Why Our Brains Want to Be Addicted | The Chemistry of Addiction

[@anitapezzi2439]

As a recovering drug addict with 6 years clean, I think it would be quite interesting if you did an episode about the recovery from drug addiction on a chemical level. What damage is repairable vs. what damage is not.

[@williampowell9366]

Have they done this yet?

[@thealchemist69666]

Hush druggies

[@tylerdurdin8069]

Hank did an episode similar to what you want already. Don't remember if it was on sci show or his own channel though.

[@Robespierre-lI]

The dominant theory of addiction (dopaminergic) is just the best expansion we presently have at hand but things get fairly complicated when you start asking why opiates are so strongly addictive and why some people seem to be far more successorale than others. I find addiction science a little unsatisfying in it's present form. The current theories just don't seem to fully explain the diversity of responses to behaviors and chemistry that are reported to be addictive.

[@alcaldealer8515]

You could research this on your own. Why listen to what others have to say vs your own finding. Must be an American who needs constant validation. Btw congrats I’m 10 years clean

[@bloodspilla55]

"The brain is the most complicated piece of matter in the universe" -Brain

[@Dagrizzb]

Lol. What a bias to behold.

[@laaaliiiluuu]

"Humans are an intelligent species." - Humans

[@trunghungpham9414]

@@laaaliiiluuu Well tbh, no species smarter than human have been found tbh.

[@laaaliiiluuu]

@@trunghungpham9414 1 million is more than 100,000 but still far from 1 trillion or even infinity. Intelligence is a very relative term.

[@lordawesometony2764]

@@laaaliiiluuu we are tho lol

[@TenThousandDoors]

I know this is several years old now, but I want to thank you for creating this. I was able to use this video for my intensive outpatient treatment, where an assignment I have is to watch videos related to addiction for analysis and discussion. It was very well made, easy to understand, and edited in such a way that summarizing its key points was almost done for me. You guys at SciShow are awesome. Please keep doing what you guys do, you are truly beneficial to thousands upon thousands of people.

[@narrator69]

I've watched hours of lectures from some of the biggest names in addiction studies and got more out of this video then all of them, Thank You. I now have a better understanding of the meth addict I am forced to live with.

[@tabletopjam4894]

Ross Betts this channel shows that a straight forward and entertaining lecture works a lot more than a school-style lecture. Also proves that school isn't a place for smart people

[@puffdaddy69]

"forced"? nobody is forced to do anything

[@beakf1]

room 4 one more?

[@TheRorschachAble]

You don't know, actually.

[@neotronextrem]

Booohooo, Im forced to live with a methaddict.

[@sleepybutwoke670]

Made my way through gambling addiction, mental sex addiction, working out + preworkout supplement addiction, substance addiction (amphetamines), and video game addiction. I am narcoleptic and take Modafinil as treatment--- It has allowed me to recognize my addictive behaviors and realize that pleasure is no longer being received from my actions. I now have become very interested in neuroscience and I really enjoy your channel!

[@SiMBol10]

I love how hard it is to tell a brand new scishow to one from 2012 just consistent epic quality for years! As someone just getting into it I'm loving that there is SO MUCH to binge on. Hope someone from the team gets the chance to read this so I can say thank you!

[@GoddexxJae]

His voice is deeper in the old ones 😉

[@SpikedHairVSGravity]

I usually date them by Michael’s haircuts

[@blackgenesisishere]

I'm a recovering meth and heroin addict, im 4 years clean in September 2018.

[@Opeth1991]

Timothy Cousineau great job!

[@janita851]

WOW! Even two of these shitty super addictive substances -.- How did you do that?

[@jesushernandez-gw2qj]

Congratulations man, you have my respect ✊

[@puma4291]

A bit late, but congratulations brother!

[@DannyG1821]

How’d you do it

[@danielsiedschlag546]

Thanks for touching on the dangers of abruptly quitting alcohol after long-term usage. My dad suffered a seizure about 48 hours after stopping cold turkey from a week long binge. I didn't know what was happening at the time and only later after further research learned about the GABA system and the exact reason why he had that seizure. I wish I had seen this video beforehand.

[@aaronslater470]

I appreciated the tone and serious nature of this video. As an addict, this is one of the best videos to watch on addiction I've ever seen.

[@urltima]

Learning about dopamine, the pleasure system, and the reward system separately from addiction has taught me more about my addictive personality than addiction documentaries or addiction exposes or anything else. Addiction is so deep, so so deep.

[@MegaSqueakymouse]

This makes me think... If dopamine makes you remember things better, and it is released through happiness, why don't schools focus a bit more on making kids happy instead of just shoving the information at you?

[@LadyLahdeedah]

Not to sound judgmental, but that may be because doing so requires more creativity and effort on the part of the educators and the educational system.

[@natepotvin]

What about the current education system is it that makes you think they give a shit?

[@crabwilde]

I actually like school now. I mean, it sucked for the past 12 years of my life, but it's way more interesting now. I love Chemistry, Physics, English and Media, and they're all taught in an engaging and entertaining way. It's also memorable, because fun is inherently more memorable than blunt information.

[@Dact3]

Because the goal is to suppress creativity because of the power it holds.

