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Choice and control in addiction – Genetics and neuroscience of drug abuse

Dr. Jaffe recently gave an online lecture (webinar) for HealthCentral on the processes involved in choice and control of behavior during addiction and drug abuse. We’ve written quite a bit on here about the neuroscience of impulsivity issues and the genetic predisposition to addiction and this talk really covers some of the most important aspects…

October 23, 2010
Adding environmental factors to pharmacogenomics improves treatment outcome

Hopefully you’ve read our previous discussion of pharmacogenomics but in case you haven’t (and you should), it is the science of personalized medicine (medications and medication-dosing) based on an individual’s genetic code. Well, nothing ever stays simple with genetics and although by now it is pretty clear that aside from considering what is knows as…

November 29, 2010
Conversation with an addiction expert – Chris Evans, opiate master

Here at A3 we have already armed you with over 400 articles’ worth of knowledge on a wide variety of topics such as sex, gambling, and alcohol addictions. Our articles have in the past been written mostly by the team members at A3 (with a few notable guest pieces) based upon research findings and personal…

March 3, 2011
The alcoholism gene? That’s quite a long story!

If you were trying to find something to blame alcoholism on, genetics would be a good place to start: As much as 50-60% of the risk of becoming an alcoholic is determined by a person’s genes (1). We’ve discussed the genetics of addiction in general as they relate to other condition like ADHD, depression, and…

July 25, 2010
Why the addiction-brain connection has to be part of the addiction treatment picture

Dr. Dodes recent article, apparently trying to blow up the myth of addiction as a neurophysiological disorder, sounded persuasive, although its underpinning was oversimplified and it’s understanding of the brain-science involved in addiction, and other associated mental health disorders, was lacking. Hopefully, by presenting a more complete picture of the evidence for a brain-aspect to…

October 29, 2010
Tobacco smoking alone isn’t enough: More than smoking important in lung cancer death

Christopher Russell and Adi Jaffe The tobacco epidemic already kills 5.4 million people a year from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. By 2030, the death toll will exceed eight million a year. Unless urgent action is taken tobacco could kill one billion people during this century. (The World Health Organization Report on the…

January 11, 2011
ADHD and neurocognition – Knowing what to remember

Kate Humphreys ADHD In children and adults – Symptoms and tests Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, formerly known also as ADD) are classically seen as the kids in class who have trouble staying in their seats and paying attention during long lessons. Underlying these problematic behaviors is a confluence of factors, with evidence…

February 22, 2011
About Dr. Adi Jaffe

Adi Jaffe is a nationally recognized expert on mental health, addiction and stigma. He coaches clients privately, lectured in the Psychology departments at UCLA and CSULB for nearly a decade and has an incredibly inspiring TEDx talk. He was also was the Executive-Director and Co-Founder of Alternatives, one of the most progressive mental health treatment…

February 4, 2008
Drug use norms and expectations: Obsessions and compulsions in our society.

I used to always say, back in my using days, that speed (methamphetamine) was The American drug. Why? Meth makes its users sharper, more alert, and more focused, and it allowed me to spend entire nights up studying like I’d never been able to study before. Unfortunately, like many other aspects of The American Dream,…

August 23, 2009
Addiction causes – Genetic variability related to attention, impulsivity, and drug use.

It will probably come as no surprise to at least most of you that addiction is closely linked to problems of self-regulation (like ADD and ADHD). This is one of the main reasons that professionals view addiction as a disease, and not a choice. This post is pretty advanced, but it should leave you knowing…

August 13, 2009