Addictions
Smoking cessation
Smoking prevalence has been declining in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom,…
Assessment of dependence and motivation to stop smoking
Whether a smoker succeeds in stopping smoking depends on the balance between that individual’s motivation to stop smoking…
Why people smoke
For much of the 20th century, smoking was regarded as a socially learned habit and as a personal…
Discovery may provide new treatments for alcohol dependence
Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involving the…
Genes influence impulsive behavior, preceding the development of alcoholism
* Highly impulsive behavior is prevalent in drug addicts and alcoholics compared to those without addictions. Another major focus of addiction research is on the development and measurement of effective psychosocial treatment and follow-up…
Studies on the pharmacology of addiction focus on the properties of addictive drugs as they interact with the…
Genetics research includes not only examination of the patterns of inheritance in families but also direct examination of…
In the past several decades our understanding of addiction and its many aspects has increased at a tremendous…
"Addiction is a family disease.” This observation is commonly made in addiction treatment circles, but what does it…
We will now take a look at what happens to those who care about the person developing an…
There may be no cure for addiction, but there are ways of bringing it into remission. Let’s look…
You may have begun to use alcohol or drugs because of the temporary relief you got from emotional…
I never cease to be amazed at how certain some people are that they are not addicted to…
Most people who start drinking or using drugs do not intend to become alcoholics or drug addicts. How…
In the early 1940s, a researcher working for the Sandoz pharmaceutical company stumbled upon the mind-altering qualities of…
The inhalants are a diverse group of substances that include volatile liquids and anesthetic gasses. Among them are…
The hallucinogens consist of natural and synthetic substances that alter perception. Peyote, a natural substance derived from cactus…
The opiates are derived from a naturally occurring substance, morphine, which comes from a specific variety of the…
Stimulant drugs, or “uppers,” include cocaine and the amphetamines. Substances such as ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanoloamine are also…
The depressants include several classes of pharmaceutical drugs, mainly developed and marketed as sleep aids, tranquilizers, anesthetic agents,…
One of the fascinating things about addiction and the brain is that there is no single factor that…
Tolerance is associated with various drugs and involves a number of different body systems; it is particularly noticeable…
The six large groups of mood-altering drugs are alcohol (beer, wine, distilled spirits), depressants (barbiturates, tranquilizers, sedatives, sleeping…
In “Alcohol and Addictive Drugs” section we will discuss the major drugs of abuse, including alcohol.…
Although a number of circuits with different neurotransmitters connect to and run through the ventral tegmentum, the main…
Only within the last several decades have we begun to understand why a person will use a substance…
Addiction is nothing new, as we can see from the above quotation, in which the biblical writer paints…
If genetics accounts for better than 50 percent of the risk, what accounts for the remaining percentage? A…
Although we know that the risk for alcoholism runs in some families, it is not clear exactly what…
In “What Is Addiction” section, we saw that people can be said to be addicted when…
Why would you decide to experiment with drugs and alcohol at all? This decision depends to a large…
If you are struggling with addiction, you probably did not intend for it to happen. People who begin…
Most of us have grown up valuing self-control, sober judgment, and self-reliance. We look at addiction as a…
Identifying the exact point at which the use of a substance constitutes an addiction ought to be easy,…
How do you know if you have a problem with addiction? How do you know if a loved…
Internet addiction appears to be a common disorder that merits inclusion in DSM-V. Conceptually, the diagnosis is a…
Treatment Approaches and Outcomes
Pharmacology and Addictions
Genetics and Addictions
The Search for a Cure
Addiction and the Family
Some Words for the Family Member
Recovery or Death?
Some Words for the Addict
Denial
The Course of Addictive Disease
LSD, PCP, and Other Hallucinogens
Inhalants
Hallucinogens
Opiates
Stimulants
Depressants
Behavioral Conditioning and Craving
Tolerance and Withdrawal
Alcohol and Addictive Drugs
What Are Addictive Substances?
Neurotransmitters
The Addicted Brain
Understanding Addiction
Psychological and Behavioral Factors
The Genetics of Addiction
How Addictions Develop
Factors Influencing Early Use
Who Gets Addicted and How?
Is Addiction a Disease or a Moral Problem?
Defining the Disease of Addiction
What Is Addiction?
Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction
Interactive Quiz:
