Destroying Old Belief Systems in Sobriety
DESTROYING OLD BELIEF SYSTEMS IN SOBRIETY…
One of my favorite quotes in the world is this one- “All that is gold does not glitter. All those who wander are not lost.” It really bringshome the idea that everyone is exactly where they are supposed to be. It also speaks of value systems- what one person may consider wandering and being aimless, may actually be someone finding their way- or that things of real value might not look like it at first. Like in Indiana Jones, when he goes into the ancient ruins to fetch the Holy Grail. He looks at all the beautiful, golden, jewel encrusted cups in front of him, and he selects the crudest one, made out of clay. That clumsy mud chalice was the sacred object so many had sought after.
All that is gold does not glitter. All those who wander are not lost.
tape, and finding gifts of great value. Initially, we go for what is appealing. But if you consider what it means when something is appealing, what is it speaking to? Something that is attractive to us holds the promise of awesomeness. Alcohol and drugs were like that, for me. They both whispered to me empty promises, they told me I was funnier, more social, more bold. They told me things would be better with a drink in my hand and a straw in my nose. I would be more creative. People would like me more. I would like me more. Lies! The Ego wants everything to be fabulous, all the time, while it sucks your blood dry. It loves it when we believe the lies that will eventually destroy us. Bad old Ego.
UC San Diego Study Discovers Adolescent Neural Patterns That Reveal Greater Risk For Future Problem Drinking And Potential Alcoholism
In a cutting edge study whose important findings honestly did not surprise the Clinical Staff at ONE80CENTER, researchers at the University of California at San Diego have uncovered adolescent neural patterns that contribute to our understanding of the biological origins of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The study revealed adolescent neural patterns and brain activity in adolescents that imply a greater future risk of problem drinking and alcoholism. The finding will be published in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Adolescent Neural Patterns & Alcohol Abuse Risk
Tracking 40 12- to 16-year-olds who reportedly had not started drinking yet but were on the verge of entering that phase of adolescence, the study conducted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans on their brains. The study lasted for over three years and tracked the progress of their children and their reported experiences with alcohol. Half of the teens started to drink alcohol fairly heavily during this interval. The researchers discovered that kids who showed less activation in certain brain areas were at greater risk for becoming abusers of alcohol and potential problem drinkers.
Teen Drinking & Brain Activity Studied
Once the problem teens started drinking, their brain activity looked like the brain activity of heavy drinkers in previous studies conducted. Specifically, their brains showed more activity as they tried to perform memory tests. This pattern of heavy drinking typically included episodes of having four or more drinks on an occasion for females and five or more drinks for males. “That’s the opposite of what you’d expect, because their brains should be getting more efficient as they get older,” said lead researcher Lindsay M. Squeglia, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego. The findings add to evidence that heavy drinking has consequences for teenagers’ developing brains.
Predict Problem Drinking With Adolescent Neural Patterns
Although we have not yet learned all the clinical details of the study, ONE80CENTER will update this account with a future report on the specific findings. The study clearly adds a new layer to past research: there are adolescent neural patterns that predict which kids are at increased risk for heavy drinking. Such pre-existing vulnerability if understood could offer ammunition for preventative measures. Pre-existing vulnerabilities beyond family history and genetic predisposition that could be identified early through brain scans would be an effective tool in the battle against alcoholism. ONE80CENTER always has believed in the value of prevention and education. The problem with this notion of scanning all teenagers for possible alcohol abuse tendencies is that it may not be considered cost effective.
In addition, other recent studies have implied that environmental factors can be as powerful and damaging to adolescents as genetic factors. Such environmental factors shown to be damaging to adolescents, leading to problem drinking and potential alcoholism include exposure to advertising in the media, lifestyle choices related to class and money, and overall social and cultural wildcards. “You’re learning to drive, you’re getting ready for college. This is a really important time of your life for cognitive development,” commented lead researcher Squeglia. ONE80CENTER looks forward to seeing the results of the whole study and helping to strategize how to apply them in future prevention and educational methodologies.
Finding a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center For a Loved One Is Not As Overwhelming As You Think
FINDING A DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT CENTER
Having had my moment of clarity – the realization that I could not manage my daughter’s recovery – and having realized that I needed to turn her care over to professionals, it dawned on me that I had no idea where to look for a suitable residential treatment center. I was so adrenalized that it had become hard for me to focus. I felt totally jumbled and chaotic and kept getting paralyzed by questions like, how are we going to pay for this? Although it felt like my husband and I had made the right decision, the question remained: Would my daughter agree to go? Finally, was I “opting out” of my own responsibilities by sending her away. I was her Mother and therefore was it my mess to clean up ? My head just kept spinning and I needed to get some advice so I went to AL-anon.
