What Makes Someone an Adrenaline Junkie?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is an “Adrenaline Junkie?“The Need for StimulationSensation-SeekingTreatment

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Is an “Adrenaline Junkie?”

The Need for Stimulation

Sensation-Seeking

Treatment

“Adrenaline junkie” is a term used to refer to someone who favors high-risk activities for the rush that accompanies them. The term was first popularly used in the 1991 movie “Point Break.” Related to this phenomenon, many people seek out high-sensation experiences for the neurophysiological effects.

Physiological mechanisms underlying temperament lead people to seek what feels to them like just the right amount of stimulation in a given situation. This experience of “just the right amount” of stimulation or sensation is deeply interconnected with psychological mechanisms of motivation and varies across people with different personality traits.

In fact, a 2016 study of parachute jumpers found that personality is the greatest predictor of whether a person is likely to undertake risky behavior. High anxiety sensation seeking may characterize the so-called “adrenaline junkie.”

When dependence on these experiences is positioned as a way of managing stressful situations, however, it might be time to seek treatment.

The Science Behind the Need for Stimulation in Adrenaline Junkies

Capacity for cognitive control is impaired or enhanced depending on whether a given task requires suppression of or attention to various motivational cues, according to a 2010 study.

The neurobiology behind these processes is complicated and many brain areas are implicated. Activation of the stress response is thought to drive compulsive behavior through negative reinforcement mechanisms.

Release of norepinephrine in the amygdala, the area of the brain activated during the stress response, may represent a key component of the transition to dependence, according to a 2009 study.Meanwhile, another study focused on the avoidance-type behaviors often found in PTSD. In this 2018 animal study, researchers found that amygdala stimulation leads to decreased avoidance behaviors.

The term “adrenaline junkie” may have you thinking that the noradrenergic system alone is implicated in sensation-seeking behavior. A 2017 review explores how the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin also greatly impact the ability to regulateimpulsivityand risk-taking.The review also examines how the systems that involve these neurotransmitters are dysregulated in people with substance use disorders.

Meanwhile, a 2016 study of so-called adrenaline junkies such as rock climbers found that regular climbers experienced frequent and intense craving states and negative effect when they stopped climbing, similar to individuals with substance use disorders.

Everyday Sensation-Seeking

You don’t have to be a bank robber, skydiver, or another obvious type of danger-seeker to be hooked on the rush that comes from a little stress. In fact, you could be somewhat hooked on stimulation in your everyday life and not realize it.

An unconscious need for stimulation may influence the way you manage your schedule, the people you spend time with, and even the way you approach a deadline.

A 2010 study suggests that neurotic individuals may create drama and crises in their lives to trigger the body’s stress response, get the rush that comes with the excitement, and reduce their negative mood.Extroverted individuals may take risks to reinforce positive experiences.

Management for Adrenaline Junkies

While leading an exciting life in and of itself isn’t a problem, unwittingly creating crises for yourself or becoming needlessly engulfed in stressful situations can take its toll. If you tend to create more drama in your life than is necessary, the benefit of becoming aware of it is twofold:

If your risk-taking behavior is getting out of control, causing distress, or causing you not to fulfill your responsibilities, consider seeking professional help. A mental health professional can help you explore ways to manage your behavior in healthier, more adaptive ways.

Stress Management Techniques

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Makarowski R, Makarowski P, Kamiński Z.Adrenaline instead of amphetamine-replacing psychoactive substances with parachute jumps.J Gen Psychol. 2016;143(4):281-97. doi:10.1080/00221309.2016.1214101Somerville LH, Casey BJ.Developmental neurobiology of cognitive control and motivational systems.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2010;20(2):236-41. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2010.01.006Koob GF.Brain stress systems in the amygdala and addiction.Brain Res. 2009;1293:61-75. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.03.038Fischer AG, Ullsperger M.An update on the role of serotonin and its interplay with dopamine for reward.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:484. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00484Heirene, R., Shearer, D., Roderique-Davies, G., Mellalieu, S.Addiction in extreme sports: an exploration of withdrawal states in rock climbers.Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 5(2). doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.039Castanier C, Le scanff C, Woodman T.Who takes risks in high-risk sports? A typological personality approach.Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010;81(4):478-84. doi:10.1080/02701367.2010.10599709Robbins TW, Clark L.Behavioral addictions.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015;30:66-72. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2014.09.005

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Makarowski R, Makarowski P, Kamiński Z.Adrenaline instead of amphetamine-replacing psychoactive substances with parachute jumps.J Gen Psychol. 2016;143(4):281-97. doi:10.1080/00221309.2016.1214101Somerville LH, Casey BJ.Developmental neurobiology of cognitive control and motivational systems.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2010;20(2):236-41. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2010.01.006Koob GF.Brain stress systems in the amygdala and addiction.Brain Res. 2009;1293:61-75. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.03.038Fischer AG, Ullsperger M.An update on the role of serotonin and its interplay with dopamine for reward.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:484. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00484Heirene, R., Shearer, D., Roderique-Davies, G., Mellalieu, S.Addiction in extreme sports: an exploration of withdrawal states in rock climbers.Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 5(2). doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.039Castanier C, Le scanff C, Woodman T.Who takes risks in high-risk sports? A typological personality approach.Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010;81(4):478-84. doi:10.1080/02701367.2010.10599709Robbins TW, Clark L.Behavioral addictions.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015;30:66-72. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2014.09.005

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Makarowski R, Makarowski P, Kamiński Z.Adrenaline instead of amphetamine-replacing psychoactive substances with parachute jumps.J Gen Psychol. 2016;143(4):281-97. doi:10.1080/00221309.2016.1214101Somerville LH, Casey BJ.Developmental neurobiology of cognitive control and motivational systems.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2010;20(2):236-41. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2010.01.006Koob GF.Brain stress systems in the amygdala and addiction.Brain Res. 2009;1293:61-75. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.03.038Fischer AG, Ullsperger M.An update on the role of serotonin and its interplay with dopamine for reward.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:484. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00484Heirene, R., Shearer, D., Roderique-Davies, G., Mellalieu, S.Addiction in extreme sports: an exploration of withdrawal states in rock climbers.Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 5(2). doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.039Castanier C, Le scanff C, Woodman T.Who takes risks in high-risk sports? A typological personality approach.Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010;81(4):478-84. doi:10.1080/02701367.2010.10599709Robbins TW, Clark L.Behavioral addictions.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015;30:66-72. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2014.09.005

Makarowski R, Makarowski P, Kamiński Z.Adrenaline instead of amphetamine-replacing psychoactive substances with parachute jumps.J Gen Psychol. 2016;143(4):281-97. doi:10.1080/00221309.2016.1214101

Somerville LH, Casey BJ.Developmental neurobiology of cognitive control and motivational systems.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2010;20(2):236-41. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2010.01.006

Koob GF.Brain stress systems in the amygdala and addiction.Brain Res. 2009;1293:61-75. doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2009.03.038

Fischer AG, Ullsperger M.An update on the role of serotonin and its interplay with dopamine for reward.Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:484. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2017.00484

Heirene, R., Shearer, D., Roderique-Davies, G., Mellalieu, S.Addiction in extreme sports: an exploration of withdrawal states in rock climbers.Journal of Behavioral Addictions. 5(2). doi:10.1556/2006.5.2016.039

Castanier C, Le scanff C, Woodman T.Who takes risks in high-risk sports? A typological personality approach.Res Q Exerc Sport. 2010;81(4):478-84. doi:10.1080/02701367.2010.10599709

Robbins TW, Clark L.Behavioral addictions.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2015;30:66-72. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2014.09.005

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