Adrenaline Junkie – Opiate Nation

(Translation into most languages at tab to the right)

In Part One, the May 2024 blog, I discussed the characteristics of an Adrenaline Junkie: those who seek out activities that give them an adrenaline rush. Now I’d like to look at High Sensation Seekers (HSS): those who look for thrills in all areas of their lives. It’s a compulsive need for sensation. (1) Being addicted to stimulation in our everyday lives.

Characteristics of HSS can masquerade as something other than pursuing “a thrill.” It can be an unconscious need for stimulation, but sensation seeking is there, nonetheless. Perhaps it is how we live without margins in our daily lives or manage our time and deadlines or the people we choose to regularly interact with. It will certainly influence the type of career we choose.

As I shared in the last blog, my husband fits the HSS descriptors rather than those of the adrenaline junkie. What helped me zero in on this were two things: his career choice and his tendency to procrastinate. John chose to leave the safety of a tenured professorship to begin independent research and consulting, which brought with it a lot of daily stress. And, as he diligently strives to meet his business deadlines, he consistently ends up working feverishly to finish his projects at the eleventh hour. I’ve never understood this – as someone who works to finish ahead of schedule – because it seems so self-defeating. But now I understand. He gets something out of it – the surge of adrenaline as he races to completion and then the elation of finishing. He is also a life-long motorcycle rider.

Some people may create drama or crises in their family or professional lives just for the sensation of adrenaline and stress – which releases the hormones that bring excitement and dispel negative moods. This rang a bell with me as I have pondered for decades why some families like mine seem to always have some type of drama emanating from them while others don’t. Although sensation-seeking types of behaviors are not currently listed as a mental disorder, they are related to many mental health conditions.

Let’s consider HSS addictions to regular, repeated, high-risk behaviors such as gambling, shoplifting, pornography, illicit dalliances, etc. Why engage in such behaviors, usually done in secret, when there is every likelihood of eventually being caught? The thrill of avoiding discovery is part of what keeps the up the behavior. Remember, it is a compulsive need for continual sensation that drives the HSS person. But we need to also remember that addiction in a medical/chemical sense is a distinct diagnosis separate from personality types. Our personality may lead us into addictions that others would wisely see as dangerous and avoid, but the addiction itself with its underlying issues and resultant mental and physical complications can develop in any person regardless of personality type.

Nathan Falde, a freelance writer on personality-types, has an excellent article on HSS (1). In it he says,

“The concept of the high sensation-seeking (HSS) person was conceived by University of Delaware psychologist Marvin Zuckerman. He identified four distinct personality traits these people shared:

• Thrill and adventure seeking

• Disinhibition

• Experience seeking

• Boredom susceptibility

The need to be stimulated is a normal human characteristic. However, it can get HSS personalities in trouble if they indulge their urges too readily and with little or no reflection. Research shows that unhealthy HSS’s are prone to developing substance addictions and self-destructive behaviors. Well-adjusted sensation-seekers, on the other hand, are known for their bold, daring and inventive initiatives. They bring an infectious sense of possibility to their environment – and that can be a very good thing.” John is a great example of this last HSS. My life has been enriched by his sense of adventure and spontaneity.

Falde goes on to discuss how personality tests and typing will reveal HSS people in several significant areas. The important take away is to be self-aware and well-informed so that you can live your life wisely and avoid the pitfalls that your natural inclinations for stimulation could steer you towards.

Warning bells should be ringing if your life, and the lives of those close to you, is chaotic or unstable or always on the verge of emotional or physical disaster. Partners, children, families need physical and emotional stability to thrive.

