Dr. Daniel Amen

less likely to ask any questions because their habit centers are in control rather than their purpose centers.

What's a habit center?

So it's the dopamine loop in the brain.

So there's an area called the nucleus accumbens, which is what responds to dopamine and gives you pleasure or pain.

And it's connected to the basal ganglia.

It's part of the basal ganglia.

If that takes over your life, you're just going to give in to whatever those habits created that.

Are you describing craving there?

Well, there's a difference between wanting something...

and liking something.

And addiction often goes to you want it, but you don't necessarily like it anymore.

And there's really this dance, I often say, between the elephant and the rider.

So the elephant is your emotional brain and the rider is your prefrontal cortex.

It has to control

or break your emotional brain.

So the four-year-old in you is not always in control.

And when you hurt your frontal lobes, so think of hitting soccer balls with your forehead repeatedly, that'll hurt your frontal lobes or playing tackle football.

Now, all of a sudden, free will goes from perhaps 80% to 40%.

And then when you get stoned, well, now it's at 10% or you get drunk.

It's this beautiful dance between your frontal lobes and your emotional brain that often become disconnected in addiction.