Dopamine addiction adhd reddit Because our brains are starved of dopamine regularly, when it finds something (food, nicotine, alcohol, etc) that gives you dopamine essentially for free, it holds on to it tight. I have personally noticed in myself and others. I get my dopamine from reading books, mostly fiction, and I just cannot stop reading. That lack of satisfaction is stored, marking the memory as unimportant. ADHD brains have a dopamine deficit, so our brains seek out any activities that provide dopamine, the more the better. Stop using the phone and you'll play videogames, browse reddit, youtube on the PC, it can also turn into drinking or gambling habits. But to answer your question i need to know what you see as a dopamine addiction first. Seeing an ad or video of a happy healthy person on their cell-phone is a simple example of the media telling your subconscious that gluing I know little about dopamine, so I'd like some help. There is almost no empirical evidence that a behavioural intervention like the 'dopamine detox' that you described would have an effect on your dopamine receptor upregulation. Learn more. There's no such thing as a dopamine addiction. If I had my way, I would scroll on social media all day. This includes things like watching videos, mobile games (this is where I get stuck) and snacking, particularly sugar. I just read another book by another neuroscientist that framed addiction as a learning disorder, like autism. g. I think it's not so much a phone addiction, it's an "easy dopamine" compulsion. Link is here. The mobile apps used for Reddit are broken or are missing features that this subreddit depends on. I have a tiktok, reddit, twitter, and instagram account. My dr said I have adhd, idk if this normal for someone with… ADHD is related to mainly a dereceased amount of dopamine in the brain and we crave stimulation to make the brain produce more dopamine. Ozempic has been the only thing that has improved big time both things. I think I’m going to stop playing games for a while, or at the most heavily I’ll regulate it. EDIT: Few typos. Try dopamine detox as well, it worked wonders to me. and take more omega 3 1000-4000mg through out the day. 5-3 GPA isn’t terrible, but I know I Totally agree with the self-medication stuff but the scientist in me doesnt like the "it's because ADHD is lack of dopamine". The front page on reddit doesn't change and the upvotes you get don't change. Games are long and filled with more content to hook you harder. Replace it with something even more dopamine generating, e. 9% of people, who have taken a sip of alcohol, would be an alcoholic. You need to workout and “win” often (hit PRs, win games, complete puzzles, etc. Doing a "fast", for which there is no scientific support, serves no purpose if your adhd isnt treated properly. The second case is the form of dopamine stimulation. That's why people with ADHD struggle with addictions in general, because we're "addicted to dopamine". ADHD is a developmental disorder in the brain that directly affects (amongst other things) the generation and reception of dopamine (pleasure). I overcame a severe gambling addiction 8 years ago, since then filling the void with every toxic and easy way to replace that dopamine High possible. We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. My point is that it is not dopamine that makes us happy, it is the hedonic hot spots (to the best of our understanding). Share your stories, struggles, and non-medication strategies. Yeah, for some of us games are absolutely a dopamine addiction. As some of would know and experience, ADHD sufferers struggle with addiction. It's used to help quit smoking, against narcolepsy, around seventh in line for what doctors prescribe against depression, and may be used as an "if all else fails" ADHD medication, but it targets the dopamine reuptake which we all know is a great part of what messes us up. It's a NDRI, a noreponephrine-dopamine-reuptske-inhibitor. To a low dopamine / low dopamine sensitive brain (like ADHD), this is the fucking jackpot! To a normal brain, this is also the fucking jackpot! Dopamine, the main chemical involved in addiction, is secreted from certain nerve tracts in the brain when we engage in a rewarding experience such as finding food, clothing, shelter or a sexual mate. benzos, amphetamines Umm I’m old (30s) so my dopamine is buying furniture, organizing (although it only stays that way for a few hours 😅 I still love rearranging and organizing things for the sake of doing it) , walking my dog for at least an hour in inclement weather , the worse the weather is, the more dopamine 😅 while listening to true crime podcasts or stuff about cults, anything of mysterious with 2. In fact, the number of dopamine receptors is much higher in men. and sticking to a routine helps me the most. Once I told myself, “You can do whatever you want, as long as it’s one of (list of things beneficial to your life like reading, exercising, friend/family time)”, I overcame my impulsivity towards high dopamine producing-unhealthy activities. Many people might not have ADHD, the main just chronically addicted to screens. Basically, ADHD medications help by giving