Are anxiety and addiction related?

[jivangilad]

I watch anxiety feelings, and it strangely seems it feels like addiction.
I am not addicted to substances.
Is there relation between addiction and anxiety? is there relation in the brain?
Do they share similar mechanisms in the brain?
Might it be addiction to anxiety?
Maybe in my case, this is addiction to over stimulation?

[MWolf]

I watch anxiety feelings, and it strangely seems it feels like addiction.
I am not addicted to substances.
Is there relation between addiction and anxiety? is there relation in the brain?
Do they share similar mechanisms in the brain?
Might it be addiction to anxiety?
Maybe in my case, this is addiction to over stimulation?

Hi Jivan, yes there are shared features between addiction and anxiety. I understand how you feel the two are related to each other. Firstly, a quick short understanding of how the brain works is in order. Basically what the brain contains, through a multitude of neurological connections, are programs which informs the individual's behaviors, thoughts and emotions. These programs/conditions can be conditioned consciously, such as the learning of a skill (backhand strokes, juggling, writing, speaking different languages etc.) or they can be inspired by circumstances, such as learning that a hot cup of tea which is steaming is dangerous when you first touched it as a child and experienced the searing pain of burning skin. The sharp and sudden sensation of pain brings about an emotional force strong enough to cement a cautionary neurological connection in the brain that is connected to the memories of the incident. Thus, we learn through our brain's programs, be it consciously or unconsciously, to execute certain moves and maneuvers as well as to avoid dangerous situations, places, etc.

“Psychologists tell us that by the time we’re in our mid-30s, our identity or personality will be completely formed. This means that for those of us over 35, we have memorized a select set of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, emotional reactions, habits, skills, associative memories, conditioned responses, and perceptions that are now subconsciously programmed within us. Those programs are running us, because the body has become the mind. This means that we will think the same thoughts, feel the same feelings, react in identical ways, behave in the same manner, believe the same dogmas, and perceive reality the same ways. About 95 percent of who we are by midlife is a series of subconscious programs that have become automatic—driving a car, brushing our teeth, overeating when we’re stressed, worrying about our future, judging our friends, complaining about our lives, blaming our parents, not believing in ourselves, and insisting on being chronically unhappy, just to name a few.” – Joe Dispenza, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One

Both anxiety and addiction is a program/condition that is present as much neurologically as it is psychically. Therefore, you might identify the same familiar gravitational pull of both to lead you back to the old familiar maladaptive patterns of behaving, thinking and feeling even though you feel as if a part of you should know better. This "black heart inertia" (a song by incubus) is due to the automatic programs/conditions running in the brain. These matrices of thought emotion and memory play back in repetitive loops, generating a psychic inertia or gravity of sorts. The only method of "cure" therefore is to re-condition the mind and the brain so new programs can run in place of the old ones. Thus, you may call it learning a new way of being.

“The latest research supports the notion that we have a natural ability to change the brain and body by thought alone, so that it looks biologically like some future event has already happened. Because you can make thought more real than anything else, you can change who you are from brain cell to gene, given the right understanding.” – Joe Dispenza

Addiction is a pleasure seeking condition. Anxiety is a pain relieving condition. Addiction is a condition/program formed when the use of external substances is relied on over time to achieve a state of "well-being" or "pleasure". The automatic programs then informs the brain that substances x, y and z are required to achieve a certain pleasurable state. Thus the individual is sent signals of cravings.

Anxiety is a condition inspired by circumstances, most of the time leading back to events in childhood, which informs the individual through the feeling of anxiety that there is a imminent threat. It is a call to resolve the threat and dissipate the anxiety. The problem however is that in modern society, our poorly developed personality constructs are highly prone to neurotic threats, that is imaginary threats to the imaginary self/ego. However, this does not alter the function of anxiety: to seek a solution. Therefore the gift of anxiety is the gift or realizing the existential crisis behind Modern Man and the way out of it.