[@BoredErica]

Because kids don't want to learn? Learning is fine and dandy but do we determine who knows more or less? By tests, so now we all have to go back to our notes and study like crazy. Life isn't perfect, if you can create a utopia society where everybody loves to learn and reach their full potential, go ahead, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[@alsswim]

As someone with an alcohol addiction I can tell you even though I’m now sober and have been for a while even the smell of alcohol hits all the receptors in my brain and gives me that feeling that I used to chase. It also gives me really bad cravings for more. Addiction is fascinating

[@thomaslumsden5460]

Probably the most accurate factual presentation of addiction, I've seen. Well supported in the literature and consistent with findings. Thanks for not throwing in your own presumptuous theories and sticking to science. Great Job.

[@davidgold3nrose]

I knew someone addicted to the hokey pokey, but he turned himself around. And that's what it's all about

[@codycmasterson8]

omg im dying lmao

[@neilisbored2177]

i clapped

[@atom0824]

😂😂

[@hhhoneycomb]

hahaha

[@nitajay8824]

😂

[@HungerGamesFan00]

So... first our brains name themselves, then they outsmart themselves. *mind blown*

[@joventlk7300]

Lol

[@daleporter60]

+HungerGamesFan88 and then they come up with a term to describe their shock. Mind blown indeed.

[@djayjp]

lol except they didn't outsmart them, hence the pathology of addiction to such substances.

[@Howtheheckarehandleswit]

HungerGamesFan88 actually, first brains couldn't fathom there own existence, discovered themselves, named themselves, denied there own existence, then were like "wow I'm the most complicated thing I ever discovered" then built the internet, thought it just built something more complicated then itself, went like oh wait nope I'm still better, then the specific one writing this realized that by building a computer more complicated and powerful then itself would be like a computer building a more powerful computer and then I'm realizing that that would be insane.

[@Inertia888]

WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEE!!!

[@psych4u339]

Great job organizing all of this data! When approaching addiction, it is so helpful to understand the biological/ chemical factors of what's going on with the person.

[@eggsandbacon5686]

I have an addiction of watching KZbin videos instead of doing my homework

[@FireworksAndHurricanes]

I feel you man...

[@kiabro93]

+EggsAndBacon that what I'm doing right now lol

[@robynn144]

+EggsAndBacon Me too :D

[@CanalGuy]

+EggsAndBacon Loving the feeling when watching youtube videos IS your homework...

[@Dot2375]

lmao

[@ranelbennet3365]

I am not sure if anyone will read this, but I am so thankful to have found this channel. I am actually learning!! Trying not to focus too much on the tragic fact that I am going in debt to "teachers" that do NOTHING but occasionally whine here or there. Thank you so much for creating this channel! College has me forgetting that I do enjoy learning!! The challenge is finding anyone to teach. Thank you Hank, you are awesome!! You are much appreciated :)

[@thomasmann3560]

I love young Hank! It's always awesome seeing these old episodes of sci show. Great show bud!

[@SonicXRage]

"Nice move, BRAINS!" This is why Hank is my favorite SciShow host.

[@PostInquiry]

Thank you so much, Scishow staff & Mr. Green, for making awesome videos and making your references easily accessible

[@sorchar]

We watched this in my Addictions class and it was really pretty helpful in clarifying some stuff.

[@sunvol4503]

I do dope and when I get high I feel most comfortable watching your videos. Like you said "people who are addicted crave to go to that place again.". Well in my euphoric state, I enjoy learning if you believe that. I've probably watched every single one of your videos, getting high then listening to you teach me about the world all comfortable and fuzzy feeling in my bed. I really would like to quit doing heroin and this video opened my eyes to addiction a little more then it was already, so thanks for that and please wish me luck, I made a mistake in my life just like everyone else....I was just going to try it once to see how it feels....alright I'm rambling, your biggest fan :)

[@ktburger659]

Best of luck! You can do it!

[@sunvol4503]

Thank you very much, I plan on going to the clinic to get help in the near future.

[@sunvol4503]

KML thank you for not judging me as well, I was just too stupid, I didn't really understand how something could make me physically addicted.... "Looking in the mirror, like I can't believe what I've become, I was going to be someone, and growing up everyone always does, we sell our dreams and our potentials to escape through that buzz to keep me up Hollywood here we come"

[@ktburger659]

No judgment at all! Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, its how we choose to react to them that matters. Building ourselves up in response to our mistakes is how we learn and become even more awesome people. All the best to you!

[@distrologic2925]

***** Try kratom :) its a plant ground up into disgusting powder, but i read that it was great for fighting addiction, especially from heroin, because it is an opiate itself. now you might ask yourself how taking drugs is going to help you quit drugs, but kratom is actually very easy to handle addiction-wise. it will get you through the rough times without really putting you in danger of getting a serious addiction again. I CAN NOT speak with experience here because i am not addicted to any kind of drug (exept for that one herb maybe). but when i used kratom it would make me feel euphoric, motivated, relaxed (physically and mentally), focused, sometimes it would even boost my creative flow when making music and most importantly to me, you dont feel like you are on drugs. you can go to work/school normally because your mind is not really affected by it and you can very easily supress the effects (meaning you can literally decide when you want to feel the effects). and even after a year of almost daily use (it is very easy to use everyday because you act like a perfectly normal person) i did not feel any addiction when i just stopped doing it because i could not effort it at that moment. now im not doing it anymore since a few months, but writing this really brought back memories and im sure going to order some again soon ^^. educate yourself about it online, and eventually try it out. definitely worth it imho.

