Chase Intensity: Need for Stimulation

Dr. David Fawcett

High-intensity, dopamine-related addictions (such as stimulant drug addiction, porn addiction, and sex addiction) have powerful mood-altering abilities, creating superstimulating effects that reset the brain’s reward circuits and essentially hijack the very nature of the activities and behaviors that bring us pleasure. Because stimulant drugs have highly dissociative and libido-enhancing effects, when they are combined with porn or other sexual behaviors, they represent a perfect storm for people seeking an escape from their daily lives.

Sexual minorities who feel shame (such as internalized homophobia) quickly discover that combining certain drugs with sex can release their inhibitions and enhance their sense of connection. Meanwhile, heterosexuals, especially those living in economically depressed areas, use these drugs and behaviors to gain energy to complete menial tasks and escape feelings of despair.

Unfortunately, over time, these intensity-based addictions can change the brain in ways that affect recovery trajectories. For example, extensive research on the effects of methamphetamine has revealed its unique properties. Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), along with other researchers, discovered long-term damage to the brain’s reward circuits caused by meth.[i] She and others have found that damaged pathways can regenerate, but the process can take up to two years, during which time the mood and cognitive abilities of those who recover can be severely affected. For example, they may have difficulty experiencing pleasure, they may have fuzzy thinking, they may be impulsive, they are often hopeless, depressed, and highly susceptible to triggers and cravings for drugs and sex.

Addictive and compulsive behaviors cause users to escape uncomfortable feelings, numb or distract from emotional pain, while creating their own complications and consequences. Stimulants, especially when combined with sexual intercourse, can also trigger a desire for intensity and connection. Ultimately, the combination of stimulants and sex can free users from low self-worth, shame, and other inhibitions while enhancing sexual arousal, feelings of invincibility, and the potential for risky sexual behaviors.

After eliminating drug, porn, and sex addiction from their lives, many people in recovery find themselves falling into other intensity-related behaviors, such as gambling, spending, overworking, and even romance.

Over the past decade, we’ve come to learn a lot about the experience of love and romance, which triggers a cascade of excitement similar to that of stimulant drugs and sexual activity. The subjective state of being “in love” triggers a chain reaction of dopamine, oxytocin, vasopressin and serotonin, the same brain circuits involved in paired drug use and sex. “Being in love” replicates addictive states such as hyperfocus (in this case, the preferred person), mood swings, cravings, obsessions, compulsions, distortion of reality, emotional dependence, personality changes, risk-taking, and loss of self-control.[ii] Other intense behaviors (gambling, spending, etc.) can have the same effect.

Experience shows that emotional states characterized by low intensity can be challenging for people who crave intensity. One such low-intensity state—a generally pleasant state—is relaxation. Most people enjoy a state of relaxation, but for some recovering addicts, relaxation can be a trigger. More threatening are low-intensity and low-intensity emotions. unpleasant Feelings of boredom etc. For stimulant/porn/sex addicts who are retraining their brains to slow down, boredom, having free space on their calendar, being irresponsible for a period of time, and a general lack of focus/purpose can be a dangerous combination.

One of the important tasks in early recovery is to develop the ability to regulate emotions. In recovery, life goes on: people get sick, get into car accidents, couples break up, etc. Strong emotional reactions to these events can trigger strong emotional reactions in addicts, whose main goal in life before recovery is to avoid experiencing anything unpleasant. The ability to identify, feel, and release any emotions that may arise to the best of your ability is critical and empowering during the recovery process.

Typically, however, this cannot be done in isolation. A key factor in restoring an addict’s ability to manage their emotions is establishing a support network. It is this interconnected network of supportive relationships that provides perspective, skills, and sometimes even the lifeline that pulls addicts back from the edge when they want to escape the spiral of intensity.

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If you or someone you care about is struggling with sex, porn, or substance/sex addiction, help is available. Seeking Integrity provides inpatient treatment for people with sex, pornography, and substance/sex addictions, as well as low-cost online work groups. Meanwhile, SexandRelationshipHealing.com offers a variety of free webinars and drop-in discussion groups, podcasts, and more.

refer to

[i] Volkow, ND, Chang, L., Wang, GJ, Fowler, JS, Franceschi, D., Sedler, M…., & Logan, J. (2001). Dopamine transporter loss in methamphetamine abusers is restored by long-term abstinence. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(23), 9414-9418.

[ii] Fisher, HE, Brown, LL, Aron, A., Strong, G., & Mashek, D. (2010). Reward, addiction, and emotion regulation systems associated with love rejection. Journal of Neurophysiology.

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