Naturally increasing dopamine levels?

[kanzi]

I was reading an article and it mentioned that during MB and climax dopamine is released which makes allot of sense. Eventually the need for dopamine increases and a simple climax doesn't suffice anymore. This is usually the road many of us travel all until the point of no return. The point where we believe and feel as if the release of dopamine is our normal state of mind and where when we are low on dopamine isn't. This is probably the point at which we feel this chronic need to MB in order to maintain this high level of dopamine of which we grown so accustomed to.

It is very vicious when you realize that we need dopamine to control our need for dopamine. Dopamine is very important it plays an important part in our emotions, motivation, process of thinking, planning, focusing on goals and probably many more.

So I was thinking wouldn't it help to naturally increase our dopamine levels? I.E. change of diet, eating allot of food rich in antioxidants, no more alcohol and caffeine, pick up on a sport, supplements, although this is probably replacing one with another. Shouldn't we be focusing on this? I mean when we abruptly quit our habits to stop the chronic need for P and MB we are at an all time low on dopamine, which we are not used to. Does this even make sense? Are there any articles about this? What are thoughts about this? And how would you naturally increase your dopamine level? Or shouldn't we be doing this because it somehow feels as if it's just replacing one method with another.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

[TooSensitive]

If you Google the word dopamine, plenty of material will come up for you to read. One of the first things will be an article in "Psychology Today", though I did not read all the way through its 4 pages. There is probably material on-line that deals with dopamine in relation to PA/SA. I know on the other board I used to visit, one of the recovering addicts was a doctor, and he would often reference the connection between SA and dopamine.

I know in theory you would be replacing one thing for another, but the key to remember is that you would be replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones, although anything in excess is unhealthy, even exercise. A person can become addicted to virtually anything. A person can take on levels of OCD, even when it comes to what would normally be considered healthy otherwise.

All good things in moderation, and do what you can to totally eliminate the bad habits, such as PA/SA.

K, good luck in your quest toward recovery.

[Charly22]

Excercise excercise excercise

[chasman62]

May sound trite but the natural high you can experience from being truly 'present' in life and in the life of your loved ones beats anything that can be generated by computer pixels and mans oldest friend.

C

[Cupcakemomma]

Dopamine can and will go back to natural levels given time to adapt. Unless you have Parkinsons or Tourettes. No need to try to manipulate it.

[HopeandDespair]

How long does it take for the Dopamine levels to return to normal levels once P is stopped?

[Cupcakemomma]

Depends on the person but anywhere from a few days to a few months. You just have to give it time.

[TooSensitive]

Chas, doesn't sound trite to me at all. That's the real stuff that real life is really made of.

[iwilldothis]

Well the effect isn't just a reduction dopamine, it is a reduction in dopamine receptors. These do regenarate mostly to prior levels, but it takes a while. I cannot remember off the top of my head, my just thinking back to my friend who was hooked on dex for a couple of years, it took him I think at least 2-3 months to get back to what I would say were normal levels and his mood/drive started balancing out.

[Cupcakemomma]

Dexadrine is a dopamine modifier, basically a drug induced dopamine accelerator. It would take months to years to regulate under those circumstances, but for NON drug induced it SHOULD regulate fairly quickly. I Have done more research on how dopamine regulation can be modified, altered or permanently changed, and the bottom line I have found is that the level you are born with is the level you were MEANT to be at, and if you don't use altering agents like drugs, P etc, it will stay at a healthy, normal rate for YOUR body. We are all different so the timeline will change slightly, but it WILL sort its self out. Promise :)