In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

Another effect of early maternal deprivation appears to be a permanent decrease in the production of oxytocin, which, as mentioned in Chapter Fourteen, is one of our love chemicals.9 (As noted earlier, oxytocin is not an opioid. Therefore, it has no relationship whatsoever with narcotic drugs like Oxycet or OxyContin; only the names are similar.) It is critical to our experience of loving attachments and even to maintaining committed relationships. People who have difficulty forming intimate relationships are at risk for addiction; they may turn to drugs as social lubricants. Not only can early childhood experience lead to a dearth of “good” brain chemicals; it can also result in a dangerous overload of others. Maternal deprivation and other types of adversity during infancy and childhood result in chronically high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In addition to damaging the midbrain dopamine system, excess cortisol shrinks important brain centers such as the hippocampus—a structure important for memory and for the processing of emotions—and disturbs normal brain development in many other ways, with lifelong repercussions.10 Another major stress chemical that’s permanently overproduced after insufficient early maternal contact is vasopressin, which is implicated in high blood pressure.11 A child’s capacity to handle psychological and physiological stress is completely dependent on the relationship with his parent or parents. Infants have no ability to regulate their ...