My Al-anon sponsor had asked me, “What is the greatest good for all concerned?” and quoted the first tradition of Al-anon which is: Our common welfare should come first. When I applied this to our family situation it left no doubt in my mind: Sending my daughter to treatment was the best for all of us and it gave us a break to all get some healing and recovery.
CHECKLIST FOR THE IDEAL TREATMENT PROGRAM
Creating a Checklist For the Ideal Treatment Center.
Luckily (and in another moment of clarity), I decided to ask for help from two friends. One was an eminent Los Angeles psychiatrist and the other was a family therapist. Both had worked with clients with dual diagnosis issues. Both knew about my daughter’s addiction and mental health problems, and were aware of our family’s history going back several years. And of course, both were highly supportive of our decision. When they asked me what I wanted for her, I wrote a list (Mary Poppins style, I might add) and here is what I came up with:
1. A rehab program modeled on the 12 steps of AA. This seemed to be the most effective and long lasting way of treating alcoholism and addiction. I had many friends who had multiple years of sobriety and were leading healthy productive lives.
2. A place with an awareness of secondary illnesses such as food and sex addiction. My husband and I had noticed that our daughter had a tendency to swap one addiction for another, so this was a priority.
3. Our ideal treatment center would identify itself as a legitimate dual diagnosis (mental health issues as well as addiction) facility. If the treatment center had a psychiatrist on staff, all the better. There was a giant question mark looming over our daughter’s depression diagnosis; we wanted to know that it would be correctly identified and, if necessary, medicated. If there was no on-site physician, then it was mandatory that she be in regular contact with a doctor.
4. It was also important that she receive intensive family therapy and support, as I was aware that our family dynamic needed attention. We were all at each other’s throats at the drop of a hat and used to scapegoating the alcoholic. Our whole family needed to find a way to heal and to learn to live peacefully with one another.
5. We wanted highly trained therapists who were used to dealing with young people.
6. My daughter had lost the ability to look after herself in very basic ways, so nutrition and exercise were also really important.
7. Given the nature of my daughter’s problems, we hoped for a place that offered long-term treatment so she could gradually assimilate back into normal life.
8. Finally, we wanted somewhere that took our insurance and that would be able to work with us (financially speaking) should our coverage expire before her treatment was finished.
I began to feel the tiniest bit of hope.
After reading this wish list to my psychiatrist friend, he suggested a place that met all the criteria. I was lucky enough to have a guild insurance that covered my family, but I was not sure it covered residential treatment. When I called the admissions office at the treatment program he suggested, they informed me that while they did not accept my insurance they worked with and heartily endorsed a place that might. I Googled their recommendation and found that it met all of my requirements, plus it also offered a comprehensive aftercare program. They were exceptionally compassionate and went out of their way at every step of the process…and yes, they worked with my insurance company (which agreed to cover up to 45 days of treatment). The synchronicity was extraordinary!
Everything seemed to fall magically into place and I began to feel the tiniest bit of hope.
RECOVERY ON TV – Shedding Good Light (and Bad) On a Tough Issue
RECOVERY ON TV
Recovery on TV - a sensitive issue that deserves to be handled with care
Jacksonville-Based Company Charging For Phony Alcoholism Cure Stopped By Florida Attorney General And The Federal Trade Commission
A phony alcoholism cure offered by a Jacksonville-based company has been taken off the market. The company owners have been penalized through a united effort by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Federal Trade Commission. On July18, they announced a court order against The Alcoholism Cure Corporation. If you can believe such insanity, the company also went by the names Guilt Free Drinking and Enjoy a Few.
The Alcoholism Cure Corporation Stopped In Its Tracks
Robert Douglas Krotzer, the company’s owner, must pay more than $730,000 to consumers negatively affected by the company. The order also bans the defendants from selling or marketing any treatment or cure for drug addiction, alcoholism or any health-related issue. The company stole money from their clients and threatened extortionary measures if they stopped using their products.