you more dopamine. ) this reinforces the dopamine pathway. • Turn to dopamine high of whatever nature (weed, video games, spend money, waste time on Reddit) • do the above until there’s no time left for the work to be done and my persistent fear of complete failure makes me do the work in a mostly mediocre fashion and my grades reflect that, in my opinion. I just wanted to share my "addiction", and am looking for similar experiences, and how you guys handle it. As we all know, dopamine is like a unicorn. this is simpler. i also write everything down on a calendar either on my phone or a physical calendar. TLDR: I want to feel like I actually have choice over how I spend my time, not that I'm a slave to my dopamine addiction. Now after 8 years I’m in a community of supportive people outside of 12-step and that’s working for me today. Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity I just have to get off screens, podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube videos. Your baseline dopamine levels are TOO LOW than NECESSARY to function normally. take breaks from stimulants when you can. It's training your brain to expect dopamine externally instead of generating it internally. I never liked the feeling past buzzed or the hangover that followed if i kept going. Reddit and the mobile game are designed to drip feed you constant positive feedback (a dopamine hit for every five sentence post or the line of blocks you match once every three seconds) rather than giving you the big pay off of a boss every couple of hours like in a “real” game, or when you finally pass your exam in a week. Addiction is something complicated enough for there to be many different components to it, not just an inability to operate when not in “dopamine rush”. I found an article on ncbi. Cocaine prevents reuptake of dopamine, thereby flooding the brain with dopamine. Onto dopamine. I took a step back and realized that I have a severe social media addiction. It's not much that you make the decision to stay true to yourself, it's that if your ADD/ADHD, you don't really have the choice. Stimulant medications work to correct this deficiency. However I was wondering to what extent serotonin plays in the condition, given its varied complex role and wide distribution I would of guessed it had some role It strengthens synapses as well. Posted by u/[Deleted Account] - 21 votes and 7 comments The dopamine issues that are theorized to be associated with adhd help explain and contextualize a lot about addiction and are just biochemically super interesting. Evidence supporting dopamine involvement in ADHD symptomatology includes pharmacotherapy studies, which show that stimulant medications that increase dopamine levels effectively treat ADHD symptoms, 24-27 genetic studies, which have linked dopamine genes to ADHD, 28-30 and imaging studies, which have shown abnormalities of dopamine function and Jun 8, 2024 · Understanding the role of dopamine in ADHD and incorporating effective strategies to boost dopamine levels throughout the day can be transformative. Fortunately these addictions weren't always very harmful. I struggled with gaming & social media addiction as well. I gained a lot from here, and I consider my comeback to Reddit a great source of new views and awareness. I'm just so over the constant thoughts, the constant need for a quick hit. That's the whole point of it. What do you call dopamine addiction and what are real ADHD symptoms according to you? As far as i knew ADHD has a lot to do with dopamine, i wouldn't call it an addiction though. My ADHD exacerbates my phone addiction and I’m getting so tired of it, but I just can’t seem to stop. but tbh medication is what's really made all the Well, dopamine plays a role in attention, learning, memory, and reward so yeah everybody is "addicted" to dopamine. even drugs. As a kid I could binge video games all day every day, these days at the age of 27 I can only play very fast passed challenging games. It fills a gap. Dopaminergic neurons that target the nucleus accumbens target both the hedonic hot spots, and the periphery (the periphery, which is part of the basal ganglia loop, is the reason for addiction). Less self control is an issue in both of these fields. Most ADHD meds, or coffee in your case, cause the synthesis of dopamine, along with serotonin and norepinephrine. The side effects mentioned in ADHD and gaming addiction overlap. Your brain is still producing dopamine whether you're working or slacking off. The sooner you get into the habit of getting your studying done (or big boy stuff in general) THEN choose to reward yourself will slowly change the way your brain reacts and responds to these events, instead of a reward of dopamine from a game, you recieve a reward of dopamine AND knowledge that will benefit you in the future. per my phone statistics, i spend approx 16 hours on these social media apps 🙂 it's gotten to the point where i could be listening to a youtube video on my laptop while simultaneously scrolling through my tiktok feed. is particularly attractive to those with adhd because were dopamine starved and looking for a “quick fix”. It doesn't rewire your brain, more like the ADHD