Wild. I mean I'm a firm believer that there's a strong link between mental illness, alienation, and addiction. But it would seem that even under a successful socialist revolution it could still remain.
Often both are involved. There are genetic markers that will be found to cluster in families with addiction that have direct links. Having those genes isn't necessarily destiny, but the heritability and activation even in separated twin studies or adoptions underscores the biological component.
Conversely, adverse or traumatic life events, periodic toxic stress, severe interpersonal or behavioral issues can also lead to addiction in individuals lacking a genetic or familial component (all of these conditioned or 'nurtured' elements have a direct material trace on the brain, especially the developing brain).
If you have both elements coming at you, it's very very difficult to cope with or overcome substance abuse on your own.
I’m curious about it as well. I think people cope in different ways and some people are more prone to seek out something chemical that stimulates their dopamine/serotonin than others. I’m partial to just wallowing. I’ll lay down and watch YouTube videos for days (which I guess in a way is maybe my addiction tbh...) my partner has addiction problems she’s a recovered alcoholic and has abused medial drugs and now catches her self over shopping and stuff like that. She has to be really mindful of her behavior bc she has patterns of seeking solace in things like that.
Maybe I’m the same I just opt for lying in bed all day and don’t need to change it...?
I don't disagree with anything you've said here but would quibble as to why you've separated mental illness from alcoholism/addiction. Substance use disorder (including alcoholism) is a mental illness, many mental illnesses are diseases you're born with.
That's very fair, just my scattered reading dividing the categories when it shouldn't have been.
I included both in my response agreeing with this because I agree with the alienation part and I know I treated a lot of my trauma by self-medicating (which in turn really activated the addict in me so I think they are related).
Absolutely. Trauma causes severe disruption in the brain, one of which is the low levels of cortisol and high levels of catecholamines along with abnormal threat response. That stuff isn't occasional but structural, a continuous production of excess stress hormone and exhausting excitatory state. If alcohol or weed or opioids reduce that pain and bring stress down when nothing else seems to be able to, those are going to be used, and excessively. I've struggled with addiction and have a large extended family rife with it, it seems like the only option because so many personal, social, societal supports are missing and it sometimes is the only thing that'll lessen the noise and quiet the pain.
But for individual social supports there are comrades here around to talk and who've gone through maybe similar things, we're not alone.
Wild. I mean I'm a firm believer that there's a strong link between mental illness, alienation, and addiction. But it would seem that even under a successful socialist revolution it could still remain.
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Thing is I've never acted like an addict in my life, not until I started to get depressed and anxious, which opened the door to me self-medicating.
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No worries. I'm curious if there's a scientific link with an "addict gene" or something we inherit or if it's something we see normalized growing up.
Often both are involved. There are genetic markers that will be found to cluster in families with addiction that have direct links. Having those genes isn't necessarily destiny, but the heritability and activation even in separated twin studies or adoptions underscores the biological component.
Conversely, adverse or traumatic life events, periodic toxic stress, severe interpersonal or behavioral issues can also lead to addiction in individuals lacking a genetic or familial component (all of these conditioned or 'nurtured' elements have a direct material trace on the brain, especially the developing brain).
If you have both elements coming at you, it's very very difficult to cope with or overcome substance abuse on your own.
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I’m curious about it as well. I think people cope in different ways and some people are more prone to seek out something chemical that stimulates their dopamine/serotonin than others. I’m partial to just wallowing. I’ll lay down and watch YouTube videos for days (which I guess in a way is maybe my addiction tbh...) my partner has addiction problems she’s a recovered alcoholic and has abused medial drugs and now catches her self over shopping and stuff like that. She has to be really mindful of her behavior bc she has patterns of seeking solace in things like that.
Maybe I’m the same I just opt for lying in bed all day and don’t need to change it...?
I don't disagree with anything you've said here but would quibble as to why you've separated mental illness from alcoholism/addiction. Substance use disorder (including alcoholism) is a mental illness, many mental illnesses are diseases you're born with.
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That's very fair, just my scattered reading dividing the categories when it shouldn't have been.
Absolutely. Trauma causes severe disruption in the brain, one of which is the low levels of cortisol and high levels of catecholamines along with abnormal threat response. That stuff isn't occasional but structural, a continuous production of excess stress hormone and exhausting excitatory state. If alcohol or weed or opioids reduce that pain and bring stress down when nothing else seems to be able to, those are going to be used, and excessively. I've struggled with addiction and have a large extended family rife with it, it seems like the only option because so many personal, social, societal supports are missing and it sometimes is the only thing that'll lessen the noise and quiet the pain.
But for individual social supports there are comrades here around to talk and who've gone through maybe similar things, we're not alone.
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