As Gary Wilson notes, researchers have noted that chronic dopamine elevation results in brain changes linked with addiction. These changes manifest themselves in addiction's "three Cs": Craving, which involves preoccupation with obtaining the desired activity or object; loss of control, such that the individual will engage in risky behavior in order to obtain the stimulus; and finally, negative consequences, which include social, occupation, physical, psychological and financial harm. Unrestricted access to super-stimulating counterfeits of natural rewards such as sex and junk food pose unique risks not shared by a dopamine-producing substance such as alcohol, however. This is because our...
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