Humans are hard-wired for pleasure seeking things like sex, food, drugs, and other means of achieving a good time. Many people also fall into the category of wanting ‘rewarding’ experiences as well. Rewards are not as important but they must be attractive enough to capture a person’s attention. When you start to move past reward-based behavior in recovery you begin making progress toward healing.
Understanding Reward Seeking
Researchers must understand how the brain responds to rewarding stimuli like drugs and alcohol as a means of deeper understanding that can lead to more effective treatments for things like ADHD and obesity. Although not everyone who takes drugs becomes addicted, there is an association between euphoric feelings drugs provide and the way the sensation alters the brain. This makes it hard for people to suppress cravings to experience euphoria again.
Capturing Attention
One rewarding behavior that people do is trying to look for things that attract them to their addiction. This may be a happy hour where drinks are cheapest or a friend’s party where there is free alcohol. They begin to hardwire their brains to seek the things they like, then the chemicals shift in their brain and body to continue craving it. This can lead people down a road of addiction. When we understand the brain-body connection, we begin to see why some people are more susceptible than others and how it leads to more effective treatments and relapse prevention.
How to Move Forward
Addiction recovery programs will teach you how to move away from reward-seeking behavior toward things that are more healthy. If you are struggling with how to find your center when you are in recovery, you can look for opportunity to challenge your brain and body away from rewards. This means:
- Supporting the brain in getting out of the feedback loop
- Supporting the body to get rid of toxins driving it to crave alcohol or drugs
- Getting a holistic approach to recovery that supports overall wellness
The key is looking holistically at what’s possible and how to best support your overall recovery. When you do this, you will likely find yourself in a position to heal your brain and body from addiction and end the feedback loop of reward-seeking behavior.
Oceanfront will help you kick addiction to the curb with our premier beachfront community in Laguna Beach. We are founded on the principle of providing the best in care and services at affordable prices. We are located in beautiful Laguna Beach. Call us to find out how we can help you navigate addiction recovery: 877-279-1777
