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Tag: cocaine

  • Time to get high- Circadian rhythms and drug use

    Contributing Co-Author: Andrew Chen Like most living creatures, humans have internal biological clocks known as circadian rhythms. These internal cycles synchronize our bodies with the Earth’s 24-hour day/night cycle and prepare us for predictable daily events (1). Circadian rhythms regulate a number of bodily functions including temperature, hormone secretion, bowel movements, and sleep (2). Recent…

  • Talking to NIDA about addiction research- Nicotine, cocaine, treatment matching and more

    It’s not everyday that I get an invite to speak with NIDA‘s director, Dr. Nora Volkow, and so, even though it required my creative use of some VOIP technology from a living room in Tel-Aviv, I logged onto a conference call led by the leading addiction researcher. When my colleagues, Dirk Hanson and Elizabeth Hartney,…

  • 80s style is back, cocaine use included!

    Everyone knows that trends come back around, and with the resurgent popularity of gigantic sunglasses, eye-bleeding neon, electronic music and metallic spandex (or so we at A3 are told), it seems that the 1980’s have firmly replanted their flag in the public consciousness, down to a sequel to that seminal testament to 80’s excess, Wall…

  • Nicotine vaccine? It seems addicts would love one!

    Okay, so there’s no vaccine for nicotine yet, but if researchers ever find one (like they did for cocaine), this recent study by a group at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that smokers are ready and willing. In fact, more than half of them were biting at the bit! In case you’re wondering (and don’t…

  • Thinking straight might help: Modafinil in early recovery from crystal meth addiction

    I’ve mentioned before that I believe medications can be a very helpful tool in early recovery, especially for specific individuals who need help getting over the initial, most difficult, period (look here). If you take a look at my first post about meth and its effects on the brain, you’ll read that crystal meth use…

  • Triggers and relapse, a craving connection for addicts

    I’ve already written about one reason why cravings make quitting difficult (find it here). However, cravings and triggers are not just abstract concepts; they are well known, important players in addiction research and I think they deserve some more attention. What are triggers? A trigger can be thought of as anything that brings back thoughts,…

  • A perfect little game that teaches all about drug use and addiction

    No matter how much work I put into it, I don’t think I’ll be able to come up with a cuter, more fun, or more educational way to teach you all about what drugs do in the brain than the game on this site (click the link). It’s like you get to do your own,…

  • Addiction stories: Alcohol, marijuana, crime, and John’s life

    The following story was shared by a young reader. I was first drawn to it because it mirrored mine to a large extent. Fortunately, John decided to pull out before he let his life go down as far as I allowed myself to go. For that, and for his courage in sharing his story, I applaud him. John’s…

  • Ancestry, Addiction, and trauma – Addiction research into genetic differences based on race

    We all know that drug use and drug related crimes are a big problem within African American communities. It’s not a secret, but it can be interpreted very differently by different people. Do the differences between African Americans and Americans from European descent mean that Black people are simply meant to have more problems? A…

  • Smoking cigarettes just makes it better… The enhancement effect of nicotine

    A recent study by a Kansas state researcher (find it here) reports that part of the power of nicotine may be in its enhancement of other experiences that go hand in hand with it. While the online source I included suggests that nicotine’s effect may be only in this indirect enhancement, my reading of the…