In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

by Gabor Maté

Let’s take a hypothetical situation involving a hypothetical “you.” You see a chocolate bar in a Hallowe’en bag, and you’re seized by a desire to munch on it: a classic example of a positively reinforced behaviour. That is, you’ve tasted a similar chocolate bar before and liked the experience. Now, when this new bar appears in your sight, dopamine is released in the NA, inciting you to take a bite. Your four-year-old daughter, to whom the bar belonged, accuses you of thieving. “The dopamine made me do it,” you say in self-defence. Your daughter, nothing if not a reasonable preschooler, drops her resentment. “Of course, Daddy,” she says sweetly, “because a cue associated with a previously pleasurable experience triggers a surge of dopamine in the NA and incites consummatory behaviour. Seeing my candy bar was your cue, and eating it was the consummatory behaviour. You have such a silly, predictable reinforcement system.” “Wow,” you say. “That’s exactly right, honey. Will you share that last piece of chocolate with me?” “No way! Your dopamine circuits aren’t my problem.”