[@heatherlacy83]

I'm totally addicted to compulsively watch Scishow.... as much as possible, every single day!

[@Technomancr]

I'd love to see an episode that talked about less addictive drugs like LSD, MDMA, and DMT.

[@xxaidanxxsniperz6404]

MDMA is addictive, but nowhere near alcohol. It can cause severe addiction but most people dont abuse MDMA.

[@RK-ej1to]

@@xxaidanxxsniperz6404 probably because it just straight up stops working. Meth is meth all the time, never done it on purpose but I can say for sure I do not understand how people enjoy it. My best theory so far is there’s just a bunch of people with undiagnosed ADHD and it just works for them……until they get addicted.

[@sciencenate]

Lol yeah one of those three does not belong

[@ryankarlin9822]

just replace MDMA with mushrooms and there ya go

[@IdaBrun]

This is just a great video. So informative and thorough. Loaded with dopamine inducing content.

[@tr1ck321]

Opiate and sex addict checking in. This video was extremely well done, teaching me more in a few minutes than I have learned in years prior, and I feel it has strengthened my minds ability to understand and overcome addiction. Thank you.

[@richperez5556]

"Mo' synapses -- mo' problems." I love Hank.

[@elijahloveraven5578]

but how does the space between the neurons cause more problems? That's what I don't get

[@muertes333]

can you make an episode about how lack of sex and social interaction affects the brain!

[@Niom_Music]

Feels like you've already got the answers

[@muertes333]

Haha good one

[@Alex-gn2rb]

Addiction is such a misunderstood behaviour, everyone should watch and understand this video as we all will either directly or indirectly be in contact with some addiction or another. Brilliant video.

[@StevenWayneJones]

Really good video! I think if you broke down each addiction and talked about some of the specifics you can get a lot of use, a lot of people need help understanding these types of things, thank you

[@karimsarif8934]

you should make a video on the "study drug" concerta/aderal/ritalin; might help a few people

[@einsteinwallah2]

this is good idea ... scishow should do one video on this ... please like Karim Sarif post if you agree

[@Technomancr]

I'd also like to see MDMA, LSD, and DMT.

[@jonahjameson831]

Anthony Trupiano hippy

[@karimsarif8934]

i thought DMT and MDMA were too much for hippies

[@jonahjameson831]

too much?

[@reneeyounk9663]

Aww, you're sooo young here! How's your health? Hope you are well. Thank you for years of interesting learning.

[@Anirban456Mandal]

Maaan, I am addicted to watching your videos!!

[@TheClairenoel29]

Thanks! I now know what causes me to check out your videos so often

[@Dogybhai33]

😂😂😂

[@Dogybhai33]

Is addiction gone or r u still suffering....😄😄

[@nickjamesb2051]

There is something special about the way you relay information my friend, a born lecturer I reckon.

[@idontseeynot9]

Made me wanna quit smoking more than any truth commercial

[@TheCherry1994]

Did you quit?

[@idontseeynot9]

For 3 months, just to see if I really needed it like a heroine addict. I found the cravings don't entirely go away, but are drastically reduced. You go from always wanting one, to only wanting one once or twice a day. Maybe with more time no cravings ever? But idk. Ill permanently quit when I'm mature enough to do so

[@KevinToppins]

Nicholas Santiago I pulled off 3 years of cold turkey from smoking when I 1.) got a lot of cardio exercise each day, and 2.) substituted the reward of smoking, for the enjoyment (reward) of vastly more awesome health. If you don't do the cardio, you won't get the awesome health reward, which your motivation to feel a reward pulls you back into smoking again. I of course fell back into smoking when I became addicted to adderall in college, but after finding some awesome supplements, I have gotten my brain up and running again, and all without adderall and smoking. Yay!

[@idontseeynot9]

Kevin Toppins good shit kevin. I was able to pull off a little over 3 months cold turkey, and recently im about 4 days out. the only thing is I love to smoke but I don't want the hassle of wanting one all the time. Still on the fence if im gonna stop completely or not. I gotta say my breathing has imnproved and the urges are already starting to die down. we'll see

[@christophermcgivney7149]

5 years later... did you quit?

[@valerieangell7588]

I’m addicted to dopamine...it’s how I evolved,so quite trying to get me in a rehab!

[@HawleysTarotForAll]

Im currently active in meth addiction, and the part of this video that Hank talks about meth makes me cry every time. It makes me feel hopeless for getting clean. But i am still determined. I just fear the period of time when my brain will have basically zero dopamine at all, and thus NOTHING will feel good, and motivation will be non-existent. I dont want to be a zombie. But if i dont get clean, i know eventually I'll get much worse, and if i do get clean, i have to first go through the phase i just mentioned. Basically i have no choice one way or the other, im going to be a zombie. But i know that one of those leads to life-long happiness after a brief zombie state, and the other option leads to miserable life and eventual death.

