this information is very interesting and helpful to me as i try and figure out why i feel so sad after good friends and family leave.
my theory...
being around people who i love makes my brain produce more pleasure-inducing neurotransmitters (think dopamine or serotonin) and also makes my brain shut off my pain-receptor sites (the places that are triggered when i am pain). thus, for the duration of their stays, my brain is awash in pleasure and rendered unable to feel pain.
then, this massive onslaught of happiness-chemicals and sadness-inhibitors exists for an extended period of time and it shifts my brain structure to a place where the brain thinks that the overwhelming amount of happy chemicals and lack of sad chemicals is normal.
then, friends and family leave and my brain, which has restructured itself to think that this is normal, freaks out and overcompensates with the opposite effects of what was occurring in an effort to rebalance itself... i.e. since lots of happiness was happening, the opposite effect is sadness and since lack of sadness was occurring, lots of sadness is the opposite.
if you made it this far, you just got substance abuse and neuroscience 101 - ha!
you also got a taste of my flair for the dramatic (tinged with a healthy dose of reality).
my past week has included all sorts of wonderful events that have drastically changed my brain structure and consequently have caused much sadness as they have ended (as well as motivated the choice to go to colorado to visit another dear friend... mainly to get another shot of happy-chemicals ;)).
these events included:
- sunset cruise on lake michigan (previous blog post features those photos) with family.
- watching "million dollar quartet" - excellent, excellent show!
- getting a tour of wrigley field (father's day gift! not to me... to my dad... from me)
- eating at a brazilian steakhouse (alll the meat you could possibly want)
- photo shoot with the family
- watching a cubs game at wrigley field with sherami and ann (cubs won!!)
- laying on a beach and getting cold and sandy (i just realized that in many of these photos, i look like i am strangling my friends... symptom of addiction?)
- eating delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts (what doesn't help a friend-induced dopamine addiction? a chocolate cupcake collision with warm fudge on top... oh pleasure! if you can't tell from our expressions, we are delighted to the point of pain!)
though withdrawal from family&friend-induced dopamine addiction is painful and sad (more literally than i am comfortable describing here), i am in a place beyond extreme thanksgiving for how wonderful my family is and how funny and awesome my friends are. in the midst of studying the true tragedy of addiction (but hope of recovery!), i am astounded and confused as to why i get to be in the life situation i am in... connected to a continuum of people who are indescribably dear to me and such a gift to the worlds they are in.
mom, dad, luke, sherami, ann... you are, truly, some of the best people i know. thank you.
(gosh, i really got gushy there... it's the withdrawal symptoms, totally ;) )
**this blog is not intended to mock the process of addiction and recovery whatsoever. it is merely attempting to utilize it as a metaphorical framework.
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