Dopamine fasting, dopamine detox, and other trends have popped up in recent years, and you might want to take advantage of these new techniques to improve your life. However, it can be very difficult to distinguish trendy fads from real science. You don’t want to make big life changes without understanding what you’re getting into, so you need to check out this guide on dopamine detox to learn more about dopamine’s effects and find out how to deal with compulsive behaviors.

What Is Dopamine?

Dopamine is a natural hormone that the nervous system produces to regulate various important processes in the brain and body. This vital hormone affects a person’s mood, motivation, and pleasure. A dopamine imbalance can lead to a myriad of neurological problems and mental health issues. Likewise, certain substances, conditions, and behaviors can cause dopamine problems that will negatively affect a person’s mood, physical health, and everyday functioning.

Is Dopamine Addictive?

Dopamine is a key component of the brain’s reward system. When an individual experiences a rush of dopamine after exhibiting a behavior, they are more likely to repeat the behavior. In many cases, this can be very useful. For example, dopamine is largely responsible for your feelings of pleasure or relief after eating, going to the bathroom, spending time with loved ones, exercising, having sex, and bathing. Without any psychological reward for performing these vital tasks, people would have little drive to take care of themselves, and humanity likely would not have made it to the present day.

On top of that, dopamine is also responsible for memory formation and motor control. We could not move or make memories without dopamine, so this natural hormone is a crucial aspect of everyday life. Nonetheless, dopamine can be a double-edged sword. The brain releases dopamine during all kinds of pleasurable activities, and not all pleasurable activities are healthy. Because dopamine makes a person feel good, they may continue to engage in an unhealthy behavior even after the behavior has had a noticeable negative impact on their life.

If an individual repeats a maladaptive behavior in pursuit of a dopamine rush enough times, then they will likely become addicted to the behavior. This is known as process addiction, and it can have an extremely corrosive effect on a person’s life. Almost any behavior that provides some degree of pleasure or satisfaction can be addictive. Some of the most common process addictions include:

• Game addiction
• Sex addiction
• Gambling addiction
• Food addiction
• Shopping addiction
• Social media addiction

What Are the Biggest Signs of Process Addiction?

Obsession With a Behavior

Someone who struggles with process addiction typically cannot stop thinking about the addictive behavior. When they’re unable to directly engage in the behavior, they will spend much of their time fantasizing about the behavior and making plans to facilitate the behavior. They may also constantly reference topics related to the behavior in conversations with people around them. For example, a gambling addict may compulsively discuss poker strategies or share gambling stories with uninterested coworkers for some relief while they cannot immediately engage in the process.

Continuing To Engage in a Behavior Despite Its Negative Impact

An individual’s continued engagement in a harmful process will cause the consequences of their behaviors to worsen over time, and certain process addictions can easily result in death or financial ruin. This is especially true for individuals who struggle with sex addiction or gambling addiction. Normally, a person will avoid doing something once they notice its negative impact on their life. However, someone who struggles with process addiction may not be willing to stop engaging in the behavior under any circumstances.

Strained Relationships

Relationships often suffer as a result of compulsive behaviors. Someone who struggles with TV addiction may avoid talking to their significant other so that they can spend more time watching their favorite series. Consequently, their relationship will gradually deteriorate. The resulting loneliness and other negative feelings may cause them to engage in the addictive process even more intensely than before.

What Is a Dopamine Detox?

In 2019, Dr. Cameron Sepah, a respected psychiatrist, published an article in The New York Times that casually mentioned dopamine fasting. The primary intent of this article was to give readers insight about compulsive behaviors and provide some ways to limit compulsive behaviors in the modern day. In the context of the article, the term “dopamine fasting” was just meant to quickly describe the process of limiting compulsive behaviors in a way that the audience could understand. The author did not intend for readers to attempt to completely abstain from dopamine in the same way that someone would avoid food and water during a traditional fast.

Despite this, charlatans and pseudoscientists ran with the idea, transformed it into a wacky health trend, and introduced the idea of the dopamine detox. According to many proponents of the dopamine detox, a person can reset their brain, cure mental health problems, and overcome their addiction to compulsive behaviors by completely avoiding all pleasurable activities for an extended period. Some individuals who practice dopamine fasting even go out of their way to avoid simple conversations and other mundane tasks in an attempt to limit their dopamine levels.

This is absolute nonsense and will not benefit you at all. The popular notion of the dopamine detox has no basis in science, and it’s completely impossible to completely remove dopamine from your body. Dopamine performs a vital role in everyday life, and without this hormone, you would die. A dopamine detox is simply not a viable way to deal with process addiction.

What Should I Do if I Struggle With Compulsive Behaviors?

While the dopamine detox fad is pseudoscientific and unhelpful, you still need to address the role of harmful compulsive behaviors in your life. After all, process addiction is still a very real problem that can have a massive impact on anyone’s physical health, relationships, and mental wellbeing. Once you realize that you have a problem, it’s important to determine how it has affected your life. You should take note of how much time you’ve spent engaging in the process, how much money the process has cost you, its effects on your health, and how it has affected your social relationships. You will have more motivation to overcome your addiction when you fully understand its impact on your life.

Process addiction can be very difficult to overcome without outside help. If you continue to engage in an addictive behavior despite repeated attempts to quit, then you should seriously consider reaching out to a qualified psychiatrist. With the help of a mental health professional, you can identify the root causes of your compulsive behavior, develop effective coping mechanisms to avoid the behavior, build self-confidence, and regain control over your life.

Depending on the extent of your addiction, your psychiatrist may recommend a stay at an inpatient facility while you psychologically adjust to life without the addictive behavior. Patients are constantly under supervision in an inpatient program, so you will not be able to engage in the addictive process during your stay. Because of this, an inpatient program greatly reduces the risk of relapse and will help you get through the most difficult stage in the addiction treatment process. Every patient is different, and not all patients require inpatient addiction treatment, so you should speak candidly with your psychiatrist about your experiences so that you can find the best solution for your unique problems.

Addiction Treatment Will Improve Your Life

You don’t want your life to spiral out of control, so you need to address your compulsive behaviors as quickly as possible. While dopamine fasting and other trends won’t do much for you, the psychiatrists at a reputable addiction treatment center have the resources, scientific knowledge, and expertise to help you overcome your process addiction and develop healthier habits. Addiction treatment professionals have helped millions of people regain control over their lives, so if you want to enjoy an addiction-free life, then you should call Allure Detox today to learn more about their effective treatment programs.