“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems” – Epictetus

**Both conditions and other conditions alike have a potential for easier manifestation in the brains of individuals that have a genetic heritage of the said conditions. So if my lineage carries the curse of alcoholism, my brain has a greater potential to develop addiction towards alcohol. Likewise for anxiety. This however, is just a potential that can be either decreased or increased by its carriers.**

Maltinwolf.com

[gypsylee]

I watch anxiety feelings, and it strangely seems it feels like addiction.
I am not addicted to substances.
Is there relation between addiction and anxiety? is there relation in the brain?
Do they share similar mechanisms in the brain?
Might it be addiction to anxiety?
Maybe in my case, this is addiction to over stimulation?

I'm sure there must be a link because I am very prone to both. To me it seems like an "obsessive/compulsive" personality, although I only get very mild OCD. When I'm engaging in addictive behaviour it's compulsive and I can't stop thinking about whatever it is. Anxiety is a bit like that as well. "Addiction to over stimulation" is a good way of putting it.

Cheers :)
Gypsy x

[jivangilad]

Just by reading once the two answers. They are beautiful. I get the understanding of the pull they both have.
In my case, it think it feels like anxiety causes some kind of detachment state.
Like is is kind of anesthesia to feared situations. And it is addiction to this detached state.
I think I will read more about what are this pulling mechanisms in the brain.
I actually tried looking for the connection between the two in the internet.
The information I found was unsatisfying, and not many mentioned the connection.

[gypsylee]

Just by reading once the two answers. They are beautiful. I get the understanding of the pull they both have.
In my case, it think it feels like anxiety causes some kind of detachment state.
Like is is kind of anesthesia to feared situations. And it is addiction to this detached state.
I think I will read more about what are this pulling mechanisms in the brain.
I actually tried looking for the connection between the two in the internet.
The information I found was unsatisfying, and not many mentioned the connection.

Let us know what you find out :)

It's an interesting subject.

[JustaGal]

I watch anxiety feelings, and it strangely seems it feels like addiction.
I am not addicted to substances.
Is there relation between addiction and anxiety? is there relation in the brain?
Do they share similar mechanisms in the brain?
Might it be addiction to anxiety?
Maybe in my case, this is addiction to over stimulation?

I belief the quick answer is yes, the brain could thrive on the adrenaline rush....then there habitual behavior....complicated subject.

[jivangilad]

I cannot put link but helpguide harvard how-addiction-hijacks-the-brain
talks about addiction/compulsion

reading this link, makes me think it has something to do with creating compulsion.
So it is stressful behaviors are compulsion, like desperately looking the email 100 times, in
expectation for relief.
It does't produce though enjoyment anymore. you just want to relief the stress.

Also I found relation to the singulate gyrus.
It seems that dysfunction of this area make us stuck, rigid, and not fluid, as we should.

I quote:

Development of tolerance

Over time, the brain adapts in a way that actually makes the sought-after substance or activity less pleasurable.

In nature, rewards usually come only with time and effort. Addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Our brains do not have an easy way to withstand the onslaught.

Addictive drugs, for example, can release two to 10 times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards do, and they do it more quickly and more reliably. In a person who becomes addicted, brain receptors become overwhelmed. The brain responds by producing less dopamine or eliminating dopamine receptors—an adaptation similar to turning the volume down on a loudspeaker when noise becomes too loud.

As a result of these adaptations, dopamine has less impact on the brain’s reward center. People who develop an addiction typically find that, in time, the desired substance no longer gives them as much pleasure. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine “high” because their brains have adapted—an effect known as tolerance.

Compulsion takes over

At this point, compulsion takes over. The pleasure associated with an addictive drug or behavior subsides—and yet the memory of the desired effect and the need to recreate it (the wanting) persists. It’s as though the normal machinery of motivation is no longer functioning.

The learning process mentioned earlier also comes into play. The hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response—intense craving—whenever the person encounters those environmental cues.

Cravings contribute not only to addiction but to relapse after a hard-won sobriety. A person addicted to heroin may be in danger of relapse when he sees a hypodermic needle, for example, while another person might start to drink again after seeing a bottle of whiskey. Conditioned learning helps explain why people who develop an addiction risk relapse even after years of abstinence.