Taking advantage of desperation, the con men of The Alcoholism Cure Corporation lied to and extorted innocent victims
The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER fully supports such legal action taken against charlatans and con men that are trying to take advantage of people suffering from the disease of alcoholism. There is very little as terrible as trying to weasel money and resources out of someone when they are suffering from such an affliction. In fact, it is downright disgusting, and such actions show the integrity of both the FTC and the Florida Attorney General.
“The fact that this company deceived consumers and threatened to reveal their personal information is abhorrent,” Bondi said. “I am grateful to the FTC for their partnership in stopping this company from exploiting consumers and providing refunds for those harmed by this company’s actions.” The company allegedly prescribed concoctions of dietary supplements and claimed that the supplements could cure alcoholism. Krotzer charged consumers approximately $350 for the services and supplements.
Fake Doctors, Threats And Actual Extortion Of The Vulnerable
The company allegedly said that its team of doctors would come up with low-cost, customized and permanent alcohol cures. At the business, employees referred to Krotzer as Dr. Doug. Neither Krotzer nor any of the company’s employees were doctors. Krotzer allegedly said that the program had the best technology that could end alcohol abuse permanently and that the supplements were proven scientifically to cure alcoholism. The court ruled that the statements were unsupported and false claims.
What is even worse than the lack of medical credentials is that Krotzer claimed that the consumers could cancel at any time. But when a customer attempted to cancel, Krotzer allegedly threatened to publicly reveal the alcoholism of the consumers. Rather than offering treatment, it was a criminal-oriented con that expanded into extortion. The defendants went on to charge consumers’ accounts between $9,000 and $20,000 for fees without authorization. In some instances, Krotzer allegedly disclosed the consumers’ alcoholism to debt collectors, companies and a Florida small claims court.
Under the terms of the court order, the defendants are prohibited from using certain trade names, taking further collection actions against consumers and billing consumers without authorization. In addition, the defendants cannot misrepresent the terms or cost of any offers they make. They also cannot claim that the company is a charity or misstate the professional qualifications of any employee.
There Is No Alcoholism Cure But There Is A Path To Recovery
ONE80CENTER hopes that such measures will stop innocent people suffering from alcoholism and addiction from being further abused in a time of need. What is truly needed to stop such charlatans and con men is a national effort towards education and prevention that fully illustrates the need for treatment. When dangerous claims of being able to cure alcoholism and addiction are falsely being made by bottom-feeding criminals like Krotzer all the way up to high-end entitled rehabs like Passages, something needs to be done to educate the American public on the actual science of the disease.
The Garden of Earthly Delights
Slaves.
We, who have been trapped in the sheer unshirted hell of addiction, know unequivocally that we were slaves to our appetites. We might not have known it at the time, because our master was clever. Its like the saying “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.” Its hard to see the Devil when you are in hell, and the Devil seems like the only thing that will give you relief. That, in itself, makes the Devil your Savior, and now the truly twisted, Hieronymus Bosch -like reality of a person’s private torment comes to light. How terrifying to consider leaving one’s so called Savior. One believes that is the only source of relief, when it is, very simply, the source of all hell. Like Bosch’s painting The Garden of Earthly Delights. It is a depiction of hell, terrifying and awful. Temptations take us there. Addiction leaves us there, in that not so delightful garden.
This Devil (which, for the purpose of this blog, is our disease, our addiction) is also a shape shifting bastard. Not only can he convince the afflicted that he doesn’t exist, he can change to suit a person’s temperament. A person’s weakness is the Devil’s camouflage. Spiritually speaking, this is the most profound battle of all. It is why it is said that desperation is the greatest gift one can enter into recovery with. Anything short of that is still very susceptible to dark motives. A lot happens in the shadows where you can’t really see it happening. Recovery is all about light. We don’t always want to see whats lurking in the dark corners, but its imperative that we do, in order to overcome whats there.
I have friends who are still using. I can think of three right now who, I suspect, are using in private, and putting up a great front in public. They are still very functioning; they either own, or run, businesses, and are regarded as successful individuals in their community. However, there is something going on that is preventing them from fully inhabiting their own skin. Some part of them isn’t there. I remember, when I was in this same situation, a part of me was always not there- it was busy thinking about the time when I could check out, later, when I was alone. I’d have my wine, and my downers, and I’d numb out after work, and still get up the next day and go to work, running a fashion company. Until the time came that I numbed out at work, too. No one really knew. But I was unhappy, I was lonely, I was bereft, I felt like a leftover, unwanted in the fridge. I could say- I own my car, I own my home, I run a company- but what does that really mean when you are a slave? When part of you is always listening for your master’s voice, like the little dog sitting in front of the speaker, head cocked to one side? You can’t really pay attention to the life you try so hard to hide behind.
