Another major focus of addiction research is on the development and measurement of effective psychosocial treatment and follow-up studies of the long-term outcomes of different approaches. The Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies project…

Studies on the pharmacology of addiction focus on the properties of addictive drugs as they interact with the brain and on potential drug treatments for addiction. Some of this research overlaps with genetic research,…

Genetics research includes not only examination of the patterns of inheritance in families but also direct examination of the genes themselves. Advances in molecular biology have allowed researchers to literally break open a chromosome…

In the past several decades our understanding of addiction and its many aspects has increased at a tremendous rate. We now know that addiction is a complex disorder involving several chemical systems…

“Addiction is a family disease.” This observation is commonly made in addiction treatment circles, but what does it mean? Exactly how does addiction affect the family?

The statement does not mean that families…

There may be no cure for addiction, but there are ways of bringing it into remission. Let’s look at how people approach major changes, such as those involved in recovery. Prochaska and DeClemente studied…

You may have begun to use alcohol or drugs because of the temporary relief you got from emotional discomfort. But there comes a point when the drug takes over and through its…

I never cease to be amazed at how certain some people are that they are not addicted to a substance. But I also understand that this is a typical and important symptom of addiction. It is…

Most people who start drinking or using drugs do not intend to become alcoholics or drug addicts. How does it happen?

At least half of all the people who develop addiction carry…

In the early 1940s, a researcher working for the Sandoz pharmaceutical company stumbled upon the mind-altering qualities of LSD following an accidental ingestion. Sandoz has marketed a number of ergot derivatives, which…

The inhalants are a diverse group of substances that include volatile liquids and anesthetic gasses. Among them are gasoline and petroleum derivatives, toluene, acetone, methyl butyl ketone, nitrous oxide, ether, chloroform, trichloromethane, tricloroethane, and alcoholic solvents.

The hallucinogens consist of natural and synthetic substances that alter perception. Peyote, a natural substance derived from cactus plants, is used in religious rituals by Native Americans in the Southwest. Hallucinogenic properties are found in several…

The opiates are derived from a naturally occurring substance, morphine, which comes from a specific variety of the poppy plant. There are naturally occurring opiates such as morphine and heroin and synthetically produced ones such as…

Stimulant drugs, or “uppers,” include cocaine and the amphetamines. Substances such as ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanoloamine are also classified as stimulants.

These drugs are available as over-the-counter decongestants, diet aids, and stimulants. Caffeine, found in coffee,…

The depressants include several classes of pharmaceutical drugs, mainly developed and marketed as sleep aids, tranquilizers, anesthetic agents, muscle relaxers, and anticonvulsants.

Inappropriate prescribing and illegal diversion are the two main sources of these drugs on…

One of the fascinating things about addiction and the brain is that there is no single factor that causes addiction. As we have seen, it is not purely genetic, psychological, chemical, or behavioral.…

Tolerance is associated with various drugs and involves a number of different body systems; it is particularly noticeable where addictive substances are concerned. It is a phenomenon whereby the body develops an ability to…

The six large groups of mood-altering drugs are alcohol (beer, wine, distilled spirits), depressants (barbiturates, tranquilizers, sedatives, sleeping pills), stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine), opiates (heroin, opium, morphine, synthetic morphine compounds), hallucinogens (marijuana,…