[@frankmir1]

How about a show on Methadone / Suboxone (treatment) for addicts i think thay would be a good topic thanks and keep up the good work

[@ramdalion]

yes plz! i want to hear abbout this to from scishow

[@xxaidanxxsniperz6404]

That is not a good way to quit opioids. You are switching from one drug to another. The withdrawals from methadone are worse than the withdrawals of heroin. There is no point of methadone, it is a terrible way to quit.

[@XxXShevampXxX]

@@xxaidanxxsniperz6404 Statistically, you are incorrect. MAT programs have a much higher success rate than abstinence only programs....and that's not even taking into account what it does as far as harm reduction goes. MAT is one of the most effective tools we have in our current addiction fighting arsenal. Methadone is actually one of the most studied drugs on the market and buprenorphine is proving itself to be just as effective, if not more so. You're entitled to your opinion of course but your opinion is not back by science.

[@xxaidanxxsniperz6404]

@@XxXShevampXxX did you read the comment? The method is effective in helping one quit but methadone withdrawals by itself is enough to scare an addict back to harder pain killers. Have you experienced withdrawals? If not then you have no idea what you are promoting. It's reminiscent of giving benzodiazepines to alcoholics...

[@Inertia888]

When I first started experimenting with getting high I used to say, "I'm doing drugs." But after a few years of abuse I changed my phrase to, "The drugs are doing me." Even Though at the time I thought this was a cute or cool inverted way to express my lost eccentric teenage mind, and it is a popular enough saying to have found itself in the lyrics of at least one pop culture rock song that I can think of (Marilyn Manson in case you have to know), it was probably more than just a teenager repeating what they heard on the radio. In hindsight I see an addict expressing concern for himself, and subconsciously asking for help with his unforeseen long dark road of being manipulated by the very thing that he thought was his ticket to freedom.✨🌈🌊🤔🔍🚑😒 In nutshell... if you ever hear a teenager, or anyone for that matter, claim that "the drugs are doing him" (or her) ... pay attention to it. They're most likely becoming addicted.

[@chrisbecke2793]

Thanks KZbin for showing me Hank from 9 years ago. Something I didn’t know I needed.

[@taylortimbrook2030]

"Don't do drugs" -young hank 2013

[@Yerrarat]

Where can I find someone like you in the real world? I could listen to you speak for days. Which is interesting because I hate listening to people

[@hansdorschdk2]

VERY fast talk...and VERY rewarding...almost addictive. Well done there

[@mathieua8811]

I wish you mentionned if we can get back to normal balance level by stopping addictive behavior, and if yes, how long would it need and for which addiction it is possible and which it s too late.

[@TheShorts5555]

Yeah, sure, any drug addiction with time. Shorter periods, even 'cold turkey' for 'light' drugs, and very careful 'stepping down' or substitution for harder drugs. I mean you don't want to die, you don't go cold turkey with heroin, but with nicotine, caffeine and THC, you can just stop without major side effects. Not that THC and Caffeine are renowned for powerful addiction, I mean I've used marijuana for several weeks in a row and just stopped, only feeling a little dissociated for a few days afterwards

[@TurquoiseInk]

Depends in the person and the substance. Some people do casual use of weed and are fine. My ex literally is on weed so much it's around the clock. Only time he's without it is when he was travelling and couldn't get it. He'd go back to his true self then go right back to the weed tiddie as soon as he had access. His addiction was so heavy he had multiple strokes and didn't know until he almost died. Unwilling to stop, not compliant with the meds he needs, been in that state for years. Shame because he's a brilliant guy with many good qualities. I peaced out of that mess. It's Russian Roulette and want nothing to do with it

[@MK-dg6eq]

I'm addicted to SciShow

[@starsaroundscars8017]

As am I.

[@credocooperative]

It's a drug

[@esupton783]

can you be addicted to knowledge? I think I am

[@conniesblankpages3656]

haha that's something weird to say nowadays, is good to know that i'm no the only one that thinks like that.

[@SproingBoing]

The first step is admitting you have a problem... I too am addicted to SciShow :

[@vishalkasture8492]

Your video was of utter importance. earlier although I read, watched and listened various source and info contents, I could not understand them better as I have now. Kudos to you for your efforts and thanx for enlightening us Keep bringing more of such videos They are highly fascinating and addictive😉

[@shadowg3]

I love you brain, I'll try my best to not fuck you up

[@BowlMasterAsh]

+Franko XG Haha, for a second I thought you were telling a guy name Brian you'd try not to fuck him up :P

[@shadowg3]

+BowlMasterAsh hahahaha

[@GogiRegion]

(+Franko XG) Then don’t do heroin. I made that mistake once… and then again… and again… Sorry, what were we talking about? Heroin? 😌

[@AssistantLeaflet]

