Prevention
The best way to prevent an addiction to an illegal drug is not to take the drug at all. Your doctor may prescribe narcotics to relieve pain, benzodiazepines to relieve anxiety or insomnia, or barbiturates to relieve nervousness or irritation. Doctors prescribe these medications at safe doses and monitor their use so that you're not given too great a dose or for too long a time. If you feel you need to take more than the prescribed dose of a medication, talk to your doctor.
Parents can take the following steps to help prevent drug dependency in their children:
Communicate. Talk to your children about the risks of drug use and abuse.
Listen. Be a good listener when your children talk about peer pressure, and be supportive of their efforts to resist it.
Set a good example. Don't abuse alcohol or addictive drugs. Children of parents who abuse drugs are at greater risk of drug addiction.
Strengthen the bond. Work on your relationship with your children. A strong, stable bond between you and your child will reduce your child's risk of using or abusing drugs.
Article provided by
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Oct. 5, 2007
© 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Reliable tools for healthier lives," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
DS00183
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Drug Rehab: The Intervention
Is a member of your family or a friend of yours battling with drug addiction? One effective way you can assist them to address their addiction is by intervention. You can get all those who are affected by the addict to a neutral location. The addict is then to be told how his or her addiction has impacted others and their lives. Intervention is the first step to drug rehab and recovery from addiction.It is not easy to intervene. It takes courage to intervene. There are a lot of issues to be considered before the intervention. Prior meetings and detailed planning are to be carried out before the designated date of intervention. You also need to decide what all you must be saying and how you will like to say them.
Assistance of a professional is essential if you plan an intervention. The professional should be someone who has had experience with persons and problems of abuse and addiction of drugs. The person should also be able to facilitate the intervention. The facilitation should not only be to assist the drug addict but also to assist you to handle your thoughts around the issue.
It is conceivable that confusion and apprehension are the initial feelings that arise within you. There is also the feeling of pain and anger. You fear that the drug user will turn against you and hate you for meeting head-on the issue of drug use. Surely this will at least be the first reaction of the drug user. The purpose of the intervention is to make sure that the drug users know that the drug addiction has also affected others beside themselves. The exact nature of the impact of their drug use around them is to be laid bare.
Intervention in some one's life is considered to be a violation of the privacy of the person by one school of thinking. It is considered to be a human right violation and an imposition of sorts. Moreover, there is also no correct way of intervention. However, it must be noted that the reality is that as persons and as society there is always a mutual influence that is exerted. This is inevitable. Often intervention with a purpose is resorted.When we need to assist drug users to go for assistance to deal with their problems, then intervention is made. But when there is imminent danger to them such as inflicting injuries on themselves or others, or of death or possibility of being arrested, then there is a need for crisis intervention. The objective of crisis intervention is to diffuse the crisis and steer it to safety for all those involved.
The drug users are the primary focus of attention in any intervention. All are encouraged to be utterly honest to share their feelings and detail out the problems that have risen on account of the drug addiction. This might have to be carried out in an atmosphere filled with anger and discomfort. However, with increasing realization of the situation, the atmosphere is likely to become conducive when the drug users realize that the problem has not only gone out of hand but has expanded around them.
Intervention in drug addiction is a method to ensure that the addict is enabled to accept assistance. This is best achieved in an atmosphere of respect and love. Moreover, it should be non-confrontationist in approach and non-judgmental in essence. In such an atmosphere, intervention can be quite a powerful tool to success in dealing with the problem. Often family intervention is the best way and probably in many instances the only way out. It must be recognized that this can be successful and therefore needs to be done now.
By: Marlon Dirk
Email Article
Word Count: 624
If you know someone who needs an intervention please call us toll-free at 1-866-384-8411. You can also visit our website at www.lifelineintervention.com which is part of KD Consulting Corporation. Someone is there standing by to help you and your family.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Random Drug Test for High School Students Set in March
Random drug test for high school students set in March
01/15/2009
The random drug test for both public and private high school students will kick off by March, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus confirmed yesterday.
He explained though not all students will be subjected to the drug test because it will be done on a random basis.
But, all secondary schools across the country are mandated to comply with the President’s directive.
“Ang utos ng Presidente ngayon lahat ay magpapatupad ng random drug testing, not all students will be tested pero lahat ng schools magpapatupad,” Lapus said.
Students found positive for drug use during the random drug testing will have to undergo another round of drug testing for confirmation as well as to determine the level of drug dependency or addiction.
