How do we satisfy our dopamine crave? Why do I need to fulfill that emotion?

What can we do to overcome that overwhelming sensation of thrill?

[Mazzia]

Omg I struggle with the exact same thing 😭😭😭.

[RCJH8610]

Do you exercise? That helps me a lot. There’s really no easy solution... it’s a daily battle.

[Hidden in reply to RCJH8610]

I do exercise but the sensation of thrill is never satisfied. I’ve been married for six years. My wife is very accommodating but there’s still a need for something new. Do you ever get that feeling ?

[RCJH8610 in reply to Hidden]

I get that urge for change or risk taking with my career. I’m an educator and after being at a campus or in a specific position for a while (2 years tops) I itch for something new, and different. It’s been a positive thing mostly...

[Hidden in reply to RCJH8610]

Thank you for that positive reply.

[RCJH8610 in reply to Hidden]

If you don’t mind me asking, do you take medication for ADHD? For me, medication is what really helped me to control my impulses and risk taking behavior. It isn’t a 100% fix, but it became a lot more manageable for me.

[Hidden in reply to RCJH8610]

Of course you can ask. I was prescribed vyvanse 60 mg and olanzapine

[Hidden]

The struggle is real. Exercising has been a fantastic way to burn off a lot of excess energy, however it doesn’t replace the “thrill” feeling that we constantly seek. I do find that accomplishment and joy are good substitutes. I have been trying to create opportunities that I know will give me a feeling of success.

I still struggle with the thrill seeking, but I’ve created lists of triggers that lead to those behaviors and have placed them next to a long list of things that I can do instead of acting out. It helps a bit to visually see that I have options. lol 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for that. Really helpful. I’m just trying to curb my thrill seeking desire. I sometimes tend to go in a bad direction with it

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Totally understand. 😊

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Like what do you seek. Sometimes I find myself wanting to try crazy things. And you?

[Credit in reply to Hidden]

I experienced the same exact feeling during my entire teens and my first marriage. Some of that behavior was not honorable and constantly reinforced a subconscious sense of guilt and low self-esteem.

Then during therapy, somehow:

- I started jogging increasingly far and feeling incredible well-being each time I went further and longer

- (re)learnt guitar little by little, to the point where each new song or trick generated more and more pleasure [today I realize that was dopamine rush]

- teaming on work projects with high-achievers, resulting in publications, awards, better and more end-of-month payments [even more dopamine]

- making new friends who shared any combination of the behaviors above, and enjoying that connection [more dopamine and whatever else goes on:)]

If I knew, at that time, that I had ADHD and how potentially dangerous some negative dopamine-seeking behavior could be, I would have probably made all efforts possible to sustain those efforts.

When I moved and stopped therapy, somehow I stopped these little by little. The thrill search started again, mostly with entrepreneurship. I started a business like someone who would jump from an airplane with a blanket instead of a parachute. I thought I could make the blanket into a parachute, while I was falling down at high speed. It hurt badly, in many ways.

More recently, I discovered that what was going during therapy was "Sublimation": "the process of transforming" dopamine-seeking thrill of doing 'crazy things' "into "socially useful" achievements, including artistic, cultural, and intellectual pursuits" and athletic effort. [I replaced /added some words with my ADHD-interpretation :))

"Freud considered this psychical operation to be fairly salutary": I don't have thoughts about Freud, but it was really salutary for me.

Here's an article about that:

verywellmind.com/what-is-su...

I hope this helps.

[Hidden in reply to Credit]

Thank you for that inspiring and amazing story. I commend you. I had toPull over to read this interesting story about you.