Thank you good sir for not saying psychedelics cause addiction. they can but it's absolutely no where the same because psychedelics don't work the same way as most drugs. they aren't usually fun, more like intriguing and sometimes "spiritual" if you Would like to address it as such. people may form mental addictions to them But usually they already have some kind of mental folly that they are going through and they want to escape reality. but psychedelics can actually help in therapy for other much horrible addictions. such as with ibogaine having a huge success rate for stopping opiate addiction which absolutely sickens me how they aren't legalized as schedule II substances because all of them have a very pronounced helpful mental and medicinal effect on the brain. psilocybin mushrooms can actually cause neuro-genesis. like are you fucking kidding me!? why is society not utilizing these medicines? LSD can help with alcohol addiction as well as many others. and the creator of alcoholics anonymous wanted to put that as one of the steps for becoming a clean individual since it stirs up non bias views towards objective thoughts which ultimately gives you the knowledge and will to fucking do something! MDMA another psychedelic usually mixed with other chemicals in ecstasy actually can help with ptsd. screw the idiots ignoring the research. And no recreational psychedelics should not be a thing because they are medicines with a high chance of arrogance and to be used incorrectly. and many people in the street pass these helpful non toxic drugs with stupidly legal research chemicals that totally can kill you whilst no one has ever overdosed on an actual psychedelic except maybe ayahuasca but that's only because of the MAOI's present which, if you ingest the wrong food can be toxic to your body. preperations, time, a person to watch you if you need it, and a calm setting is all you need to have a helpful calm experience. just do the Damn research from actual scientists and not just give into publicity and scare tactics. they're lying just like they were lying with cannabis. There will always be people who know better.

[@billybobjoetheprofessional3890]

@@Themozartthug are you actually serious right now? For christ's sake, the man writes an essay and you just go "Oh, always one in a crowd". Bother to learn something before stereotyping people who actually know what on earth they're talking about. Jeez, man. Gotta love it when someone, whose full extent of knowledge on this is a youtube video and "drugs are bad", tries to tell someone with decades of scientific research behind them that they're just a drug-pusher. Exactly when did OP "push drugs"? Look at the facts, just because someone knows what they're talking about with drugs doesn't mean they're advocating that the reader use them. Being right doesn't make you a hippie drug-pusher. It makes you right. Unlike you.

[@Alexandra4art]

The 2018 Michael Pollan book, "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence" is AMAZING. Highly recommend. I borrowed the audiobook from the library, and listening to him tell stories, historical and personal, is great.

[@TurquoiseInk]

Ecstasy is not harmless, saw that up close and personal. Psychedelic research has been surprising and encouraging, I have changed my mind about them though personally I believe that they should be used in certain settings like therapeutics and not in others.

[@Royin345]

This has to be one of my favorite videos I’ve seen from this channel.

[@saraabbas2413]

Question : Are piercings bad for your body? Like a ear or nose piercing?

[@MajorPayne175]

Mo synapses, mo problems. Biggie would approve.

[@deefinney243]

lol

[@deefinney243]

disciple

[@deefinney243]

rz

[@Negative-3000]

Who is biggie?

[@MajorPayne175]

@@Negative-3000 Oh, younging.......you just reminded me that my young years are behind me. The Notorious Biggie Smalls do a quick search on YT and be enlightened.

[@patrickmcmanus5373]

Thank you for the video. I am glad we know more about addiction. I was a heroin addict for 25 years with two years clean. Post addiction video would be great

[@TurquoiseInk]

Congratulations on your recovery. God bless.

[@UltimateTheZekrom]

Music, chocolate, and Internet are my addictions :)

[@nothingtoseeherefolks6911]

I’m addicted to drinking. I can’t stop, or I feel like I’ll die. I drink water. That’s all.

[@_sammybhai5465]

😂😂

[@StardustAnlia]

I saw it. I stand by it. An episode on caffiene, cigarettes, ADD medicine, and physical activity, and how they compete in terms of making one do their work ( and stop commenting on youtube videos) , would be a good thing.

[@jamesjames9052]

hey sci show can u do a video on the addiction of self harm/mutilation

[@CallMeXecutioner]

Here's all you need: they do it for attention

[@thedukeofweasels6870]

+Matt Hudson I totally agree they should do an episode on it, it would really help reduce the stigma! like if they could actually show scientific information instead of focusing only on the emotional aspects! I also think it should have been at leas mentioned in this video! I think it should be considered a behavioral addiction!! It does use the same neural transmitters and hijacks the same system, plus you have the shock and pain activating endorphins which are your brains natural opioids!! people link it to psychological conditions but the truth is any addiction can be used as an unhealthy coping mechanism for these conditions!

[@thedukeofweasels6870]

+CallMeXecutioner And by trolling and trying to annoy people you're seeking attention so how are you any better? But okay I'll humor you. Who is this "they" you speak of and how do you know what their motivations are. do you know people that self-harm? are you a professional educated in this matter? Or are you just blindly repeating some meaningless mantra you heard out of pure ignorance?!? If by "they" you mean over dramatic whiny emo teens that talk about it constantly and post sad GIFs on Tumbler then you're probably right they're doing it for attention! But actual scientific research has proven that that is less than 1% of all of the people that suffer with this very real problem! You only see the ones that want attention because they're the most visible the overwhelming majority suffer in silence with too much shame to even admit they have a problem! It's ignorant assholes like you that stop people from getting help and recovering! do you know how many people end up dying because they'd rather kill themselves then face society's mental health stigma my getting help!

