Have you ever done something thrilling, and sometimes dangerous, like riding on a roller coaster or bungee jumping? You feel the adrenaline rushing through your veins. It’s exhilarating and exciting. You feel adventurous. Similarly, it’s exciting to participate in a competitive sport. Drinking, substance abuse, binge-eating, sex, gambling and other pleasure-seeking activities all release a hormone-like chemical in your body called dopamine.

The right amount of dopamine is good for one’s body as one feels pleasure. One is alert, focused, enthusiastic and motivated to succeed. A person lacking in dopamine and other feel-good chemicals could suffer from depression and anxiety.

The problem of dopamine, however, is that one craves the “dopamine reward”. But the effect of dopamine is temporary; it wears off after a while and results in addiction. We should be careful not to equate temporary, selfish pleasure with happiness. A dopamine detox is a long, lonely and painful procedure.

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