3. Feeling Good: The Brain’s Own Reward System
What do drugs do for us? An addict was asked why she injects heroin. Her reply was that it is like a dozen orgasms! Although the effects can vary according to the drug, it is safe to say that drugs can make us feel good, or even wonderful. The concepts of pleasure, reward, and reinforcement are so important for drug abuse that we can’t leave this topic without describing key discoveries about the brain’s own pleasure and reward system. Drugs couldn’t produce reward if these capabilities weren’t already in the brain.
Prior to experiments showing a drug-related reward described in the previous chapter, there were experiments that revealed a naturally occurring reward and reinforcement system in the ...
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