[@CallMeXecutioner]

+theduke ofweasels (Weasel) k

[@xxaidanxxsniperz6404]

Self harm comes from an urge to reduce mental pain. It is similar to drugs because it releases neurotransmitters to reduce pain. The urge becomes stronger over time and that in itself is the most dangerous aspect of self harm

[@punishedexistence]

I've had my addictions to various chemicals, most of which are behind me except alcohol and tobacco...funny how my latest drug dealers exist at the gas station. I'd call that population control, and money making. That said, I'm gonna take a swig outta my 40 and light a smoke. If there's any 2 drugs you shouldn't start, it's ethanol and tobacco. Trust me. It's bad, M'kay. I'd advise to steer clear of opiates, amphetamines and coke too. Get high on life, as hard as that is to do sometimes.

[@bufferkiller]

This video is four years old today. Happy Birthday, The Chemistry of Addiction Video!

[@TheOverlord99]

Mo synapses mo problems

[@Rise9192Against]

Agree.

[@Mazaroth]

Internet pretty much has made me tolerant to everything. Seriously, my 12 year old mind back in the 2004 couldnt handle things like gore, tentacle hentai and other nice internet activities, now they are normal part of my life. it's good to be jaded, even giving out this information does not trigger "Wait, why are you telling other people this?" reaction in my brain, it just doesn't give a fuck anymore about anything.

[@Joseph11OG]

How could 100+ people dislike Hank? He is the most likable scientist ever! 1% of people either hate science or love their addictions too much to acknowledge the truth.

[@tcp3059]

It appears I release dopamine when I watch educational videos. Nice.

[@tcp3059]

+Dopamine997 perhaps

[@ilovegod0106]

Could I be addicted to scishow?

[@joshualorenzo4942]

I was just thinking about doing some research on addiction because I believe I'm an addict to. This helped a lot with the research & also helped me realize that I am addicted to watching movies & videos online.

[@NyxesRealms]

"Six awesome courses in one awesome channel: John Green teaches you US History and Hank Green teaches you Chemistry." Crashcourse. John (this guy's brother) teaches history and this guy (Hank) teaches Chemistry. Welcome. :)

[@distrologic2925]

THIS is what we actually need. education instead of prohibition. This might be an unpopular opinion, but i think EVERY drug should be legal. Exactly. you should be able to go to the pharmacy, educate yourself about what that drug will do to you (including risks and effects etc.) and maybe complete a few surveys to make sure you are really certain that you want to do this drug. Why? 1. this would destroy the whole black market of drugs and would make every consumer safer because of better quality products. people would get in contact with actual crime much less and the money criminals are making right now, would go into the governments pockets. 2. after all, it is every persons individual decision if they want to do this to their life (*cough* freedom..*cough*...anyone?). its not like it would affect YOU if I did meth or something. also: would you do heroin as soon as it was legalized? i wouldnt either, but the people who would, are already doing it (a child could get any drug if it wanted to, its not like the police can act fast enough to prevent that. dealers are everywhere.) with these new laws consumers were putting themselves in less risk and if they got trouble with that drug they could more easily get help. so what do you think about this whole idea?

[@AnarchistMetalhead]

yes, your arguments are correct, but the incentives to get there are missing the issue is that the link between demanding prohibitions and restrictions and the inevitable results of having to expend ressources to enforce them are broken by the state simpler said, if those demanding a prohibition were the ones solely responsible for paying for its enforcement most of them would stop demanding it

[@TardyMoments]

I agree with everything you say here, however there will alway be a black market for drugs, they would just become cheaper than the government controlled ones, and new drugs, or should I say "research chemicals" are made every day, would be impossible for the government to control it. Although I do reckon they should make the main drugs legal, and pure and taxed :)

[@AnarchistMetalhead]

Matt Hartley great point on permissionless innovation! anyways, why would you want drugs to get taxed? do you really want to allow an institution that is based on, and relies on violent coercion for all its actions to get funded even more? once the tax is there, i understand you have no choice as it will be demanded from you under threat of state force, but why advocate for there being a tax on it in the first place?

[@z121231211]

I don't think every drug should be legal. There's a pretty good reason to keep VX and Sarin out of the hands of common people. Though I believe addictiveness shouldn't be a reason as long as the consumer right to knowing exactly what they're buying is protected. But I guess a good argument for them being illegal is that they're a dead end to human achievement. Why would you spend months or years working on something then feel great about it at the end when you could buy something that will give you the same feeling right now? Life is already filled with instant gratification and drugs are the end point of that track. Though looking at alcohol there's plenty of addicts, many more moderate users, and even more who abstain from it completely. And alcohol's completely legal. If all drugs were as legal as alcohol I'm pretty sure it'd be the same. I just don't like the idea of limiting the freedoms of everyone to protect a few from destroying themselves, especially when the substance in question is knowingly willingly self-administered.

[@picis735248798]

That's silly think about it more, it would affect you a lot, the less horrible drugs affect you lot, you don't want to legalize heroin for example, and how can you count on intelligence of people, majority of them would die..

[@alisonhotvedt8589]

You're my favorite scishow guy

[@daultonbaird6314]

Baconchocolatecheesecake. Now I know what to bait my rat trap with.

