Sean Musial, Editor

Adrenaline is defined as a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, often due to stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing and carbohydrate metabolism while preparing muscles for exertion. It’s something that some people prefer not to experience often, and some don’t want to experience it at all. Then, you find that percentage of people who revel in it to a point where people find it unnatural. Those people are the wild cards. The ones that can’t sit still for the mundanity of everyday life, waiting for that next push over the hill of exhilaration. 

People often look down upon these people. They think of them as an outlier or somebody that can’t fit within the guidelines of normalcy. They’re the ones that need their hearts pumping and their senses put to the test. They’re the wild children of the world’s population that created their own rule books and that fight against the universal rules that were set in stone over many centuries. For them, intensity plays in the background of everyday life. 

The science behind the “rush” is where we start to understand why people crave these high intensity, thrill-seeking moments. When the dopamine hits from the adrenaline rush, it becomes the basis behind spontaneous behavior. The flight-or-fight response enters the equation to see if that individual will run away from the situation or stand their ground and see it through until the very end. It’s what makes or breaks that person. Entrepreneurs, stuntmen, daredevils and many other high-risk people are at risk of a “crash” heading their way– when the dopamine runs out and they’re left craving the next hit, even if it is not there anymore. Then, they start looking for other forms to get them back in the race. 

When brought into a different perspective and the grand scale of what really drives that person to do the things they do, there is a fine line between risk and recklessness. Passion towards these things is the starting point. It’s the reason that people want it more and more. When that passion turns into a dangerous mix that could psychologically and physically harm that individual but they keep searching for it, the personality trait they possess becomes more of a problem. This adrenaline quest parallels addiction as an adrenaline junkie chases their “next big high,” causing a psychological drift of the dopamine levels not keeping up and a high chance of injury coming into play. That’s not searching for adrenaline anymore; that’s high-risk behavior that has turned into a self-destructive streak, putting that person’s life in danger to where they may never recover from that inevitable next crash. 

Controlling this addiction is the only option. There’s plenty of people who possess this trait but have learned to keep it under control so it doesn’t affect every miniscule aspect of their lives. By doing that, with a set game plan and knowing exactly where it comes from, these individuals have increased confidence and resilience towards things that other people would walk away from.

Getting rid of the desire in a controlled setting can result in mental clarity and stress relief. Many extreme sports such as MMA or football are an outlet for these people to get rid of the strong desire to feel more alive while balancing themselves on a figurative tightrope. The final outcome creates a strong sense of accomplishment knowing that you fought through it the entire time and still came out the other side in one piece. 

Many forms of media, activities and lifestyles summarize what it truly means to be an adrenaline junkie. Skydiving, rock climbing, bungee jumping and other high intensity, life-risking activities gets the blood pumping with every continuous second. These activities ask for highly functioning individuals to throw themselves into the unknown. Then, there’s people that have made a living off of this way of life. Evel Knievel was a motorcycle daredevil who showed that these extreme behaviors were something to behold as spectacles. The “Jackass” crew pushed that extreme behavior with their wild stunts, gross-out humor and pushing each other to the limit. Even UFC fighters can attest that the adrenaline rush that comes from fighting your opponent is unmatched.

The reason why people continuously try to chase that edge is the greater desire to feel what it truly means to be “fully alive.” Nothing beats it. Continuously moving towards a rush of the occasional adrenaline and away from a self-destructive streak can help somebody feel that life is short, and doing things that make you feel alive is a great way to combat the mundanity of life that can begin to develop from taking no risks at all.