Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a vital role in a variety of different behaviours. The major behaviours dopamine affects are movement, cognition, pleasure, and motivation
When dopamine’s released in certain areas of the brain it can give the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction. These feelings of pleasure become desired. To satisfy that desire the person will repeat behaviours that cause the release of dopamine.
How it’s released
For example food, chocolate and sex release dopamine. That is why people want food even though their body does not need it. However, a desire for food and sex makes sense scientifically since the body needs food to survive, and humans need to have sex to allow the race to survive. However, other, less natural behaviours have the same effect on one’s levels, and at times can even be more powerful. Often these behaviours can result in addiction, and that addiction can have negative effects on a person’s well-being.
Drugs such as Cocaine chemically inhibit the natural dopamine cycle. Normally, after dopamine’s released, it’s recycled back into a dopamine transmitting neuron. However, cocaine binds to the dopamine and does not allow it to be recycled. Thus there is a build-up of dopamine, and it floods certain neural areas. The flood ends after about 30 minutes and the person’s left yearning to feel as they did before.
How the addiction begins
That is how the drug addiction begins. Progressively a tolerance builds up due to the fact that the person is constantly trying to repeat the feeling that he or she had the first time. However, the person cannot, because dopamine’s also released when something pleasurable yet unexpected occurs. After the first time, the person expects the effect, thus less dopamine’s released, and the experience is less satisfying.