[@s4ujcd]

Daulton Baird Baconchocolatecheesecake (DROOOOOOOOOOLLL)

[@tfoprincess]

QUESTION:!!!! Is that why my fingers can remember an entire piano song or is it another reason? It'd be cool if you made a video on that. I WANNA KNOW!

[@kenandned]

I think that is just muscle memory. My violin teacher always says that if you play something enough times, your muscles will remember exactly how they're supposed to move.

[@billybobjoetheprofessional3890]

Your fingers do not remember, it is your brain that remembers. It becomes an "automatic process", meaning you don't have to consciously think about doing it after enough time, it becomes something so well-wired in your brain that you can think of it as a program running inside your head. All you have to do with your conscious mind is "turn on the program", and then it runs automatically until the song is finished. If you mess up and you don't know the song very well yet, this system is fragile and it will collapse- meaning one mistake, and suddenly you forget how to play the whole rest of the song, and have to go back and run through the earlier part in your head before continuing. I play bass, so I know exactly what that feels like. Sometimes it feels like there are a bunch of mini-programs for the verses, and I sometimes might mess up by inserting the wrong mini-program and playing the wrong verse. Your muscles cannot remember anything. This "muscle-memory" is simply an expression, it is not meant to be taken literally.

[@billybobjoetheprofessional3890]

@@kenandned yeah no muscle memory is just an expression

[@ranjodhmatharoo]

Just wanted to say thanks because now I can be more informed and let other people know what's what

[@mksabourinable]

I'm curious about the science of weird cravings... Like pregnant women's cravings, or in my case every day cravings that make no sense and are random as all hell. (For example this morning I woke up craving hashbrowns with nutella - and this is something I've had for years so no I'm not pregnant)

[@BoredErica]

Yeah, that's interesting. I wonder why.

[@LadyLahdeedah]

There's a condition that causes people to crave strange things, including rocks, nails, and pickles in ice cream. There IS a video on it by SciShow but I can't quite recall what the condition was called. It's related, I believe, to deficiencies. Because pregnant women are spending so much nutrition keeping little baby Jimmy healthy, without a careful diet, she can become easily malnourished. So, sometimes, pregnant women crave strange things including pickles in ice cream. I think it's called pica. I can't really recall.

[@mksabourinable]

Thank you very much, that makes sense actually, I already know I have an Iron defiency and potassium deficiency/low electrolytes, so maybe I have others too... Now I'm thinking back to the times I have weird cravings and they were mostly electrolyte and iron related, but the nutella hashbrowns I realized was that I had a dream where I was eating something similar and it tasted amazing lol Another random tidbit of knowledge I can share at random times :D

[@mksabourinable]

My cravings aren't that crazy, I only crave food items, they are just weird and random. Once I had a mad craving for popcorn with mozza melted cheese on it, and had never heard of anyone doing that before... I dip my McDonalds fries into my hot fudge sundae... stuff like that

[@BoredErica]

Kate I don't think you're that weird. As far as I'm concerned, it's not doing you any harm... eating bricks isn't just a bad idea in terms of taste, it's a bad idea in terms of health. Eating popcorn with cheese (which I'm pretty sure is actually semi-common) or eating fudge sundae fries is just having a unique preference. I want to liken it to a fetish... not that your love for fudge fries is a fetish, I'm saying both are just atypical preferences. Then again, the diverse range of human sexual and human food preferences are both gnarly issues to fully understand, I think.

[@radtrashmcradical8202]

So can u be addicted to love/lust?

[@robertotacato3500]

yes

[@radtrashmcradical8202]

Daniel Michie then I am :(. I researched it its infatuation its like a drug. and no, im not addicted to love/lust in general, its just my feelings for one person.

[@africanexplorermagazine]

Love/Lust/Musterbation --- Potato/Tomato/Patato --- You get the point!

[@robertotacato3500]

he brought up "musterbation" its different. =)

[@radtrashmcradical8202]

Daniel Michie OHHHHH.... lol oops.

[@jamminjoe44]

Bingo, anticipation is even a greater high then the reward itself! That hit home hard!! Awesome video!!

[@somethingsomething404]

This video seems kind of slow and sad, I know everyone knows someone who's had addiction issues but I get the feeling that this is closer to him than the average topic

[@AJTalks]

I would love to see an episode about how you can raise a child to be a genius, or why people love cars. Great content btw

[@lesliejohnson2982]

This is awesome. Thank you SO much. Would it be possible to do a show about the differences between people who take things like opioid pain medicines but don't get addicted, (which does happen a lot) and those who take it and do get addicted? This would be especially helpful to me as I'm teaching a class on addiction vs. physical dependence and I'd LOVE to show it to my pharm students. Thanks!

[@AustinBoiiii]

Using such big words. But using the word mdma instead of ecstasy would have made this episode make more sense.

[@Tuchulu]

What about acid?

[@VoidHalo]

***** Not physically, no. But it can be addictive psychologically. Most anything can be.

[@VoidHalo]

***** Of course it stands to reason that side effects are relative to dosage size, but not everyone is capable of moderation.

[@tym4761]

^ moderation is a cool form of denial

[@PhanteusZ]

I rape in moderation, I molest in moderation, and I snort cocaine in moderation. Moderation is key people!