condition rewired your brain to a different sort from birth, and that particular sort really tends to like video games. Brain Development When looking at most information about ADHD, its treatments and causes the main neurotransmitters discussed and involved are dopamine and norepinephrine and I understand why of course. Essentially, addiction is caused by a persons relationship to a thing that gives dopamine and pleasure. The only fix for that is more dopamine. I have ADHD/anxiety and depression. The 12 step community (AA etc. You get dopamine, the actions done are learned to get more dopamine. switch out the magnesium to one without b6, and it magnesium glycinate. Mental health x Physical health. Look into Wellbutrin (bupropion). But did you know that we ADHD'ers have an even greater affinity to carbs and sugar simply for the dopamine hits?? I used to blame my genetic predisposition to addiction or my lack of self discipline and willpower, a binge eating disorder, the list goes on and on. A “dopamenu” is a creative approach to Oct 10, 2024 · Studies suggest that ADHD could be linked to the dysfunction of dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that helps control movements and emotions. I wish you all the best in your journey and please don’t take food addiction lightly as many do, it can be as much of a killer as any addiction. I compare it to my ADHD hyperactive female friend with fast COMT who has the pulsating kind. The problem arises if you get into the dopamine “addiction” phase — when Reddit is no longer a positive, but rather a distraction. If there’s any recommendations for video games that are good for ADHD people, would love to hear about them. After recently breaking with my partner of 5 years I'm embarking on a trip away to try a journey of finding contentment in the simple things in life. There is no doubt in my mind it throws me out of balance. View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit ADHD and dopamine addiction Hi u/tbgmdhc278 and thanks for posting on r/ADHD! Please take a second to read our rules if you haven't already. Nearly a million and a half users say they 'feel at home' and 'finally found a place where people understand them'. And reduced inhibitory control, which is also said to be a problem with ADHD. They monetized the path of least mental resistance. I don't know why these self-help pseudo-science blogs call it a "dopamine detox". Addiction. Posted by u/ch0rlie - 23 votes and 8 comments ive consistently used psychedelics on and off for years, never quite felt addicted so much as its just been part of my self medication routine, to be honest they help my adhd more than harm it, especially in treating the co morbid anxiety/depression. That reset was so difficult, but so worth it. hey i just read your comment and wanted to say that you are probably right like i said this may not work for everyone but honestly the reason why i kept it at 6minutes is because there is almost no resistence to the study process and it uses the release of dopamine to boost your performance within those 6 minutes. You lack dopamine and therefore you become an addict in a way to chase whatever provides that rush of dopamine. Men work with dopamine. Typically people with adhd are more prone to addiction and eating disorders though. I’m not medicated, but the dopamine hit I get is still there. Games are fun. You're not actually removing dopamine from your body We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. For example, you get dopamine every 10 seconds while playing games. It has been hypothesized that individuals with ADHD who are not taking stimulant medication may try to self-medicate by smoking. Aka, a slave to avoiding suffering. It’s an interesting thought but I don’t believe it is nearly that simple People with attention deficit hyp usually process things very quickly and as school classes increase in size and teachers are consistently under appreciated mixed with technologies increase of immediate gratification that leads to increased adhd rates but I’m no doctor 12-step program for internet addiction, or some other “step-by-step” program for people with ADHD and the dopamine addiction is really strong. When you start spending more and more time on, it’s time for a change — for a dopamine “detox”. Different circadiam rhythms, increased distractions, dopamine farming, higher anxiety and racing thoughts can all contribute. Also, there are studies that show people with ADHD have longer REM cycles, which means their deep sleep (the most restful kind of sleep) is impacted. There is a totally unproven THEORY that ADD and ADHD are primarily due to a systemic shortage of dopamine, which causes everything to be much less satisfying. The first two weeks sucked, and I really struggled without the constant dopamine until I found something else to replace it with. All my life have struggled with addiction. Unfortunately, ADHD is also not just a dopamine deficiency. But I have a family and my husband and I have argued so many times about how he feels second fiddle to my phone. Lack of dopamine is not accepted as the cause of adhd. Its not caused by the drug/thing itself. ) was created following the