Dopamine Detox

In other words, we’re dopamine junkies

Sugar can have a similar effect on the brain as a drug, raising our dopamine levels

If you’ve ever experienced issues with poor motivation, addiction, bad habits, or procrastination, then you’ll know just how hard life is when your dopamine balance is out of whack.

Too much dopamine can make it harder for us to enjoy things and to center ourselves enough to get things done (Deans, 2011, Dopamine Primer).

Sugar can have a similar effect on the brain as a drug, raising our dopamine levels over time and requiring higher sugar doses to feel the same comfort we used to experience (Lewis, 2017, What happens to our brain when we give up sugar?).

Sugar and sugary foods can create a similar state. The brain gets used to operating with higher dopamine levels and also requires higher levels of sugar, so, without it we feel weird

Other things can have an impact on the dopamine system in the brain. Drugs are a clear example, as many substances that become addictive hijack the dopamine pathways and make the brain release a lot more dopamine, to the point where other stimuli, like everyday pleasures, are no longer enough to make them active