Why do addicts become addicts? What happens on a physiological level?
Substances and behaviors of abuse act directly on the reward center of the brain to deliver their high. This involves the speedy and intense release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Addictive behaviors become a shortcut to reward, which, over time, can have a high cost to physical and mental health. Nevertheless, the outsized sensation of reward makes a powerful case for repetition. Through pathways of nerve connection to other areas of the brain, the response weakens the activity of the brain’s decision-making center in the prefrontal cortex.
As a result of the compulsion, we often “choose to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).
What’s the answer? How do you get off the crazy train?
The answer is found in Step 2. “We came to recognize that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
Recovery Step: You need to embrace two basic truths if you are to become sober: (a) without God, you can’t, and (b) without you, God won’t.
