Getting High
Adrenaline Junkies
People look for adrenaline rushes in so many different ways. We are always look for a thrill even if its a little one just to spice up the day. Finding a little adrenaline rush to spice up your day can help you with being happier or just bring you out of the slump of the everyday life. People make family and friend trips out of adrenaline rushes just like sky diving or climbing the side of a mountain. There are so many activities that can give someone an adrenaline rush whether it be skydiving, long distance zip lining, swimming with sharks, body modification, roller coasters, rock jumping, or deviant activities. Long distance zip lining gives you the feeling of flying and being able to see your surroundings and experience nature as if you were a bird or a graceful butterfly. Swimming with sharks can make you feel like a bad ass as you are surrounded by these, mistakenly over aggressive, kings of the ocean. Roller coasters can give thrill and excitement to those who are afraid of them but they went on anyways. Adrenaline seems to come from activities that scare us or we know are bad, which is where deviant activities come in. People experience adrenaline rushes when they get away with something they know they are not supposed to be doing, like underage drinking or graffiti. Even just going to a concert can bring adrenaline rushes.
Concerts
I tend to look for and want to do what some people think are crazy or dangerous for adrenaline rushes. A more mild example is going to a concert. I’m not talking about a seated concert, I go to “alternative” genre concerts. These concerts are general admission with a pit, people go absolutely crazy with pushing just to get to the front, starting mosh/circle pits (a bunch of people pushing each other around or just running in a large circle), starting a “wall of death” (the splitting of the entire crowd right before a bass drop that sprints at each other right at the bass drop) and crowd surfing.
From the outside looking in this seems crazy or maybe even borderline insane. Why would anyone want to put themselves in this situation? It’s simply the excitement and the rush you get from coming out of it. Walking out of a stadium after an amazing concert gives you the best rush or the best feeling. I, among thousands of other people, go to a massive concert called “warped tour” this has many bands in one “musical theme park”. You walk around all day and choose where you want to be and who you want to listen to. The crowds are pretty much the same but they are also different depending on the band that you go to see. When you leave warped tour at ten o’clock at night, you feel amazing and hyped up, also maybe a little annoyed due to all the cars trying to leave at the same time. It is a massive adrenaline rush.
Imagine climbing up a hill, it doesn't seem very steep. But as you start to see a clearing you also start to see the grey rock. You can hear water and as you walk out you see the forty foot descent to the water. This is the walk to go rock jumping. Being scared is normal, but being excited within the fear is where you know you are going to get your adrenaline rush. The first time you plunge in the water from such a high altitude is the scariest moment. Once you most get over the fear and walk over to the edge it’s time to jump. One the way down you feel scared and unsure of what the plunge is going to feel like, but once you go hit that water and then break the surface, you feel the adrenaline hit you and you’re ready to go again. Seeking the thrill again. This is the same with body modifications. Just a tattoo or even a piercing can give you that adrenaline feeling. I have eight piercings and a tattoo, the feeling that comes with getting them (when the pain subsides) is addicting, it’s like “Woah! I actually did it!”.
The Science
Zawn Villines talks about adrenaline rushes in the article The Psychology of Risk-Taking Risk taking is proven to be good for you. It improves mental health and helps with sadness, boredom and depression. Risk taking releases adrenaline, which leads to quick rushes and dopamine which causes intense feelings of pleasure. These chemicals can simulate a high in people and can become addictive. Risk taking starts to act like a drug over time, risk takers need bigger risks over time to get the same rush they used to, if they don’t get it everyday life starts to become boring and even painful. Risk taking helps with positive thrilling experience without using drugs for the affect. Ken Bain talks about different parts of the brain in ther chapter Managing Yourself of his book and he talks about the pleasure brain. The pleasure brain holds things that make you happy. Risk taking enduses happiness.
