addictions.

     What makes us different from the animals? It is thought that the difference between humans and animals is the rational thinking present in the human species. We share one thing, though. Animals and humans share the same limbic system, the oldest “brain” on earth, that controls feelings, addictions, and instincts. We might feel superior to them because we think we can control that system, but, fairly speaking, in many cases, that system is the one controlling our rational thinking. So what should we call ourselves when the “animalistic side” takes over? And I am not referring here to the violent habits of human beings, when we call ourselves unfairly to the animals, “animals”. I am talking about addictions. To be more specific, about drugs and emotions. Let’s start by defining these two concepts. 

      Drugs (drʌɡ)- noun- a chemical or other substance that is illegally used, sometimes to improve performance in an activity or because a person cannot stop using it. 

      Emotion (ɪˈməʊʃn)—noun—a mental chemical reaction marked by a strong feeling and usually causing physical effects. 

       So, the similarities between drugs and emotions are the following: they both produce chemical reactions in our brains, from which result both physical and mental effects. So there goes my inquiry: “Can we use feelings as drugs?” And this is the way that my thoughts about this topic came around.

         My feeling of reference is hope. So what is “hope”?  Hope is an emotion that builds up an optimistic view our brains, most of the times not being an objective image about what revolves around us, and it almost feels like happiness, which could improve our performance as individuals by motivating us. Does this sound familiar ? As I said in the beginning about drugs, right? Right. And we all know the consequences of drug abuse, the way that the dopamine shots makes you long for them after you come back to reality. 

        The same thing happens with hope. But its consequences is fear. And I think that they come as a package deal. So you experience hope but there is this fear that living your life with hope, reality might hit you in the end , and demolish that ideal view in your brain. And knowing this consequences, we as humans, crave that feeling of hope that gives us a dopamine shot and the adrenaline of its fear, making us following this feeling blindly into an existential abyss, running in circles like ants all day long looking for that thing that we hope for in life, with that thing changing everytime we achieve the precedent thing we hoped for. So, I am asking you: what’s the difference between a drug addict and a hopeful person? And can we consider emotions as drugs ?