If you, or a loved one, are dealing with HSS behaviors that are negatively impacting your life and the lives of those around you, review the list of suggestions from the last blog for ways to respond to unhealthy urges or stress in our lives and to help restore our sense of well-being and peace.

https://www.truity.com/blog/what-are-high-sensation-seeking-personalities#:~:text=An%20adrenaline%20junkie%20seeks%20out,high%2Drisk%20hobbies%20and%20sports

(Translation into most languages at tab to right)

Have you ever pondered how different people drive and approach the objective of getting from one place to another? Are there certain people you would rather not get into a car with when they are driving? I was thinking about this the other day when John and I were driving to meet friends and the same scenario played out when he is driving: the race is on. It’s not that John exceeds the speed limit too much – he’s only ever had a few tickets in his entire life – although he drives on the high end of the limit. But it is the way he views the entire undertaking.

This is nothing new. Years ago, we had rented a car to drive across Italy with our kids. We were on unfamiliar freeways where the speed limit was more of a suggestion than a limitation. Not much time passed before I, as the navigator in the front seat, was looking for anything I could hold on to in fear of my life as John joined in the race. After my repeated shrieks of “Slow down!” and exclamations of “Watch out!”, we decided that I needed to be in the back seat and close my eyes while someone with steadier nerves took my place.

His adrenaline was flowing and so was mine. But the difference was that for John, this was exciting. For me, it was terrifying. I am a risk-averse person and tend to avoid risks in most areas of my life as much as possible. Yet, I am also an anxious person and my adrenaline can flow when there is no real threat. But the ways it affects my life are different. One thing we all have in common is that these predispositions have a physiologic base and are most likely passed down to us from preceding generations.

What is adrenaline and what role does it play in our bodies and lives?

Adrenaline (epinephrine) is a hormone our adrenal glands make to help us prepare for stressful, threatening, or dangerous situations. Adrenaline rush is the name for the quick release of adrenaline into our bloodstream and turns on our sympathetic nervous system which gets our body ready for a “fight or flight” response to a real or perceived danger.

An Adrenaline Junkie is someone who seeks activities that give them that “rush” which is addictive. Recent studies have shown that dopamine and serotonin, neurotransmitters that regulate risk-taking and impulsivity, are downregulated in people with substance use disorders. (1) This means that if we constantly stimulate our adrenal glands, dopamine and serotonin are no longer able to help protect us from high-risk and impulsive decisions. We are then in need of, craving, more adrenaline, a vicious cycle.

But when I looked at the characteristics of an adrenaline junkie and thought about the things my husband seeks out and enjoys, he didn’t quite fit the pattern of seeking one-off thrills like skydiving, bungee jumping, hang gliding. He instead seems to regularly engage in high-risk activities and behaviors. How is this different than being an adrenaline junkie?

What I discovered in my search to understand is another type of adrenaline-seeking personality, High Sensation Seekers. When I looked at those characteristics, they fit him much more closely. I will go into them in Part Two of the next blog.

For others like me with minds that race full of thoughts and worry, adrenaline and other stress-related hormones like cortisol are released. The anxiety can be most pronounced when we are lying in bed and keep focusing on what has happened or what might happen in the future. That extra boost of energy has no use and instead leaves us restless and unable to sleep. The parasympathetic nervous system relaxes us and predominates in quiet and rest and drives our “rest and digest” systems. It conserves our energy for when it is needed. So, any type of adrenaline-using behavior depletes our adrenal glands and overrides our parasympathetic system leaving us exhausted.

In relation to addictions, we can easily see how risk-taking and thrill-seeking behaviors include heavy or binge drinking, using drugs, high-risk sex, gambling etc. Adrenaline addiction of any type brings with it withdrawal symptoms like cravings, decreased interest in other activities, and negative emotions and restlessness.

Regardless of how we deplete our adrenaline reservoir, here are some suggestions to help us respond to unhealthy urges or stress in our lives and to help restore our sense of well-being and peace:

prayer and meditation
deep breathing and muscle relaxation
regular exercise – which releases endorphins (3)
balanced diet– low in refined sugars and carbs, high in protein
avoid cellphones, bright lights, computers, loud music, and TV right before bedtime
leisure activities
listening to peaceful or positive music
creativity
social support
practicing gratitude
counseling/therapy

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