Also from further reading, cingulate gyrus, is involved both in addiction and obsessions.


the cingulate gyrus, in the centre of the brain
The cingulate gyrus is believed to contribute the emotional response to obsessive thoughts. This area of the brain tells you to perform compulsions to relieve anxiety. This region is highly interconnected to the prefrontal orbital cortex and the basal ganglia via a number of brain cell pathways..

and

For instance, there is a center in our brain called the "Cingulate Gyrus." This area has to do with attention. It is the "channel changer" in our brain. When this works well, we are able to see options, have cognitive flexibility and be able to shift our attention from one idea to the next. When it doesn't work well, we get STUCK, not being able to get a thought, worry or resentment out of our minds. People who struggle with "Cingulate Gyrus" problems tend to hold on to resentments from the past, worry a lot, and their brains gets into a lock-in mode. These people often come from alcoholic homes. Addiction is appealing to them. It momentarily takes away the obsession and resentment and numbs it with pleasant feelings. But the obsession become switched to the obsession to use or compulsion to act out. We know that sexual addiction and compulsive gambling affect the same center of the brain, "Cingulate Gyrus," as in cocaine addiction. Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist whose clinics have looked at more that 20,000 SPECT brain scans of individuals, has provided us with a lot of useful information regarding addiction

[NixonRulz]

I cannot put link but helpguide harvard how-addiction-hijacks-the-brain
talks about addiction/compulsion

reading this link, makes me think it has something to do with creating compulsion.
So it is stressful behaviors are compulsion, like desperately looking the email 100 times, in
expectation for relief.
It does't produce though enjoyment anymore. you just want to relief the stress.

Also I found relation to the singulate gyrus.
It seems that dysfunction of this area make us stuck, rigid, and not fluid, as we should.

I quote:

Development of tolerance

Over time, the brain adapts in a way that actually makes the sought-after substance or activity less pleasurable.

In nature, rewards usually come only with time and effort. Addictive drugs and behaviors provide a shortcut, flooding the brain with dopamine and other neurotransmitters. Our brains do not have an easy way to withstand the onslaught.

Addictive drugs, for example, can release two to 10 times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards do, and they do it more quickly and more reliably. In a person who becomes addicted, brain receptors become overwhelmed. The brain responds by producing less dopamine or eliminating dopamine receptors—an adaptation similar to turning the volume down on a loudspeaker when noise becomes too loud.

As a result of these adaptations, dopamine has less impact on the brain’s reward center. People who develop an addiction typically find that, in time, the desired substance no longer gives them as much pleasure. They have to take more of it to obtain the same dopamine “high” because their brains have adapted—an effect known as tolerance.

Compulsion takes over

At this point, compulsion takes over. The pleasure associated with an addictive drug or behavior subsides—and yet the memory of the desired effect and the need to recreate it (the wanting) persists. It’s as though the normal machinery of motivation is no longer functioning.

The learning process mentioned earlier also comes into play. The hippocampus and the amygdala store information about environmental cues associated with the desired substance, so that it can be located again. These memories help create a conditioned response—intense craving—whenever the person encounters those environmental cues.

Cravings contribute not only to addiction but to relapse after a hard-won sobriety. A person addicted to heroin may be in danger of relapse when he sees a hypodermic needle, for example, while another person might start to drink again after seeing a bottle of whiskey. Conditioned learning helps explain why people who develop an addiction risk relapse even after years of abstinence.

