I have been reading books mainly on neuroscience besides literature. Addiction was also a fascinating theme.

, , - I read books like these and came to the conclusion that,
the brain is also one of the organs of the body. However, its influence is very dominant. The reason is that the brain is an organ developed to control the body. But my curiosity remained. Why are some people addicted? And how can they get out of that addiction? I wished someone would have explained those things someday. This book intrigued me from the title. A neuroscientist addicted to drugs? It felt like it was presenting the answer to my long-held question in the title. The book's first introduction, in which the author confessed to being an addict, was quite shocking. How did this drug addict become a neuroscientist? The question was easily answered by the following explanation. ...

It took a total of 7 years to graduate from college, including a dramatic change that began at a treatment center, and another 7 years after that to earn a doctorate from graduate school. - p. 7

Judith Grisel, the author, was finally able to change her position from an addict to a researcher who observes addiction after 14 years of struggle. But why did she become an addict?  

According to George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are two paths to becoming an alcoholic. Be born an addict or drink a lot. Dr. Koob is not trying to be punny, and considering that anyone can be one of these two things, it also explains why this disease is so common. - p. 15

The factors that lead to addiction are very complex, but it was possible to know that genetic factors are fatal among them. There is no way to avoid a certain innate temperament, and to overcome that temperament, you will have to pay attention all your life. Judith Grisel, the author, also confesses that even now, after overcoming addiction, a longing remains hidden in her heart. Chapter 10, Why am I addicted? describes in detail the factors that lead to addiction.  

In fact, everyone I know has used chemicals. Why haven't they been eaten by drugs? For example, my friend who was expelled from school with me in ninth grade has been professionally successful and has built a happy family while I was in treatment. It's simply not right that he and I started down the same path, and I ended up in the ditch, while he smoothly slid down the right path. - p. 287

The author confesses her resentment, wondering why she became an addict. And after 30 years of research, she concludes that there are four causes of addiction. First, the biological temperament inherited genetically, the experience of being exposed to an enormous amount of drugs, especially the experience of contacting drugs in adolescence, and environmental factors that trigger drug addiction. The most chilling factor was "being exposed to an enormous amount of drugs." That is, even without genetic or environmental factors, if the exposure to any drug reaches a certain level, the three main characteristics of addiction - tolerance, dependence, and craving - appear, doesn't it? In other words, I thought that the only way to prevent addiction is to use drugs in moderation, or if you can't, stay away from them. Looking back at my own case, I was at the stage of trying to cross the threshold of addiction until recently, although I wasn't an alcoholic. One can of beer on the way home from work on a summer day becomes two, and you start choosing beers with a higher alcohol content, and you expand your palate to include soju, wine, and various other types of alcohol... Doesn't everyone just have a drink or two? As I thought, I gradually stopped drinking in moderation. In the end, I would finish a bottle of wine as soon as I bought it, my weight would change, I got cholecystitis and went to the emergency room, and only then did I come to my senses. 'According to this book, the only way to avoid alcoholism in my future life is to drink moderately, or if you can't, stay away from it.' It's a sad and bitter awareness, but it seems to be a realization I should keep in mind. So as not to become a vagrant wandering around in a state of tolerance, dependence, and craving. It's not like those people wanted to be addicts. But is "biological temperament inherited genetically" really unavoidable? How much can genetic risk be covered by science and technology? Unfortunately, the author finds it still difficult to find a clear cause of this risk, and therefore, preventing vulnerability is still not possible. It is said that even a single base in a gene changes, the structure of the product changes, and naturally, its function also changes, so finding minor variations is impossible. It is also said that genetic influences are context-dependent and incredibly complex. However, the good news is that researchers continue to track them. "The experience of contacting drugs in adolescence" is called the gateway effect. It is said that when adolescents are exposed to substances such as marijuana, their behavior of seeking drugs increases. And these changes occur for essentially the same reasons as when a fetus is exposed to drugs. Oh, this content was also shocking. It is said that because the developing brain easily acquires everything, it also acquires the experience of drugs. Therefore, drug experiences before the age of 25, which can be considered an adult in terms of neural development, are much greater and last longer than those experienced at a later age. So when you tell your adolescent or newly adult friends to refrain from smoking or drinking, wouldn't it be better to explain it with these exact reasons instead of simply saying don't do it? Then most children will voluntarily refrain from trying it. Of course, during the days of youth when you are overconfident in yourself, these words may not resonate.  

The author finally concludes that "the causes of addiction are as diverse as addicts themselves." In a world as complex as this, it would be impossible to find objective tools to measure individual addiction. Still, the author says that we need to understand addiction properly and help each other from the perspective of potential addicts.

 We must remember that wrong drug use stems from alienation, is exacerbated by alienation, and ultimately leads to alienation again. - p. 344

 In the end, it's not being lonely - it's not making each other lonely. The story's emphasis is placed on the importance of each other being for each other. Maybe even addiction is really caused by loneliness. So I resolve again. Don't be lonely this year. Don't make each other lonely. For myself and for those around me.

 ※ This review is based on the book provided by Naver Cafe Culturebloom, https://cafe.naver.com/culturebloom.

※ Thank you to the publishing house Simsim for providing me with this good book.