'The danger is in coming to love the prison.'
- C.S. Lewis
I have a love-hate relationship with Hearthstone.
For the uninitiated, Hearthstone
is a digital card game set in one of video gaming’s most colorful fantasy universes. The concept is one-on-one matches fought against real people via the
miracle of the internet. It’s way more competitive than anything else I play.
And it’s a blast. You choose from one of nine different hero
classes, each with their own unique cards and strategies. The Warlock utilizes
a playing-with-hellfire approach, dealing in demonic forces that injure both
you and your opponent. The Priest uses light magic to heal and strengthen your
allies, even bringing them back from the dead. Others may favor the Warrior’s
aggression, the Druid’s rapid growth, and so on.
The game doesn’t stagnate either. New expansions are
continually released, adding everything from dinosaurs to gang warfare to
Lovecraftian Old Gods. There’s always something new.
Sometimes I think Hearthstone
is a bad influence on me. Being portable, it’s tempting to jump into a match
whenever you have ten minutes to spare. But matches play out in real time, and
cannot be paused. If you’re interrupted,
you’ll be forced to forfeit. Stick it out and you’ll often be defeated anyway. That’s
just how the game works. There is always a winner and a loser.
And losing sucks.1
When I’m on a winning streak, I’m on top of the world. On a
losing streak, I feel like throwing my phone against the wall. I get fed up,
think that this time I’m never coming
back, and uninstall.
But I do come back sooner or later, lured by new cards,
stories and gameplay. Because it’s fun. I keep chasing the high, ignoring how
it feels to crash.
Today I’m talking about addiction.
No, I’m not addicted to the game. Really. It’s addictive; there’s a fine line there and I
haven’t quite crossed it. But it makes a good example. This is how addictions
start. You begin with something pleasurable that becomes an obsession. Then a
compulsion. The repercussions pile up, but you keep doing it. You can’t stop.
You’re always chasing the high, even though the high is slowly ruining your
life.
Addictions come in two different flavors. Substance addiction involves an actual
drug or medication. Think cocaine, nicotine, alcohol. Behavioral addiction is dependence on a rewarding behavior. Sex, pornography,
gambling, shopping, overeating, the internet, and, yes, video games. They sound
different, but function the same way. Basically anything enjoyable can become
all-consuming for the wrong person.
But why? What causes an addiction to develop?
All in Your Head
The number one factor in becoming addicted to something is
whether or not you enjoy it.
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t really like drinking. It’s
fun with the right company. Taken too far, though, my emotions spiral out of
control. I get depressed. For me, getting drunk isn’t much of a high. I doubt
I’m at risk of becoming an alcoholic. For people who love drinking, it’s a
different story.
Whereas I do love video games2. Always have, ever since I
was a kid. So yeah, I admit it. I’m at risk for those.
But here’s something counterintuitive: what you’re addicted to doesn’t always matter. What’s more
important is that it fills a void.
The second factor is the inner emptiness.
I daresay we’ve all felt this at some time or another. The
sense of being hollow, incomplete. Maybe you feel like you’re not smart enough,
not popular, not successful. Maybe you’re lonely. Maybe you feel trapped in a
life you never wanted. Whatever it is, you just want to forget for a while. So
you find something that makes you feel better.
That’s how it starts.
Addictions aren’t just about the pursuit of pleasure. They’re
also about escaping reality, running from problems instead of facing them. That
never works. But we do it anyway. To treat an addiction, the underlying issues
must also be addressed. Otherwise you end up right back where you started,
chasing a high. If not the same high, then a different one.
But what’s really
going on inside your head?
Your Brain on
Everything
So here’s the deal. Our brains, efficient neural networks
which they are, treat all pleasures the same way: by releasing a
neurotransmitter called dopamine.
The likelihood of any substance or behavior becoming addictive is directly
linked to the speed, strength and reliability of that release. Whatever gives
you a stronger, faster and more consistent high carries the greater risk.3
In nature, pleasure is tied to activities humans as a
species need to survive. Say, eating, exercise and procreation: a filling meal,
being fit enough to hunt down the next meal, finally getting that hot cavewoman.