“Yung mag pa-positive sa random drug testing magre-retest ulit para sigurado,” Lapus said, stressing the random drug testing will be conducted by the Department of Health (DoH)-accredited laboratories.
He added this will not be a ground for expulsion and the DoH is expected to provide counseling to help student “kick out” the addiction.
Lapus also stressed the random drug test in schools is not new and in fact provided under Republic Act 9165 or Dangerous Drugs Act.
The DepEd actually conducted a random drug tests in 2003 to 2005 after study showed that drug use in six regions of the country, including the National Capital Region, increase by 10 percent.
In 2004, the DepEd, through its Health and Nutrition Center, also conducted drug testing of high school students in 17 randomly selected schools in each region to determine the prevalence of drug users among students.
During the test which was conducted on 8,760 students only 15 students tested positive.
This indicates a 1.3 percentage in drug users among students, but only 0.8 percent tested positive in the confirmation testing.
Under the order of President Arroyo, 30 from each of the 6,000 high schools nationwide will undergo a drug test.
This means that 180,000 high school students will undergo the drug test.
The DepEd would also shoulder the expenses.
Lapus said if a student is found positive for drugs, he or she is required to go through a confirmation testing.
Students found positive are then subjected to counseling which is kept confidential. Those who are found to be deeply into drugs are sent to rehabilitation centers.
“Ang ating intensyon dito ay unang una hindi naman hihiyain ang estudyante. Very strict ang confidentiality (Our intention is not to humiliate the students. We are very strict about confidentiality),” Lapus said.
He added during the last drug testing, 1.3 percent of students tested were found positive for drug use in the initial tests, but only 0.8 percent tested positive in the confirmation testing.
The DepEd chief assured the public testing positive for drug use is not ground for expulsion but only for disciplinary action.
He said random drug testing will serve as a deterrent for students who are influenced by their peers into taking illegal drugs.
The Commission on Higher Education, for its part, earlier had asked university heads to arrange random drug tests with the DoH among college students to ensure a drug-free campus.
Jason Faustino
01/15/2009
The random drug test for both public and private high school students will kick off by March, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus confirmed yesterday.
He explained though not all students will be subjected to the drug test because it will be done on a random basis.
But, all secondary schools across the country are mandated to comply with the President’s directive.
“Ang utos ng Presidente ngayon lahat ay magpapatupad ng random drug testing, not all students will be tested pero lahat ng schools magpapatupad,” Lapus said.
Students found positive for drug use during the random drug testing will have to undergo another round of drug testing for confirmation as well as to determine the level of drug dependency or addiction.
“Yung mag pa-positive sa random drug testing magre-retest ulit para sigurado,” Lapus said, stressing the random drug testing will be conducted by the Department of Health (DoH)-accredited laboratories.
He added this will not be a ground for expulsion and the DoH is expected to provide counseling to help student “kick out” the addiction.
Lapus also stressed the random drug test in schools is not new and in fact provided under Republic Act 9165 or Dangerous Drugs Act.
The DepEd actually conducted a random drug tests in 2003 to 2005 after study showed that drug use in six regions of the country, including the National Capital Region, increase by 10 percent.
In 2004, the DepEd, through its Health and Nutrition Center, also conducted drug testing of high school students in 17 randomly selected schools in each region to determine the prevalence of drug users among students.
During the test which was conducted on 8,760 students only 15 students tested positive.
This indicates a 1.3 percentage in drug users among students, but only 0.8 percent tested positive in the confirmation testing.
Under the order of President Arroyo, 30 from each of the 6,000 high schools nationwide will undergo a drug test.
This means that 180,000 high school students will undergo the drug test.
The DepEd would also shoulder the expenses.
Lapus said if a student is found positive for drugs, he or she is required to go through a confirmation testing.
Students found positive are then subjected to counseling which is kept confidential. Those who are found to be deeply into drugs are sent to rehabilitation centers.
“Ang ating intensyon dito ay unang una hindi naman hihiyain ang estudyante. Very strict ang confidentiality (Our intention is not to humiliate the students. We are very strict about confidentiality),” Lapus said.
He added during the last drug testing, 1.3 percent of students tested were found positive for drug use in the initial tests, but only 0.8 percent tested positive in the confirmation testing.
The DepEd chief assured the public testing positive for drug use is not ground for expulsion but only for disciplinary action.
He said random drug testing will serve as a deterrent for students who are influenced by their peers into taking illegal drugs.
