love is the drug

    Love is the drug.     Love is an active verb.  Ironically the transformative effect is not on the object but the subject itself. It is almost as if the electrons become so excited they bounce up to the next orbit and as they fall back into their standard patterns they emit tiny packets of photons. Loving people shine. They radiate a different aura. Their chakras spin differently, maybe faster or more aligned but it is palpable.

     We notice people who love; there are sparks. There are waves of chemical messengers called pheromones.  ­Love is a  drug,  a chemical state of mind. We are hard-wired for romance by evolution to care for helpless babies. Love exhilarates and motivates us to procreate, to form families and have children, a chemical addiction that occurs to keep us reproducing.

      The racing heart, sweaty palms and butterflies in the stomach are due to the dopamine, norepinephrine and phenylethylamine, {substantial amounts are found in chocolate}. Dopamine is thought to be the "pleasure chemical," producing a feeling of bliss. Norepinephrine is similar to adrenaline and produces the racing heart and excitement,  elation, intense energy, sleeplessness, craving, loss of appetite and hyper focused attention.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans confirmed increased blood flow in areas of the brains with high concentrations of receptors for dopamine – areas  associated with states of euphoria, craving and addiction. High levels of dopamine associated with high norepinephrine, heighten attention, short-term memory, hyperactivity, sleeplessness and goal-oriented behavior. People in love seem to have lower serotonin levels at the same rate as those with obsessive-compulsive disorders, possibly explaining why those in love hyper focus about their partner.

     Other hormones are involved with long term emotional monogamous bonding. Oxytocin is released during orgasm, childbirth and breastfeeding. It  seems to interfere with dopamine and norepinephrine metabolism which has been postulated in the common observation of passionate love fading  as attachment grows.

     Endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, also play a key role in long-term relationships. They produce a general sense of well-being, including feeling soothed, peaceful and secure. Like dopamine and norepinephrine, endorphins are released during sex; they are also released during physical contact and strenuous exercise and can produce  a "drug-like dependency." Opiate receptor sites produce endorphins when stimulated by narcotics. We laugh at sex addiction scandals but go to an AA meeting for Sex and Romance addicted, we soon realize the predicament is similar to overeaters, gamblers and other addicts.  Genetics, nutrition, cognitive therapies all have their rationale in treatment protocol. The biochemistry of love must be studied to be appreciated.