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It kinda is, because those are substances people fall into using habitually and constantly. (ex) Heroin users frequently talk about PAWS, which describes this,

by Nursie 4y ago

It kinda is, because those are substances people fall into using habitually and constantly. (ex) Heroin users frequently talk about PAWS, which describes this, prolonged anhedonic dissatisfaction with life that can last months or years. I don’t believe it applies in the same way to substances people use infrequently. I reached heights of experience untold with MDMA on dance floors when I was younger. In my 40s I still get a kick out going to the zoo though, a walk in the countryside, solving a puzzle, or a visit to the pub with my mates.

jvanderbot 4y ago
Then you probably aren't experiencing nearly the degree of hedonic exhaustion that is being talked about. You might be near zero. I don't think it's about drugs, it could be video games, but when you overload your brain enough, you may experience a kind of color washout of the experiences that don't overload your brain.
- Nursie 4y ago
  If it’s basically zero then that’s a difference in kind, not degree. The point I’m making is you can’t take a quote from Amy Winehouse about how boring life is without drugs and apply it to people who have just experienced anything intense. Amy Winehouse was likely in PAWS with severely altered brain chemistry. It’s not just that other experiences were pale in comparison to what she’d been doing, it’s likely she was chemically incapable of feeling very much positive and responding normally.
- __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
  Bad dopamine hygene is a serious thing that should get more focus. But MDMA is seritogenic, not dopaminergic, and bad serotonin hygene is predominantly a too-little problem and not a too-much problem (unless you're using drugs, then you've got to regulate both ways). Nobody's complaining, so far as I know, that having too many socal connections is degrading their capacity to enjoy a cup of tea in solitude.
- s1artibartfast 4y ago
  >Then you probably aren't experiencing nearly the degree of hedonic exhaustion that is being talked about. You might be near zero I think this is the challenge of responsible drug use. Hedonic exhaustion might be actually zero or negative (making the rest of life better), depending on the person and use. I think it has a lot to do with intent and moderation.

by Nursie 4y ago

jvanderbot 4y ago

Then you probably aren't experiencing nearly the degree of hedonic exhaustion that is being talked about. You might be near zero. I don't think it's about drugs, it could be video games, but when you overload your brain enough, you may experience a kind of color washout of the experiences that don't overload your brain.

Nursie 4y ago
If it’s basically zero then that’s a difference in kind, not degree. The point I’m making is you can’t take a quote from Amy Winehouse about how boring life is without drugs and apply it to people who have just experienced anything intense. Amy Winehouse was likely in PAWS with severely altered brain chemistry. It’s not just that other experiences were pale in comparison to what she’d been doing, it’s likely she was chemically incapable of feeling very much positive and responding normally.
__MatrixMan__ 4y ago
Bad dopamine hygene is a serious thing that should get more focus. But MDMA is seritogenic, not dopaminergic, and bad serotonin hygene is predominantly a too-little problem and not a too-much problem (unless you're using drugs, then you've got to regulate both ways). Nobody's complaining, so far as I know, that having too many socal connections is degrading their capacity to enjoy a cup of tea in solitude.
s1artibartfast 4y ago
>Then you probably aren't experiencing nearly the degree of hedonic exhaustion that is being talked about. You might be near zero I think this is the challenge of responsible drug use. Hedonic exhaustion might be actually zero or negative (making the rest of life better), depending on the person and use. I think it has a lot to do with intent and moderation.