[@djayjp]

1:25 The limbic system is not the "reward centre" as it also involves things such as fear and emotional pain processing. The "centre" most often credited with producing reward related neurotransmitters is the nucleus accumbens (sp?), which I believe is a subset of the limbic system itself.

[@joshhummel1284]

We're addicted to synapses.

[@TheZipzter]

mo' synapses, mo' problems XD

[@monk607]

I have three years clean after starting my addiction at 13. I always wondered what the effect on my young brain was

[@mikehillenbrand2559]

MO' SYNAPSES MO PROBLEMS lmao

[@joshuasusanto8008]

i barely open my email, untill i acually forget the password

[@clarestardust2618]

U didnt mention the physical sickness that is experienced when someone suffering with an opiate addiction experiences when they dont have the amount or heroin or morphine or codeine in their body that they need to function properly. Most heroin addicts dont use to get high, they use because they have to otherwise they are extremely sick and dont even get any 'high' off it. They need it just to live their lives 'normally' Thank you SciShow, I love your videos. I especially love your voice and the way you talk.

[@ArchAngelSlayer1]

Chipotle burritos, there's nothing like them. My drug of choice lol. Only get them like two or three times a month but I would eat two a day if I could haha.

[@NutritiouslyHigh]

I try to limit myself to one every other day. Sometimes I don't drive somewhere I want to just so I can spend the gas money on more burritos. Help me.

[@nurnobi833]

NutritiouslyHigh

[@Phazon8058MS]

At the very moment he said Reddit, I was browsing Reddit... I have a problem...

[@jeremiahreyes3739]

I don't really see the correlation

[@Phazon8058MS]

Jeremiah Reyes This is a video about addiction. I'm saying I have a reddit addiction.

[@jeremiahreyes3739]

Gotcha >.>

[@countryroadstakemehome]

I watched one scishow thinking who's this nerd and so on.. then I watched like 10 in a row. Congrats dude in video.. you are exciting and filled with knowledge.

[@GoReRoTTedDeAtH]

Interesting... I did not see cannabis once.

[@TriggeredPeasoup]

Just like anything it can be psychologicaly

[@elizabethhogan1610]

If only Layne Staley could have seen this...

[@Firstfruits288]

Thanks for creating this video. I learned oodles of information that can be used for my school project.

[@noblereach551]

I have checked my email 0 times in the last day and got 0 important emails... As far as i know

[@ilovepiedoyou2]

I am addicted to oxygen. I'd die without it.

[@janreiafrica]

Mel haha :(

[@paulineisme]

I'm so proud to be subscribed here. Seriously, I'm subscribed to every type of ridiculous parody-makers and wannabe comedians and out of the blue, you see an informative channel. XD

[@SmashtheCmachine]

I'm glad I didn't watch this earlier. Partied a little too hard, yesterday, woke up with half a bottle of vodka left over, and just looking at it made me wanna ralph. So *IT* went down the toilet, before my cookies came back up.

[@Big1nz]

If you really believe its all about will power, you need a reality check you are not mentally stronger than those people.

[@TheShorts5555]

Depends on the person. Some people are addicted on their first go, other people never become addicted to a drug in their lives. Some possess the power to will themselves to go cold turkey on drugs, like nicotine and caffeine, and it can be done too for heroin and that, but hard drugs tend to severely maim or even kill you via just stopping with willpower

[@Big1nz]

Jordan Philip Yea its a factor of many things, I just fucking hate the people who act like they are addiction specialists and treat these people who need help as trash.

[@marieprestegard2495]

He was just explaining the sience behind adiction, I did not feel offended and I have a food adiction (I know that might be a lot different from the aduvtion you were refuring to). If anny thing I feelt like this video does good for pepole that struggle with adictions. Different adictions have different afect, something he explained, and he gave examples on why and what those afects are. Pepole who struggle with adictions needs to seek help from a profesjonal doctor or hospital that spesalises in dealing with pepole with adiction.

[@marieprestegard2495]

Also it can be about will power, mot only will power but it does have something to do with it. Different pepole react differently to different adiction, witch is why some can quit smoking easyer than others. How mutch you smoked (for ekample) also has something to say. Then there is will power, will power is mentaly, if you are stressed, depressed, or have other mental problems then loosing an adiction is a lot harder. Having will power is harder if you struggle mentaly, witch makes loosing your adiction harder as well. (Sorry about my bad english skills)

[@rachelwarman3579]

Yes bob there is only few who have done it on will power alone peeps who do it on willpower are more suspectible to lapse or relapse because they get to complacent. Kicking drugs is life time recovry of maintenance suppor groups living a balance life its action maintenance for life people who manage to kivk with willpower alone are at risk because they jump of the six stages of chsnge by termination.

[@wesofx8148]

The effect is only on film or under flickering lights. If the wheel rotation matches the flicker-rate or the frame-rate of the film, it will appear stationary. This being said, if the wheel is slightly slower than the flicker-rate or frame-rate it will appear to spin backwards and visa verse.

[@ProphetOfGanj]

What about marijuana? Talk about it

[@domblidoo2500]

Nothing to say man. It's not addictive and no more needs to be said to be honest