The Commission on Higher Education, for its part, earlier had asked university heads to arrange random drug tests with the DoH among college students to ensure a drug-free campus.
Jason Faustino
Monday, January 12, 2009
NAC as a Natural Treatment for Cocaine Addiction
(NaturalNews) Three recent clinical studies, two about cocaine addiction and one about compulsive gambling, examine the role of a simple amino acid in normalizing brain chemistry of those with addiction. Drug addiction and various forms of pathological gambling has widely ruined personal finances, family cohesiveness and health. Relapse rates are extremely high. These studies offer much hope for an inexpensive, non-toxic option for healing.
N-acetylcysteine, a form of the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine is a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter glutamate. There is observational evidence that low levels of glutamate in the brain will increase compulsive and addictive behaviors and intensify cravings. Taking NAC by mouth has been shown to increase glutamate concentrations in the regions of the brain (the nucleus accumbens) which, when low in glutamate, promotes addictive behavior.
In the first study, 15 volunteers with a history of cocaine addiction received either 600 mg of NAC
or placebo every 12 hours for 2 days. The test subjects taking NAC were significantly less likely to scan the internet for cocaine-related news than those on placebo, and the NAC group also revealed in a questionnaire an impressive reduction in cocaine craving (1).
A second study conducted by the same investigators, gave 23 cocaine addicts who were seeking treatment 600, 1200, or 1800 mg of NAC twice daily for 4 weeks. Sixteen patients completed this study and cocaine use dropped dramatically. The amount of NAC didn't seem to matter, and no side effects were noted. Before seeking help, the 16 patients who stuck with the 4 week program, on average, decreased their cocaine use from 8 days out of the month before starting the NAC, to only 1 day during the month taking NAC (2).
This sounds great (85% reduction in cocaine use) but keep in mind that these patients sought treatment. The will to arrest a destructive behavior is key to successful therapy. NAC may help correct brain chemistry, for less than $2 per day, and cement the desire to quit with the ability to
modify behavior.
The third study looked at offering up to 1800 mg daily of NAC to those wanting to relieve themselves of their addiction to gambling. A positive response to treatment was defined as at least a 30% decrease in parameters measured by a tool called "Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Pathological Gambling." The average effective dose of NAC was 1500 mg daily. Sixteen gamblers completed the study and their scores improved 42% (3).
Earlier studies have suggested that there is a biochemical component to addiction. The beneficial effects of glutamine, B vitamins, lithium, and dietary modifications have been shown for people addicted to alcohol. The field of optimizing brain chemistry is in its infancy. Hopefully future research will continue to focus on safe, natural, inexpensive and effective nutrients to provide much-needed help for the millions of people who want to quit, but haven't yet.
About the author
Dr Emily Kane is a practising naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist. For more info see www.DrEmilyKane.com
References:
1. LaRowe SD, Myrick H, Hedden S, Mardikian P, Saladin M, McRae A, et al. Is cocaine desire reduced by N-acetylcysteine? Am J Psychiatry 2007;164:1115-1117.
2. Mardikian PN, LaRowe SD, Hedden S, Kalivas PW, Malcolm RJ. An open-label trial of N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of cocaine dependence: a pilot study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2007;31:389-394.
3. Grant JE, Kim SW, Odlaug BL. N-Acetyl cysteine, a glutamate-modulating agent, in the treatment of pathological gambling: a pilot study. Biol Psychiatry 2007;62:652-657.
N-acetylcysteine, a form of the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine is a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter glutamate. There is observational evidence that low levels of glutamate in the brain will increase compulsive and addictive behaviors and intensify cravings. Taking NAC by mouth has been shown to increase glutamate concentrations in the regions of the brain (the nucleus accumbens) which, when low in glutamate, promotes addictive behavior.
In the first study, 15 volunteers with a history of cocaine addiction received either 600 mg of NAC
or placebo every 12 hours for 2 days. The test subjects taking NAC were significantly less likely to scan the internet for cocaine-related news than those on placebo, and the NAC group also revealed in a questionnaire an impressive reduction in cocaine craving (1).
A second study conducted by the same investigators, gave 23 cocaine addicts who were seeking treatment 600, 1200, or 1800 mg of NAC twice daily for 4 weeks. Sixteen patients completed this study and cocaine use dropped dramatically. The amount of NAC didn't seem to matter, and no side effects were noted. Before seeking help, the 16 patients who stuck with the 4 week program, on average, decreased their cocaine use from 8 days out of the month before starting the NAC, to only 1 day during the month taking NAC (2).
