Are some people's brains wired to like opiates...?

[Opium.prince]

Hey guys, loooong time lurker, but long story short I've been a opiate user for 5 years, although it didn't become an addiction until 2 years ago. After being put on 4 mg of suboxone then down to 2 mg for a MINOR oxycodone addiction (50 mg a day) I relapsed and used for 5 months until I was consuming 360 mg a day and I just got back on suboxone 9-12 mgs a day (that barely helps, I still have GI issues/ chills and hot flashes.) but long story short before that I always used stimulants (and opiates here and there) before my addiction as I was a dj. Do you guys think that some people are wired to like opiates more than other people? Don't get me wrong, I love stimulants + music (currently on coke and suboxone lol) but opiates have always hit that spot since day one. So, could my brain be wired to like opiates more than others?

 

[Speed King]

I believe some people are wired that way. You have to consider family genetics, environment, possible problems with add or early pain in life, could wire you simply by how you wire yourself from an early age. Before drugs even enter the picture, you could already be overworking/depleting your bodies own natural opiate supply. I agree with you. I believe you can be wired for opiates.

 

[WorldWarMe]

Some people have addictive personalities but someone whos never done an opiate isn't going to just start craving or wanting them.

 

[Crashing]

Actually, i think they may start craving opiates without knowing it.

The wiring of the brain has much to do with the psychological imprints created during infancy and into early childhood. Individuals who were over protected, coddled, or 'babied' during this highly impressionable stage of life will become wired to depend on certain activities, situations, or chemicals that bring about feelings of comfort and security at a survivalist level.

In other words, the mind actually begins to withdraw from extreme levels of secure-comfort as the stages of life progress, and opiates specifically have the ability to completely extinguish that innate sense of 'crying out' or 'longing for' the feeling of complete security and control.

As these children progress into adulthood, they will find they are lacking something on a daily basis and find it difficult to cope with everyday activities without a comfort inducing crutch to lean on.

 

[szuko000]

I agree with Crashing. Basically people are trained from the start and how you are trained dicates a lot of what you become. This is the Nature V. Nurture arguement and I usually fall under nurture for most things i believe in. I like to think of humans as blank slates we are born with no memories and no social or communication skills. And if you pick up or learn things in the womb they are nurture not nature as well.

So having said that I feel that people can learn to like opiates before they actually take them for the first time. We all know people who stress out about everything or claim they lack happiness for one reason or another and I think a lot of that is learned too but those people will be more likely to enjoy opiates. There personality makes it so that they will enjoy the relief, provided they are of the drug taking type, and will enjoy opiates.

It is very complex because even one who may enjoy opiates because they are a high stress person may not enjoy them becasue it changes them and makes them not in control. This is why my mother doesnt really like drugs, it has nothing to do with drugs and everything to do with she doesnt feel like shes herself or in control; they change her in someway. So even if she were predestined to like opiates that feeling that she doesnt like them because they make her not herself can override the desire.

Another reason why i like the nurture or learned behavior idea is it gives all the control to the individual. So even if you were meant to be an opiate addict by design you still get the choice to say "no my nurturing tells me i dont like opiates, even though there is a part of me that really loves them" It is very complicated but I do feel people are predetermined to like things but i think they also get a say in whether they do or not but they dont realize they are choosing based on nurturing it just seems like they are being themselves.

 

[wezface]

Very, very well said, guys. I don't discount the biological basis for one person having a greater propensity toward addiction than another, but I think a lot of it is definitely nurture. And that's also where you get into the addiction vs. dependence argument as well.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Yes, I think some people are more inclined to become addicted/dependent upon opioids, but I also feel that a large proportion of this contingent is prone to problem use of any psychoactive substance. Opioids are just one of the more potently euphorogenic (sp?)

 

[Speed King]

Yes, I think some people are more inclined to become addicted/dependent upon opioids, but I also feel that a large proportion of this contingent is prone to problem use of any psychoactive substance. Opioids are just one of the more potently euphorogenic (sp?)

This is a better answer then what I first posted. I will however stand by my post also, because it has some merit.

 

[Opium.prince]

Actually, i think they may start craving opiates without knowing it.

The wiring of the brain has much to do with the psychological imprints created during infancy and into early childhood. Individuals who were over protected, coddled, or 'babied' during this highly impressionable stage of life will become wired to depend on certain activities, situations, or chemicals that bring about feelings of comfort and security at a survivalist level.