To me, its very dangerous how cunning the Disease is. Not the obvious dangers of the substances, and how many lives are lost to them, that is clear to everyone, and never stops an addict from using. Its frightening how it can tell you that its only xanax and wine, no big deal, its not like you are shooting up in an alley or anything. Or it says, ‘its just pot, and you need it, its the one little thing you need to quell the anxiety, its the only thing that works.’ Why would anyone fight that? Its comfortable enough. And its just enough to keep you asleep, sleepwalking through life, enslaved in velvet manacles. People who know they are doing dangerous drugs in dangerous amounts already know they are gambling with their lives. The ones who think they are managing it are in denial, and that can kill them. Just ask several of my friends- but you’d have to do it by ouija board now- wine and pills can and do kill. Pot- maybe not, but it still keeps you imprisoned. Life will never be what it could be, which isn’t death, just sleepwalking- not really living. Not really.
I think the people who truly run the last wheel off are lucky. They know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they must stop using. They come to understand that the Devil is not the Savior they thought he was- the comfort that the Devil offers is the source of all their suffering. They understand that the hell they are in is created by the Master of their appetites. A life where appetites do not dictate one’s every move is required. A life of recovery. All else, for us, is death.
I love to look around at the recovery community, whether at the ONE80CENTER July 4th party (over 1000 sober people) or at the big sunday meeting in LA last night, and know that I am surrounded by people who are FREE. Free people, who have liberated themselves from the slave master of addiction. Its a powerful thing, and it always always touches my soul. I am honored to be a part of it.
NIAA Study Of Alcoholism And Alcohol Abuse Reveals Specific Alcoholic Subtypes In America
NIAA Alcoholism Subtypes Study
Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA) announced in a national press release that in-depth analysis of a national sample of alcohol abusers and alcoholics has revealed five distinct subtypes of the disease. First author Howard B. Moss, M.D., NIAAA Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research, explained the importance of the study: “Our findings should help dispel the popular notion of the ‘typical alcoholic. . . .We find that young adults comprise the largest group of alcoholics in this country, and nearly 20 percent of alcoholics are highly functional and well-educated with good incomes. More than half of the alcoholics in the United States have no multigenerational family history of the disease, suggesting that their form of alcoholism was unlikely to have genetic causes.”
ONE80CENTER And Alcoholism Treatment
The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER are not surprised by these findings. Although it has been clear for a long time that alcoholism can have a genetic component, it does not mean that all alcoholics are genetically prone to the disease or have the disease in their family history. From our clinical work, we have seen that clients with alcohol abuse histories and co-occurring disorders often do not have a history of alcoholism in their families.
NIAAA Director Dr. Ting-Kai Li added: “Clinicians have long recognized diverse manifestations of alcoholism . . . and researchers have tried to understand why some alcoholics improve with specific medications and psychotherapies while others do not. The classification system described in this study will have broad application in both clinical and research settings.”
Subtypes of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse
NIAA Study: No Prototypical Aloholic
The researchers identified following subtypes of alcohol abuse and alcoholism based on respondents’ family history of alcoholism, age of onset of regular drinking and alcohol problems, symptom patterns of alcohol dependence and abuse, and the presence of additional substance abuse and mental disorders:
Young Adult subtype: 31.5 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Young adult drinkers, with relatively low rates of co-occurring substance abuse and other mental disorders, a low rate of family alcoholism, and who rarely seek any kind of help for their drinking.
Young Antisocial subtype: 21 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Tend to be in their mid-twenties, had early onset of regular drinking, and alcohol problems. More than half come from families with alcoholism, and about half have a psychiatric diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Many have major depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety problems. More than 75 percent smoked cigarettes and marijuana, and many also had cocaine and opiate addictions. More than one-third of these alcoholics seek help for their drinking.
Functional subtype: 19.5 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Typically middle-aged, well-educated, with stable jobs and families. About one-third have a multigenerational family history of alcoholism, about one-quarter had major depressive illness sometime in their lives, and nearly 50 percent were smokers.
Intermediate Familial subtype: 19 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Middle-aged, with about 50 percent from families with multigenerational alcoholism. Almost half have had clinical depression, and 20 percent have had bipolar disorder. Most of these individuals smoked cigarettes, and nearly one in five had problems with cocaine and marijuana use. Only 25 percent ever sought treatment for their problem drinking.