Also from further reading, cingulate gyrus, is involved both in addiction and obsessions.


the cingulate gyrus, in the centre of the brain
The cingulate gyrus is believed to contribute the emotional response to obsessive thoughts. This area of the brain tells you to perform compulsions to relieve anxiety. This region is highly interconnected to the prefrontal orbital cortex and the basal ganglia via a number of brain cell pathways..

and

For instance, there is a center in our brain called the "Cingulate Gyrus." This area has to do with attention. It is the "channel changer" in our brain. When this works well, we are able to see options, have cognitive flexibility and be able to shift our attention from one idea to the next. When it doesn't work well, we get STUCK, not being able to get a thought, worry or resentment out of our minds. People who struggle with "Cingulate Gyrus" problems tend to hold on to resentments from the past, worry a lot, and their brains gets into a lock-in mode. These people often come from alcoholic homes. Addiction is appealing to them. It momentarily takes away the obsession and resentment and numbs it with pleasant feelings. But the obsession become switched to the obsession to use or compulsion to act out. We know that sexual addiction and compulsive gambling affect the same center of the brain, "Cingulate Gyrus," as in cocaine addiction. Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist whose clinics have looked at more that 20,000 SPECT brain scans of individuals, has provided us with a lot of useful information regarding addiction

You have to be related to "I'm Suffering"?

[ALoneAndEmpty]

Base on my experience, i can say that it somehow related. Whenever anxiety kicking in, alcohol is somewhat my running phase. This will continue until, i get addicted to it.

[JustaGal]

Base on my experience, i can say that it somehow related. Whenever anxiety kicking in, alcohol is somewhat my running phase. This will continue until, i get addicted to it.

yep, some of us try to kill the anxiety with drugs, food, etc....I was a pot head till recently.

[bigyo]

I watch anxiety feelings, and it strangely seems it feels like addiction.
I am not addicted to substances.
Is there relation between addiction and anxiety? is there relation in the brain?
Do they share similar mechanisms in the brain?
Might it be addiction to anxiety?
Maybe in my case, this is addiction to over stimulation?


Hi, I've experienced similar situations. I used to have very bad SAD and I overcame it about 3 or 4 years ago. I used to play a lot of video games and didn't realize this was stemming from a form of anxiety as well. Even though I didn't feel anxious, I was "addicted" to video games. Like you, I'm not, nor have I ever been, addicted to any drugs or substances. I found that I played video games to escape reality and my situation at home. I don't get along with my step dad up to this very day. I ignore him and when he's around I would normally have hopped onto my game.

So yes, I believe they're linked in that you do those addicting things to escape other things that would make you feel anxious.

[ALoneAndEmpty]

yep, some of us try to kill the anxiety with drugs, food, etc....I was a pot head till recently.

really? wow, i want to hear more about this side of yours :)

[JustaGal]

really? wow, i want to hear more about this side of yours :)

Oh ya, I had a medical card here in California. So I would go buy it and the edibles. I would eat the cannibis chocolate bars and go into a escape zone. Im not proud of it, that stuff is dangerous when you consume too much. Very much like a anxiety attack. I dont recommend pot for anxiety or anything else. The medicinal purposes are not what you find at the dispensery. Anyway, now I can pass a drug test! : ) lol

[gypsylee]

Oh ya, I had a medical card here in California. So I would go buy it and the edibles. I would eat the cannibis chocolate bars and go into a escape zone. Im not proud of it, that stuff is dangerous when you consume too much. Very much like a anxiety attack. I dont recommend pot for anxiety or anything else. The medicinal purposes are not what you find at the dispensery. Anyway, now I can pass a drug test! : ) lol

Yeah I really dislike weed. I remember having one of the worst anxiety attacks of my life after smoking it. For a while I was actually scared of being in the same room as the smoke in case I passively smoked it. I think I've got a certain brain chemistry that reacts badly to it (my brother was the same) and/or is super sensitive to it. I don't know how anyone finds it relaxing!

[JustaGal]

Yeah I really dislike weed. I remember having one of the worst anxiety attacks of my life after smoking it. For a while I was actually scared of being in the same room as the smoke in case I passively smoked it. I think I've got a certain brain chemistry that reacts badly to it (my brother was the same) and/or is super sensitive to it. I don't know how anyone finds it relaxing!

Ya, paranoia is not fun. I over dosed on a cannibis cookie and thought I was going to have to call 911. I managed to just lay there and let it wear off, but it was freakin dreadful.