Vietnam War to help soldiers returning home with addiction, and is one type of approach to addiction (disease model) and orgs like SMART follow the therapeutic community model which doesn't not subscribe to the idea you are powerless against your addiction like the disease model. I think whether you have ADHD or not unplugging can make most people feel more focus and reduce ADHD symptoms (although probably not a cure for the majority who actually have ADHD). I've always been extremely interested in girls, sex, dating and love. benzos, amphetamines This is also why stimulant medications are so effective in the treatment of ADHD; stimulants act as dopamine reuptake inhibitors, causing a more regular rate of consumption of dopamine and lowering how much we have to do to remain at a balanced level. I think alcohol is often a drug of choice for people with anxiety, people with ADHD have high rates of alcoholism. I'm talking 4-5 hours at the gym doing intense training 6 days a week. The immediate reward of doing a thing that will directly create dopamine functions. She has really risky behavior while I don't go outside mostly haha. Reddit is just like all social media in the sense that it’s designed to keep you scrolling on the app as long as possible and it does this by constantly giving you stimulus which releases dopamine in the brain. Now, I'm able to want something and not buy it. I always thought I was an introvert because I hate crowds and navigating new social situations, then I thought I was an extrovert but autistic, because I hate crowds but love having rowdy infodump conversations with other ADHD/autistic folks, and now I'm thinking maybe I AM an introvert, I just also rely on dopamine from (safe, comfortable I found that I only kept playing because I couldn’t do things right. . I am diagnosed with ADHD and have been thinking about this. We crave dopamine, because we produce less of it in the brain. Methylephebidate-based ADHD meds, like Ritalin and Concerta work by blocking dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake. How I view my tonic dopamine is a constant high dopamine flow. nih. 6- would recommend 30 min meditation everyday( I know it sucks ass to meditate ) but that’s actually why is good, getting your brain to get used to low dopamine activities It's a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. No, dopamine is secreted when there's an expectation of a rewarding experience. Like sex addiction or even like porn addiction. The more i isolate myself the more depressed i get and the more I want to drink. And the question is, will any more dopamine be emitted is the warehouse if over-full. Like ADHD, Parkinson's is also caused by your body not being able to utilize dopamine correctly. Sabroxy doesn't make more of anything, it just increases the amount of time dopamine hangs around outside of neurons. If it was, it'd be much easier to treat. As far as the book, I really didn't find it all that useful. We recommend browsing /r/adhd on desktop for the best experience. I guess I'd say two of my biggest ADHD related issues are an addiction to shopping and spending money way above my means and anxiety, dopamine-search fuelled food binges. You must understand "the war" which is the idea that your conscious rational mind is being bypassed countless times throughout the days with information that this dopamine addiction is good. Growing up I worked out almost neurotically. I'm looking for help and stories of other people with ADHD, anxiety, and depression who have overcome deeply rooted unhealthy habits. It’s actually science, people with adhd lack ways of making natural dopamine, now I don’t need gaming to make it, stimulants provide dopamine, It’s just because of dopamine that cause me to get hooked. take rhodiola under very stressful periods. ive consistently used psychedelics on and off for years, never quite felt addicted so much as its just been part of my self medication routine, to be honest they help my adhd more than harm it, especially in treating the co morbid anxiety/depression. Folks with an ADHD brain often are lacking dopamine, and games provide it. as someone with ADHD, check out the subreddit! the things that have helped me are #1 medication - I have severe inattentive adhd so this was literally life changing. add vitamin-k, switch to a B50 complex, add gaba 500-1000mg before bed. nlm. The correlation is that people with adhd don’t have enough dopamine, and that it’s most beneficial to take medication and improve coping strategies. Telling people with ADHD that a dopamine detox could help them may prevent them from seeking traditional ADHD treatments. This is because of dopamine addiction. 