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Substance Abuse
You can't expect change when things stay the same...right?
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<blockquote data-quote="scent of cedar" data-source="post: 613411" data-attributes="member: 1721"><p>I was watching a program yesterday about sugar addiction. The speaker indicated that the brain chemical dopamine is often at the heart of any addiction ~ sugar, heroin, cocaine, coffee, nicotine. The drug of choice works by stimulating dopamine production, thus increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain. That is why we feel happier after having a drink, or eating sugar, or smoking, or whatever. As the dopamine levels fall, we have some more of whatever it was, and up they go, again. Eventually (three weeks was the length of time the speaker suggested would "set" the addiction), we need more of the substance more often to feel the same "high." I was watching CSpan, and the speaker's medical credentials seemed to be in order, so I think there was some merit to his presentation. Anyway, that would explain why your son does not yet have a drug of choice. He has not used one thing long enough to set up an addiction to that substance, in addition to the dopamine rush that is responsible for setting the addiction in the first place. But he likes, and his brain has become dependent upon, higher levels of dopamine just to feel normal. Without the dopamine high, which can be provided by any number of things, he feels depressed.</p><p></p><p>This was all explained as it applies to sugar, which does the same thing ~ ups the dopamine levels in the brain.</p><p></p><p>If you google CSpan and look for that program, you might be able to have a look at it yourself and see what you think bout his explanation for the mechanism of addiction. Maybe your son would feel more in control if he understood the dopamine cycle? It does explain the depression.</p><p></p><p>Cedar</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="scent of cedar, post: 613411, member: 1721"] I was watching a program yesterday about sugar addiction. The speaker indicated that the brain chemical dopamine is often at the heart of any addiction ~ sugar, heroin, cocaine, coffee, nicotine. The drug of choice works by stimulating dopamine production, thus increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain. That is why we feel happier after having a drink, or eating sugar, or smoking, or whatever. As the dopamine levels fall, we have some more of whatever it was, and up they go, again. Eventually (three weeks was the length of time the speaker suggested would "set" the addiction), we need more of the substance more often to feel the same "high." I was watching CSpan, and the speaker's medical credentials seemed to be in order, so I think there was some merit to his presentation. Anyway, that would explain why your son does not yet have a drug of choice. He has not used one thing long enough to set up an addiction to that substance, in addition to the dopamine rush that is responsible for setting the addiction in the first place. But he likes, and his brain has become dependent upon, higher levels of dopamine just to feel normal. Without the dopamine high, which can be provided by any number of things, he feels depressed. This was all explained as it applies to sugar, which does the same thing ~ ups the dopamine levels in the brain. If you google CSpan and look for that program, you might be able to have a look at it yourself and see what you think bout his explanation for the mechanism of addiction. Maybe your son would feel more in control if he understood the dopamine cycle? It does explain the depression. Cedar [/QUOTE]
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You can't expect change when things stay the same...right?
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