Our brains grant us pleasure as a reward. The actions we took to obtain the
reward are then reinforced through memory and learning. Patterns are
established, making us better equipped for our own survival.
Animal training works the same way. Using the lure of a
reward – food, in this case – your faithful cat, dog or parrot learns a series
of behaviors which gain them the reward. Eventually, through repetition, these
behaviors become second nature.
This is what I do all day. I know what I’m talking about.
Addictive substances and behaviors are dangerous because
they hijack the system, providing pleasure without the effort. Those substances
and behaviors are reinforced as the quickest and most potent way to get the
reward. Over time, the flood of dopamine overloads the brain’s reward
circuitry, which produces less and less dopamine as a result. This is how
tolerance develops. The addict now needs even more stimulation for an
ever-decreasing high.
The brain can recover over time. But recovery means resisting
not just the addiction, but also the cues that trigger it.
Changing Scenery
Back in the 1970s, the US government made an alarming
discovery: a good 15% of American soldiers in Vietnam were addicted to heroin.
Thus began the aptly named Operation Golden Flow. Soldiers had to pass a urine
test before they were allowed on a plane home. Those who failed were stranded
in Vietnam until a successful detox. Expectations were
low. This was heroin, after all. One of the most addictive drugs around.
For those who passed, however, the recovery rate was
startlingly high. 95% of former
addicts gave up the drug and reintegrated into American society. They didn’t suffer
through endless cycles of relapse and withdrawal. They didn’t need further
therapy. They just stopped.
It didn’t make sense. The prevailing wisdom of the time was
that breaking an addiction was all about mental fortitude, the right mindset,
the willpower to resist the urges. The focus was on the addicts themselves.
So why were soldiers in Vietnam so easily shaking off their
addictions back in the States?
The environment had something to do with it.
In this context, our environment
refers to our surroundings. The places, feelings and circumstances we deal with
daily form the cues which trigger our addictions. Lying alone in bed at night.
Feeling tired after work. Seeing an ashtray, a deck of cards, a computer. For
an addict, once-harmless scenarios become stepping stones on their brain’s
warped pathway to pleasure.
That’s the key. The veterans were cut off from their cues.
This is the logic behind checking into rehab: removing yourself not just from
the addictive substance or behavior, but also from the circumstances which lead
to it.
All this is oversimplifying a complex problem. Addictions
are a cocktail of genetic, psychological, biological and environmental factors.
We’ve seen how they can be a coping mechanism, a brain disease, a behavioral
disorder.
One thing’s for certain. Addictions are dangerous. You
pretend you can stop any time you want to. But you never do.
Instead you’re always tired, your immune system is shot and
you have no self-confidence because you’re at home jerking off to porn every night.
Or your life becomes a haze of hangovers and blackout drinking, while your
relationships crumble around you. Or you smoke three packs a week for twenty
years, until one day you find out you’re dying of cancer.
Addictions rob you of the life you could have had. That’s
something you can never get back.
Whatever your high is, make sure you know when enough is
enough. Know when it’s time to stop. And be willing to reach out for help if
you can’t.
Maybe I should give up on Hearthstone. Better sticking to RPGs. But it’s still really fun.
And Death Knights look awesome.
Maybe just one more game.
1 Sounds kind of like gambling, doesn’t it.
I should probably explain the difference between Ranked and
Casual Play. Ranked is where the competition intensifies. Winning increases
your rank and nets you greater rewards, while losing lowers it. Playing Casual,
meanwhile, has less rewards, but losing only costs you your pride. Staying out
of Ranked Play is probably best for players wanting to keep things fun and
lighthearted.
2 Among other things.
3 For a more in-depth look at how addictions alter our brain
chemistry, have a look at HelpGuide.org.
4 Also check out this excellent TED talk for a wider view of
the environment’s role, and addiction in general as a form of false bonding.