2. I have ADHD but I find myself hyperconcentrated on whatever produces the most dopamine, I discovered this book and read it in one sitting but I'm not sure how to apply the information in my life, so far I've identified sources of high dopamine like Discord chatting servers, video games, porn, that are destroying my sensitivity to the natural . ADHD is related to mainly a dereceased amount of dopamine in the brain and we crave stimulation to make the brain produce more dopamine. In December I deleted everything. It might not help ADHD to 'increase dopamine in the synapse' if it is taken back up into the synapse so fast. That's how we evolved. And as f*cked as it is: there is no quick or full way to fix it. Dopamine detox the movement is only for a few days and that isn't enough time to actually reset your brain The movement (at least the extreme versions of it I've seen) mentions cutting off doing anything that gives you dopamine which is NOT want you want to do. Aug 21, 2024 · Your ADHD brain craves stimulation. Amphetamine-based ADHD meds (Adderall, Vyvanse, dexedrine) work by increasing the activity of dopamine and norepinephrine. You can leverage your ADHD and do the opposite of what you do for building healthy habits: raise the barrier of entry, remove it from your sight. Or eating junk food. For many years my addiction was exercise. I think that stuff like social media, shopping, etc. No processed dopamine foods. If that was the case, literally 99. bottom line is: it's officially out of 5 - avoid reels/ tiktok/ YouTube shorts, if you have ADHD they seriously “damage” your dopamine. This can give them undesirable side effects. I have inattentive ADHD+autism, slow COMT and high tonic dopamine. I’ve recently got Reddit back but Facebook and tiktok are still off and I want to give at least another couple months. Certainly, unmedicated adolescents with ADHD smoke far more than do their medicated ADHD peers and their non-ADHD peers (Whalen, Jamner, Henker, Gehricke, & King, 2003). one of the apps that has you grow virtual plants bc you don’t move your phone. From getting around 80-90%, I just failed 3 exams consecutively. Edit: holy crap, I did not expect this many responses. I'm m29 and got diagnosed with ADHD about a month ago, still haven't started on medication. Adhd is essentially a chemical imbalance in the brain. In the arm metaphor, the cell that wants to move it and the cell that wants to stop it can't communicate properly, so they'll fire independently of one another in this horrible back and forth of stop and go, leading to that tell tale shaking that It’s one perspective, supported by the scientific research. Just looking at scales of what produces dopamine in your brain and seeking out the healthier ones is helpful. Side effects like, deficiency in the part of the brain that controls impulse control. so adhd only appears on men. This leads to a need for constant and increasingly intense stimulation, causing people with ADHD to partake in increasingly extreme and risky behaviors. But the addiction comes when you're too tired to enjoy them, but you don't have the energy to do anything else. 2K votes, 766 comments. That means you will stock the outlet, the cannon if you like with even more dopamine. In this clip we review reasons why abnormal dopamine levels can cause addiction in untreated individuals, and why psychostimulant treatment for ADHD and addiction disorders could be useful in offsetting the future addictive liability present in individuals with naturally low levels of dopamine in chief brain regions governing reward and We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. the psychedelics can have a bit of a self limiting/self care effect. EDIT: For anyone, but especially those with ADHD I really, really reccomend any of Gabor Maté's youtube videos on: ADHD. I relate to the situation you find yourself in, but the first step is to realize you have a disability if you have ADHD. Also, see below. We're very different when it comes to stimuli. you are correct that one of the genetic conditions of adhd is lack of dopamine. I struggle with social anxiety, so i isolate myself. Here, an expert explains your neurological drive for dopamine and how to regulate it. Thats why people with adhd can get easily hooked to social media, video games ect. eat more carbs with a low gi, and more protein. I always screwed up and gaming was my medicine. The problem with ADHD is a lack of dopamine. Buuut, is dopamine isn't simply released upon completing an action as a reward, it's released in ANTICIPATION of a reward. I'm currently doing my ACCA and it's considered a pretty hard professional degree. Some older (~2006-2012) studies claimed it was a factor but newer studies seem to agree that there isnt enough consistency in that theory to attribute it as a cause. In adhd we have a dopamine deficiency. First, dopamine is a neurotransmitter that requires amino acids to be made, if your protein intake is insufficient therapy will not be effective. It just sucks that I can’t manage my dopamine like a normal person. Thank you! When you have ADHD, your brain doesn't keep enough dopamine floating in that particular pathway, which means you don't feel satisfaction when doing things that would normally be rewarding. Dude, the worst is when you have that dopamine addiction, but instead of wasting time by playing games or watching shows, you go to reddit or social media and you keep checking back every 5 minutes. gov (national library of medicine) that suggests a link between ADHD especially inattentive type that is a result of lowered Oxytocin and dopamine. qgiuk nzsxix tqqkhoor dkgso vsmta vrd bfv wtyq erq xkprpfk rdrd zwort sagsb oony qhlnv