Jump to content
QuittingAdderall.com Forums

fear and neural pathways


Krax

Recommended Posts

So at week 7 I wake up with a voice in one ear asking me and questioning me as to whether I can really accomplish what I need to do without ritalin.

I as thinking about the videos MotivationFollowsAction linked to one of her posts, it was about online porn addiction. It described the brain's activity with addiction in general. I'm not a scientific type of person at all, so if this makes sense to me it should to everyone else as well, but one thing it talked about was how when there is an addiction of course it's not really about the thing you're addicted to (porn, adderall, whatever) but the pleasure response you get, the dopamine release, to the thing. Anyways, once you are addicted a neural pathway is developed, trampled down on like a path through the woods, which becomes the path of least resistence for the limbic system (I think that's it, or the part of the brain that we have in common with all animals, sort of like our cave man brain) takes in functioning. So that pathway for me, thanks to my taking it for four years, is when I have work to do I take ritalin first. This step 1 being work without ritalin, that's a rough path that I'm working on now. So it's like a rut, it takes your bike into it and controls your steering wheel, not the other way around. The point is, I hope this helps others too, is now when I approach something I have to do not only am I getting something accomplished but I'm developing a new rut in a new path (actually the older path I use to take before ritalin) and working towards that one day where it becomes the path of least resistance so that I don't have to hear that voice anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's an interesting proposition. I'm not a neurologist (or anywhere near it) but I think you may be conflating something - others please chime in. The reason you don't want to do paperwork is not because the neural superhighway you'd created by doing paperwork on ritalin for years has all of a sudden become a big dense forrest, crowded over because you're not using that part of your brain any more; but that there is a significant lack of dopamine, therefore causing depression, and lack of motivation.

I do agree with you in the "creating a new neural superhighway" concept... that's what plasticity is all about. And the more you work on independently creating neural pathways the stronger they will be. But the attempt at correlating dopamine depletion and neuroplasticity I'm just not so sure about.

Back to V.S. Ramachandran I go!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my experience, it took about a year to feel normal again, 'brain-wise.' Keep in mind it's not just your dopamine levels. Altering your dopamine transmitters also affects the balance of other neurotransmitters, which affects the balance of your hormone levels, etc. etc... It's a whole complex chain reaction in there, thus the looong recovery time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with you Cassie from a previous post it would be nice to have a flip book to reflect on and see what is happening regarding our brain's recovery to "normal".

One thing I have been wondering is how to find the balance between "going easy" - acknowledging that I'm in recovery and pretty fucking depressed - and working super hard on driving to be a better person, fixing areas of my thinking and life that weren't great during my addiction.

The video recommends the "reboot and restore" approach, which makes a lot of sense. It requires a tremendous amount of energy though and disclipline which is fucking HARD when you have zero motivation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found this really helpful - no it's not neuroscience, it's more psychology, but it's v practical...

1. Practice intentional thinking. What you think about is ultimately what you become. What we once called “the power of positive thinking” is increasingly backed by scientific evidence. The more attention your brain pays to given input, the stronger and more elaborately it will be wired and retained in the brain. When we give our attention and focus to good things, like peace, joy, and self-control, our brains rewire themselves in a way that allows us to experience those good things. Wouldn’t it make sense, then, to be intentional about what we give ourselves to?

2. Pursue alternate passions. The famous philosopher, novelist, and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was right when he said we are shaped and fashioned by what we love. Certainly this applies to our brains. The life focus of a person struggling with addiction leads to tunnel vision. Pursuing alternative passions expands your horizons and rewires your brain at the same time.

3. Employ the power of repetition. Studies show that repeated behaviors, over time, cause structural changes in the brain. These changes can be negative, causing compulsion and addiction. Or they can be positive. Repetition helps lock behaviors in the brain in the same way an athlete develops muscle memory. Be encouraged. Your struggle with addiction is a learned response, in many ways, just like the athlete. Your brain can unlearn, and it can change.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing I have been wondering is how to find the balance between "going easy" - acknowledging that I'm in recovery and pretty fucking depressed - and working super hard on driving to be a better person, fixing areas of my thinking and life that weren't great during my addiction.

When in doubt, err on the side of 'going easy.' Whenever I pushed myself to do things for the sake of growth in early recovery, it led to stress and inner conflict. Honestly, there's no harm in waiting until you're ready to make other life changes, and when you are much further along in recovery (and feel ready), the easier those changes will be. Early recovery is a very confusing time, and in hindsight I wish I would have just 'gone with the flow' more instead of trying to force myself to grow, because that growth is much more effortless now that I am 'recovered from recovery.' I hope that makes sense!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After a year I felt like I was recovered from recovery. It's been 13 months now and I haven't had a bout of PAWS in two months (knock on wood). Once I stopped thinking about adderall all the time, that was a big turning point for me. That was maybe around the 8 month mark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, did reading and posting on this forum, as much helpful as I'm sure it was, but didn't that keep you thinking about adderall more? I'm a little concerned that I won't be able to stop thinking about it if I keep coming back here

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...