shopping lists; real time DVDs of an abbreviated yoga breath work program that can be done at home every day; and a list of appropriate food supplements and amino acids. Our experience is that clients who continue to follow the diet, continue to do some form of yoga. take food supplements and become involved in the 12 Step Fellowship have a real shot at long term sobriety.
Addiction robs people of their dignity and life before it kills them.
We can help you achieve sobriety now - and maintain it for life. If you
or a loved one needs help call our supportive intake staff who will
address your concerns and guide you through the intake process:
C all: 1-800-366-8101 or email us at info@malibubeachrecovery.com
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