icosahedron Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 Just like alcoholism wouldn't be possible without alcohol, it also wouldn't be possible without the development of the genes which cause those two traits to be present in various species. Saying that addiction is caused by a substance, and therefor it is not caused by the evolutionary process, is wrong. It is caused by both, obviously. No, that is sloppy thinking. Here is how it works: the body and every part of it is in motion, and the motions form patterns that regenerate periodically to form durable parts, such as your head or hands. You are a verb, an incredibly high-frequency buzzing equilibrium, in terms of the information that your pattern reflects during any given (finite but tiny) period of time -- and you are, if alive, near and tending to move towards (and through and back towards) equilibrium. When you are stressed away from your natural equilibrium, you resist. Your body resists automatically any push away from equilibrium, but if the push is consistent, then the body adapts. If a chemical push, such as nicotine, is applied consistently over a long period of time, it will cause the body to adjust. Then, if the push is abruptly removed, the body will take some time to re-establish its prior equilibrium. That is the sole source of any physiological feelings associated with chemical withdrawal (assuming no permanent damage from the ingestion, i.e., assuming full recovery is possible). The rest is psychological. -ico Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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