This sounds great (85% reduction in cocaine use) but keep in mind that these patients sought treatment. The will to arrest a destructive behavior is key to successful therapy. NAC may help correct brain chemistry, for less than $2 per day, and cement the desire to quit with the ability to
modify behavior.
The third study looked at offering up to 1800 mg daily of NAC to those wanting to relieve themselves of their addiction to gambling. A positive response to treatment was defined as at least a 30% decrease in parameters measured by a tool called "Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for Pathological Gambling." The average effective dose of NAC was 1500 mg daily. Sixteen gamblers completed the study and their scores improved 42% (3).
Earlier studies have suggested that there is a biochemical component to addiction. The beneficial effects of glutamine, B vitamins, lithium, and dietary modifications have been shown for people addicted to alcohol. The field of optimizing brain chemistry is in its infancy. Hopefully future research will continue to focus on safe, natural, inexpensive and effective nutrients to provide much-needed help for the millions of people who want to quit, but haven't yet.
About the author
Dr Emily Kane is a practising naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist. For more info see www.DrEmilyKane.com
References:
1. LaRowe SD, Myrick H, Hedden S, Mardikian P, Saladin M, McRae A, et al. Is cocaine desire reduced by N-acetylcysteine? Am J Psychiatry 2007;164:1115-1117.
2. Mardikian PN, LaRowe SD, Hedden S, Kalivas PW, Malcolm RJ. An open-label trial of N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of cocaine dependence: a pilot study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2007;31:389-394.
3. Grant JE, Kim SW, Odlaug BL. N-Acetyl cysteine, a glutamate-modulating agent, in the treatment of pathological gambling: a pilot study. Biol Psychiatry 2007;62:652-657.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
What is Alcoholism
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms: Craving—A strong need, or urge, to drink.
Loss of control—Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
Physical dependence—Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
Tolerance—The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."
For clinical and research purposes, formal diagnostic criteria for alcoholism also have been developed. Such criteria are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, as well as in the International Classification Diseases, published by the World Health Organization.
Is alcoholism a disease?
Yes, alcoholism is a disease. The craving that an alcoholic feels for alcohol can be as strong as the need for food or water. An alcoholic will continue to drink despite serious family, health, or legal problems. Like many other diseases, alcoholism is chronic, meaning that it lasts a person's lifetime; it usually follows a predictable course; and it has symptoms. The risk for developing alcoholism is influenced both by a person's genes and by his or her lifestyle.
Is alcoholism inherited?Research shows that the risk for developing alcoholism does indeed run in families. The genes a person inherits partially explain this pattern, but lifestyle is also a factor. Currently, researchers are working to discover the actual genes that put people at risk for alcoholism. Your friends, the amount of stress in your life, and how readily available alcohol is also are factors that may increase your risk for alcoholism.
But remember: Risk is not destiny. Just because alcoholism tends to run in families doesn't mean that a child of an alcoholic parent will automatically become an alcoholic too. Some people develop alcoholism even though no one in their family has a drinking problem. By the same token, not all children of alcoholic families get into trouble with alcohol. Knowing you are at risk is important, though, because then you can take steps to protect yourself from developing problems with alcohol.
Can alcoholism be cured? No, alcoholism cannot be cured at this time. Even if an alcoholic hasn't been drinking for a long time, he or she can still suffer a relapse. Not drinking is the safest course for most people with alcoholism.
Can alcoholism be treated? Yes, alcoholism can be treated. Alcoholism treatment programs use both counseling and medications to help a person stop drinking. Treatment has helped many people stop drinking and rebuild their lives.
From the Doctors of MedicineNet.com
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
How Cocaine Addiction Develops
Permanent drug seeking and relapse after renewed drug administration are typical behavioral patterns of addiction. Molecular changes at the connection points in the brain's reward center are directly responsible for this. This finding was published by a research team from the Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in the latest issue of Neuron. The results provide researchers with new approaches in the medical treatment of drug addiction.
