Getting High on Pickleball 

Do you remember the euphoria you felt when you or someone near to you won at the slot machine? Did your heart beat fast, did you jump up and down and want to shout with joy? Have you ever experienced runners high? You were probably sweating, panting exhausted and yet feeling elated. Ponder the last time you had a memorable experience with someone close to you. I imagine you had warm fuzzy’s coursing through your body, a glow on your face, and an intense desire to repeat this. I’d bet you you didn’t wait very long to repeat the experience. I imagine you thought about it a lot until the next opportunity. Perhaps you tried to manipulate your life; you job; your partner; your friends in order to move up the date.  

Pickleball combines all of these elements to form a feeling akin to addiction. There’s the positive intermittent reinforcement of winning, the serotonin release from physical exercise, and the promotion of oxytocin otherwise known as The Love Hormone, from an intense social connection. This is a good addiction. A very good addiction. Similar to a workaholic, a Pickleballaholic can be a blessing and a curse. It brings so many benefits to the player and his/her friends and families and per Wikipedia.org only becomes a problem when the individual proffers “impaired control over…behavior; has a preoccupation with (the substance) or behavior and continues despite negative consequences.”   

I have significant medical evidence that this game can provide multiple benefits, including improved mental health, socialization skills and opportunities to use them agility, balance, bone growth, brain growth, self-esteem, circulatory increase, weight reduction and superior sleep cycles. I could continue the list but i’ll stop for now as it will possibly be the springboard for another article.  

The thwack-thwack-thwack of the ball against the paddle is very like the sounds when you pull the lever on that one-armed bandit. Your reward comes relatively quickly, generally after an 11-point win. If you lose, you can start another game shortly to attempt your revenge. Everyone in your social circle reinforces this. Just one more game is used to enlist you beyond normal fatigue. Moves become embedded in your muscle memory. Players have seriously been known to play in their sleep. Your reward centers of your brain are permanently changed. New paddles become equivalent to a new cell phone, piece of jewelry, or another trinket. Withdrawal creates mood swings, temper, paranoia, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, defensiveness, agitation, decreased focus, judgement, memory and low self-esteem. Behavioral/social signs include an increase in secretive behavior and lying, decreased socialization, in an ever-increasing attempt to play more, play longer, and play harder.   

This is why pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country for three years in a row. Everyone is talking about it. The newspapers write about it, TV stations report on it, many mainstream magazines have relevant articles on the topic. Once “bitten” you become smitten. And you want more. More games, more tournaments, more equipment more trophies. What a wonderful high this creates. What a healthy addiction this is. Let’s continue to support this. Dink, Smash, go ATP. Go Picklers!