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Asked by anon-188142 to Warren, Shanti, Pizza Ka Yee, Paul, Nadine, Alex on 14 Nov 2018.
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Nadine Mirza answered on 14 Nov 2018:
Very good question.
At the end of the day it is all down to the chemicals that comprise these substances and their impact on the body.
For example, with cigarettes, they contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. The brain craves it and when it can’t get it anymore you begin to experience withdrawal. This means that the chemical responsible for essentially “happiness” or relaxation-dopamine- starts producing less. You then need to have another cigarette in order to replenish that dopamine and feel relaxed again. That’s why many people who are trying to quit smoking will use nicotine patches. That way they can still reach the level of happiness or relaxation needed but won’t be taking tobacco into their systems.
It’s the same premise with alcohol. Alcohol “depresses” or slows down the brain system and reduces inhibitions which can be a source of calm and relaxation for people. They become addicted to the sensation and soon need it to achieve the same level of calm.
Of course, there are other factors that play into this as well. Smoking cigarettes has been shown to reduce appetite to people use it as a cheat to lose weight. People may also continue to drink and smoke if people around them are so as to feel a part of a group and not socially isolated.
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Alex Reid answered on 14 Nov 2018: last edited 14 Nov 2018 2:23 pm
Hi, great question. Addiction is a whole area of psychology and it can effect a lot of people in different ways. It can also be quite a complicated thing, but at the core of most addictions is your dopamine system. Dopamine is a chemical released in your brain that makes you feel good (it is your brain giving you a high-five), and it is normally really useful. It tells us about things in the world that we need to survive which help our well-being, such as where to find food or shelter. A problem is that this reward system can become coupled with unhealthy behaviour, such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, binge watching TV and many other things that are not good for us. Dopamine is a very primeval thing, and it can be very hard to overcome these additions once they take root. This is not the only factor though, some drugs like alcohol also form a physical dependence. This can happen in various ways, but after a while your body can become ‘dependent’ on that drug at a fundamental level. Sudden withdraw can be very unpleasant and even dangerous, in the case of alcohol addiction it can even kill you! Lastly, another thing people might be bad at is facing the long term consequences of their actions. You might really enjoy smoking the short term, but getting caner is more of an abstract issue further down the line. In a sense people sometimes engage with denial when it comes to some bad habits. For all these reasons it is important to do most things in moderation and be informed about the long term consequences of your habits.
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