Addiction leaves detectable traces in the brain: In particular regions of the central nervous system, which produce the messenger substance dopamine, the drug cocaine causes molecular restructuring processes at the synapses, the points of connection between two neurons. As a reaction to the drug, protein subunits are exchanged in specific receptor complexes. As a result, the modified synapse becomes able to transmit nervous signals with enhanced strength - a phenomenon that has been termed 'drug-induced synaptic plasticity'. Researchers have suspected for many years that drug-induced synaptic plasticity plays a crucial role in addiction development. However, this hypothesis has not yet been proven experimentally. Using genetic engineering, researchers headed by Professor Dr. Günther Schütz at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now been able to selectively switch off those protein components in dopamine-producing neurons that are integrated into the receptor complexes under the influence of cocaine. Jointly with the team of Professor Dr. Rainer Spanagel at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, ZI) in Mannheim and the research group of Professor Dr. Christian Lüscher at Geneva University, the Heidelberg researchers studied the changes in physiology and behavior of the genetically modified animals. The scientists performed standardized tests to measure addictive behavior in the animals. At first sight, both the genetically modified and the control animals displayed the usual behavior under the influence of cocaine. Forced to increase their agility, the lab animals covered significantly greater running distances and preferentially frequented those places where they had been conditioned to be regularly administered the drug. If normal mice do not find drugs at the familiar places over a longer period of time, their addictive behavior and preference for the cocaine-associated places subside. However, this is not true for animals whose receptor subunit GluR1 has been switched off: These mice invariably frequent the places where they expect to find the drug, i.e., their addictive behavior persists. Mice whose NR1 protein has been switched off have surprised scientists with a different conspicuous behavior. If control animals withdrawn from cocaine are readministered the drug after some time, addictive behavior and drug seeking are reactivated. In contrast, NR1 deficient animals proved to be resistant to relapsing into the addiction. "It is fascinating to observe how individual proteins can determine addictive behavioral patterns," says Günther Schütz, and his colleague Rainer Spanagel adds: "In addition, our results open up whole new prospects for treating addiction. Thus, blocking the NR1 receptor might protect from relapsing into addiction. Selective activation of GluR1 would even contribute to 'extinguishing' the addiction."
----------------------------Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
---------------------------- David Engblom; Ainhoa Bilbao; Carles Sanchis-Segura; Lionel Dahan; Stéphanie Perreau-Lenz; Bénédicte Balland; Jan Rodriguez Parkitna; Rafael Lujan; Briac Halbout; ManuelMameli; Rosanna Parlato; Rolf Sprengel; Christian Lüscher; Günther Schütz and Rainer Spanagel: Glutamate Receptors on Dopamine Neurons Control the Persistence of Cocaine-Seeking. Neuron, August 14, 2008 The task of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ) is to systematically investigate the mechanisms of cancer development and to identify cancer risk factors. The results of this basic research are expected to lead to new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Center is financed to 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and to 10 percent by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.). Source: Dr. Sibylle KohlstädtHelmholtz Association of German Research Centres
(Drug Intervention)
Addiction leaves detectable traces in the brain: In particular regions of the central nervous system, which produce the messenger substance dopamine, the drug cocaine causes molecular restructuring processes at the synapses, the points of connection between two neurons. As a reaction to the drug, protein subunits are exchanged in specific receptor complexes. As a result, the modified synapse becomes able to transmit nervous signals with enhanced strength - a phenomenon that has been termed 'drug-induced synaptic plasticity'. Researchers have suspected for many years that drug-induced synaptic plasticity plays a crucial role in addiction development. However, this hypothesis has not yet been proven experimentally. Using genetic engineering, researchers headed by Professor Dr. Günther Schütz at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have now been able to selectively switch off those protein components in dopamine-producing neurons that are integrated into the receptor complexes under the influence of cocaine. Jointly with the team of Professor Dr. Rainer Spanagel at the Central Institute of Mental Health (Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, ZI) in Mannheim and the research group of Professor Dr. Christian Lüscher at Geneva University, the Heidelberg researchers studied the changes in physiology and behavior of the genetically modified animals. The scientists performed standardized tests to measure addictive behavior in the animals. At first sight, both the genetically modified and the control animals displayed the usual behavior under the influence of cocaine. Forced to increase their agility, the lab animals covered significantly greater running distances and preferentially frequented those places where they had been conditioned to be regularly administered the drug. If normal mice do not find drugs at the familiar places over a longer period of time, their addictive behavior and preference for the cocaine-associated places subside. However, this is not true for animals whose receptor subunit GluR1 has been switched off: These mice invariably frequent the places where they expect to find the drug, i.e., their addictive behavior persists. Mice whose NR1 protein has been switched off have surprised scientists with a different conspicuous behavior. If control animals withdrawn from cocaine are readministered the drug after some time, addictive behavior and drug seeking are reactivated. In contrast, NR1 deficient animals proved to be resistant to relapsing into the addiction. "It is fascinating to observe how individual proteins can determine addictive behavioral patterns," says Günther Schütz, and his colleague Rainer Spanagel adds: "In addition, our results open up whole new prospects for treating addiction. Thus, blocking the NR1 receptor might protect from relapsing into addiction. Selective activation of GluR1 would even contribute to 'extinguishing' the addiction."