Chronic Severe subtype: 9 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Comprised mostly of middle-aged individuals who had early onset of drinking and alcohol problems, with high rates of Antisocial Personality Disorder and criminality. Almost 80 percent come from families with multigenerational alcoholism. They have the highest rates of other psychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders as well as high rates of smoking, and marijuana, cocaine, and opiate dependence. Two-thirds of these alcoholics seek help for their drinking problems, making them the most prevalent type of alcoholic in treatment.
Alcoholism and Co-Occurring Disorders
As the NIAA authors point out in their conclusion, co-occurring psychiatric and other substance abuse problems can enhance and intensify the severity of an individual’s alcoholism. Although these subtypes can be effective form of classification, they should not be considered absolute scientific truths. Rather, in broad strokes, they provide classification types that help to enhance discussion and make general analysis more precise. If you believe you have a problem with alcohol or a co-occurring disorder with alcohol as the secondary issue, please contact ONE80CENTER at 888.593.2301 for help and a free consultation.
Memorial Day- 3 Day Weekend, BBQs, and No Beer, Oh My!
“Each bottle on the floor
Is a soldier in the war
that was lost”
_Mark Anthony (Chocolate Genius)
When I think about important struggles and why anyone ever fights, it is for the certain liberty of something, someone. It is to maintain, at least theoretically, a liberty that a country has enjoyed up to that point, or to (again, theoretically) help create freedom for others who don’t have the ability to stop those who encroach on it.
All of us in recovery, then, are soldiers. We have fought for our own liberty and freedom from the tyranny of our disease. And, like in any battle, we have lost many. Too many. The longer anyone stays in recovery, the more staggering the number of friends and acquaintances who succumb fatally to the hell of addiction. Every time another one falls, for me, is a time that I can feel my own recovery undergo a galvanizing process. I am, every time, reminded of what we are up against, and what a cunning devil constantly hangs around with infinite patience for us to have a moment of weakness. It is always there, and always will be. When we get cocky, it gets ready. Arrogance is like a Trojan horse for our disease. Humility is key.
However, for all that have fallen (God bless their souls) there are those of us who get to stay sober another 24 hours, and get to do it again tomorrow, and re-commit to it every day. You often hear it said “God willing, I’ll be sober tomorrow!” God is always willing. We don’t have to be one of the fallen; we get to choose, every day, to embrace our lives in sobriety.
This Memorial Day, (which for so many newcomers will feel strange, it did for me! A poolside barbeque, everyone drinking beer, and not me!) have fun and stay sober. Buddy up with another sober person, if you are venturing into tricky waters. If, like me, you get to go to an entirely sober Memorial Day, all the better! But don’t spend the “day to remember the fallen” by putting yourself on their same path.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
University Of Kentucky Research Study Suggests Rates Of Alcohol Consumption Directly Increase Prescription Stimulant Abuse Risk
Alcohol & Prescription Stimulant Abuse
Demonstrating a logical connection between drinking and methamphetamine abuse, a new University of Kentucky research study suggests alcohol consumption may increase the likelihood of prescription stimulant abuse. Amphetamines are part of the larger group of drugs known as stimulants that includes cocaine and Adderall. Although cocaine was once the dominant illegal stimulant abused, today prescription stimulants like Adderall are more widely abused by young adults. The clinical staff at ONE80CENTER are not surprised that the Kentucky study strongly indicates an association between alcohol consumption and prescription stimulant abuse.
Prescription Stimulant Abuse Linked To Alcohol Consumption
As the senior author of the study and professor of Behavioral Science, Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Kentucky, Craig R. Rush said that the study shows a direct epidemiological link between drinking alcohol and prescription stimulant abuse, implying a link as well to the abuse of crystal meth. Building on his previous research that showed moderate drinkers were more sensitive to some of the effects of amphetamines when compared to light drinkers, Rush published the new study in the March 2011 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Rush explains in detail: “The idea behind the present study was to follow that study up with one in which we determined whether moderate drinkers were also more likely to work to receive amphetamine in the laboratory, in addition to being more sensitive to its subjective effects.” The researchers looked at 33 study participants and divided them into either moderate (more than seven drinks per week) or light drinkers (less than seven drinks per week).