In other words, the mind actually begins to withdraw from extreme levels of secure-comfort as the stages of life progress, and opiates specifically have the ability to completely extinguish that innate sense of 'crying out' or 'longing for' the feeling of complete security and control.

As these children progress into adulthood, they will find they are lacking something on a daily basis and find it difficult to cope with everyday activities without a comfort inducing crutch to lean on.

Totally agree. As a only child, I was of course, OVERPROTECTED by my mother. (Still am and I'm 18 LMAO) I do recall always wanted to be with my mother and no one else, and of course as I grew older this attachment widened due to social and work situations. This may be the reason that when opiates first entered my body, it resembled the endogenous opiates my brain was producing wistlist my mother, and thinks it was needed consistently. Addiction counseling proved futile to find the reason I started using in the first place. (I thought it was due to bordem, but maybe not.) Due you guys think some people could be predisposed to liking opiates, more than others due to a naturally occurring endogenous opiate/dopamine deficiency? I do recall not feeling the same way, as a kid, the others did while playing. (Feelings of euphoria) Mabye these two factors contributed in my use & the fact that opiates have always "hit the spot" since day one.


On a side note, I am happy my first thread got so many replies. Glad to have joined blue light. :D

 

[JessFR]

Absolutely, my mom needed opioid painkillers recently for legitimate postop pain. And I was concerned for her and discussed it with her that she should be careful. I'm an opioid addict, which she knows, and as she's my mother I felt I should let her know that she might be susceptible to the same addictions I am. Especially since she used to be a smoker like me and like me had a lot of difficulty quitting.

This was not the case however, turns out she hated the feeling of being on opiates and had absolutely no desire to remain on them or understand why people like me are so addicted to them. And she was on them for a couple months.

Conversely, she used to be very into marijuana while I'm not a big fan of it at all.

It's definitely something your brain can be wired or not wired to enjoy.

 

[Keif' Richards]

^An allegedly "conservative" estimate is that chronic opioid patients have a 75% - 80% likelihood of using responsibly and not developing addictive behaviors. Dependence, of course, is a given. This all is wrapped up in our earlier discussion of who is and isn't prone to addictive use.

 

[BeachBum4u]

I am quite sure there are folks with addictive personalities (AP) and I believe this is a "real" issue. It can involve both good and bad behaviors. I am pretty certain I have an AP and I have also been told I have some OCD tendencies too; although I don't always agree with them. Since I am a CPP (Chronic Pain Patient) I need to be on certain meds for the rest of my life. Over time, I have learned to manage these tendencies to a certain degree. Mind you, I also have some OCD type behaviors which are quite healthy. For instance, being OCD about eating right, or exercising is a good thing, as opposed to ritualistically cleaning or performing fanatical routines. There are numerous professions where being OCD about your work is almost a requirement to being good at what you do. I look at all of this as a sort of Yin and Yang of life. Sorry for the rambling but hopefully something makes sense to someone out there.

 

[Johndoedoe.junk]

In addition to all the great posts above I wold like to add my two cents worth. I believe that anyone who has had a prior addiction problem current or past will be much more likely to "enjoy" the feeling of opiates, even if prescribed them for a legitimate purpose, and would be much more likely to become addicted. Obviously physical dependence will occur in ANYONE who takes opiates on a consistent basis as time goes by but addiction is a whole other beast. I struggled with addiction for 10 years and then decided to clean things up. I was totally clean for a good 6 years and was then involved in a bad car accident which injured my back and led to my introduction to opiate pain meds. Never had had opiates before and was a bit hesitant to take them but pain sucks and I finally gave them a shot and have ended up by needing them daily on an ongoing basis to treat the pain. I'm now a chronic pain patient on a daily regimen and I do struggle with the addiction aspect of things. I also suffer from bad depression/anxiety/OCD which makes things even harder as the pain meds DO help a lot with those things. Basically it's hard for me not to take an excessive amount and I believe my history is a definite factor. It's a day by day struggle to take the right amount for the right reason but I've accepted the fact that I'm going to need opiate pain meds likely for the rest of my life (have tried alternative meds, back injections, radio frequency ablation, etc. with no relief) so it's a day by day struggle to keep things under control. Hope I didn't get too OT with this post.

 

[Zilpe]

I actually disagree about the nurture aspect of opiate addiction. I think genetics plays a larger role than most think. You can go look at the research on nicotine addiction for example. Circumstance definitely plays a role in drug addiction. Those who come from a broken home are more likely to seek out short term gratification. The idea that a love for opiates comes from too much affection in the early stages sounds suspiciously Freudian to me. I'd love to see some research to back up these claims.