----------------------------Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
---------------------------- David Engblom; Ainhoa Bilbao; Carles Sanchis-Segura; Lionel Dahan; Stéphanie Perreau-Lenz; Bénédicte Balland; Jan Rodriguez Parkitna; Rafael Lujan; Briac Halbout; ManuelMameli; Rosanna Parlato; Rolf Sprengel; Christian Lüscher; Günther Schütz and Rainer Spanagel: Glutamate Receptors on Dopamine Neurons Control the Persistence of Cocaine-Seeking. Neuron, August 14, 2008 The task of the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum in Heidelberg (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ) is to systematically investigate the mechanisms of cancer development and to identify cancer risk factors. The results of this basic research are expected to lead to new approaches in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Center is financed to 90 percent by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and to 10 percent by the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.). Source: Dr. Sibylle KohlstädtHelmholtz Association of German Research Centres
(Drug Intervention)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Crossing the Line to Addiction: How and When Does It Happen?
"No one becomes addicted the first time they try a drug," says George Koob, M.D., a professor in the neuropharmacology department at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Although there are some cases where a person's reaction to first use is so positive that they immediately begin to abuse a drug, Koob says most addiction has a subtler start. It usually doesn't take place until the person has been using chronically. The person has become an addict when his or her brain has literally been changed by this chronic use of the drug.
Many substances and activities, from food to sex, exert control over human behavior by motivating us to indulge in them. But addictive drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin, can affect the structure and function of the brain -- and hence our motivations -- in long-lasting ways. They can actually alter and "usurp," in one scientist's term, the "circuits" in the brain that are involved in the control of emotions and motivation, impairing an addicted person's will. "What addiction really is, is a result of brain changes that over time get translated into behavior changes," says National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Alan Leshner, Ph.D.
If a person uses drugs, at a high enough dose, frequently enough and for a long period of time, these drugs change the way the brain works. "You change the way nerve cells communicate in such a way that you develop this compulsive, out-of-control use despite knowing that all kinds of terrible things can happen to you, and despite even experiencing many of those things," says National Institute of Mental Health director Steven Hyman, M.D.
Studies using new technologies show the precise effects of drugs on the brain. "In many cases, we can actually see changes in the structure of synapses and in the shapes of [brain] cells," says Hyman. A NIDA study released in 1996 provided the first direct evidence that chronic use of opiates (such as morphine and heroin) is linked with structural changes in the size and shape of specific neurons. Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine found that rats chronically given morphine experienced marked structural changes in critical brain "circuits." Other NIDA studies have shown that altered brain circuits could be responsible for the major differences in brain functioning between an occasional cocaine user and a cocaine addict.
-- Janet Firshein
Many substances and activities, from food to sex, exert control over human behavior by motivating us to indulge in them. But addictive drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and heroin, can affect the structure and function of the brain -- and hence our motivations -- in long-lasting ways. They can actually alter and "usurp," in one scientist's term, the "circuits" in the brain that are involved in the control of emotions and motivation, impairing an addicted person's will. "What addiction really is, is a result of brain changes that over time get translated into behavior changes," says National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director Alan Leshner, Ph.D.
If a person uses drugs, at a high enough dose, frequently enough and for a long period of time, these drugs change the way the brain works. "You change the way nerve cells communicate in such a way that you develop this compulsive, out-of-control use despite knowing that all kinds of terrible things can happen to you, and despite even experiencing many of those things," says National Institute of Mental Health director Steven Hyman, M.D.
Studies using new technologies show the precise effects of drugs on the brain. "In many cases, we can actually see changes in the structure of synapses and in the shapes of [brain] cells," says Hyman. A NIDA study released in 1996 provided the first direct evidence that chronic use of opiates (such as morphine and heroin) is linked with structural changes in the size and shape of specific neurons. Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine found that rats chronically given morphine experienced marked structural changes in critical brain "circuits." Other NIDA studies have shown that altered brain circuits could be responsible for the major differences in brain functioning between an occasional cocaine user and a cocaine addict.
-- Janet Firshein
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