The focus on study was not on actual drinking, but how drinkers ranging from light to moderate react to a rewards program related to prescription stimulant abuse. During a series of four studies on prescription stimulant abuse and rates of alcohol consumption, the participants were given a placebo as well as low (8-10mg) and high (16-20mg) doses of d-amphetamine. The subjects then had the chance to earn up to a total of eight capsules containing 12.5 percent of the previous dose by working on a computer task.
Drug Seeking, Drinking And Prescription Stimulant Abuse
Prescription Stimulant Abuse
What is fascinating is that the high dose of amphetamines increased drug seeking behaviors in both light and moderate drinkers, but only the low dose did so with the moderate drinkers. Such a finding definitely suggests that consuming moderate levels of alcohol can increase an individual’s vulnerability to prescription stimulants and illegal stimulant abuse.
Mark T. Fillmore, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky and part of the research team, summarized what needs to be done in light of the study: “We need to determine if drinking heavily might actually produce physiological changes in individuals that causes them to become more sensitive to the pleasurable effects of psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamines.” Such efforts unquestionably will help to wide and deepen the prescription stimulant abuse debate that needs to be conducted in light of the prevalence of co-occurring disorders.
Expanding on his colleagues point, Rush explained, “Other future directions could be to look at the influence of alcohol use history on the effects of other drugs of abuse or to determine how acute alcohol administration, as opposed to self-reported drinking history, impacts response to stimulants.” Without question, the link between prescription stimulant abuse and alcohol consumption is directly related, particularly in terms of a certain personality and even genetic type that is prone to alcoholism and addiction.
ONE80CENTER has seen the prevalence of co-occurring disorders in our client base. Such commonality in both alcoholics and addicts makes the connection between prescription stimulant abuse and alcohol consumption appear almost like an afterthought. The question is not whether co-occurring disorders fuel each other, but how to prevent them from causing such damage and havoc in the lives of so many young people.
The Effects of Scientific and Technological Advances on Addiction and Recovery Part 4 Alcoholism And Dopamine
Ongoing ONE80CENTER Series
The Effects of Scientific and Technological Advances
on Addiction and Recovery
Joint Yale Columbia Study On Release Of Dopamine When You Drink
Explains Why Men Have A Higher Rate Of Alcoholism Than Women
______________________________________________________________________________
Researchers discovered recently that differences in the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine when a person drinks possibly could explain why men statistically are up to twice as likely as women to develop alcoholism. Published in the October 15, 2011 issue of Biological Psychiatry, the study on alcoholism and dopamine was conducted jointly by scientists at Columbia and Yale. The results of the study are just beginning to be incorporated into new perspectives on the relationship between gender and alcoholism and dopamine. The Clinical Team at ONE80CENTER focuses on keeping up-to-date on such advances in order to guarantee our treatment programs are current and reliable.
Connection Between Alcoholism And Dopamine
Connection between Alcoholism and Dopamine
Although dopamine plays a number of roles in the brain, it is generally known as the neurotransmitter that provides a feeling of pleasure when it’s released. The release of dopamine is associated with pleasurable experiences such as having sex and can be greatly enhanced by taking drugs. Despite similar consumptions of alcohol, the men in the study had greater dopamine release than women. Is this the connection between alcoholism and dopamine revealed? This increase was found in the ventral striatum, an area in the brain strongly associated with pleasure, reinforcement and addiction.
The subjects of the study were male and female college-age volunteers who underwent brain scans after consuming an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. After consuming similar amounts of alcohol, men showed greater dopamine release than women. According to Dr. Nina Urban, a co-author of the study: “In men, increased dopamine release also had a stronger association with subjective positive effects of alcohol intoxication. This may contribute to the initial reinforcing properties of alcohol and the risk for habit formation.”
Is Loss Of Dopamine The Key To The Onset Of Alcoholism?
Alcohol Triggers The Release Of Dopamine
What is so intriguing is the study also discovered that repeated heavy drinking episodes resulted in a decline in alcohol-induced dopamine release. Dr. Anissa Abi-Dargham, senior author on this project, noted: “Another important observation from this study is the decline in alcohol-induced dopamine release with repeated heavy drinking episodes. This may be one of the hallmarks of developing tolerance or transitioning into habit.” Beyond these conclusions, it is possible to argue that there is a direct result between levels of dopamine being released and the development of alcoholism.
Without question, the identification of a neural mechanism that helps explain the gender difference when it comes to rates of alcoholism is a major step forward in addiction research. ONE80CENTER believes that it is essential to learn from scientific advances and be open to applying them to treatment models in order to further help our clients.
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