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Nicotine addiction and genetics – It’s the little things that matter in smoking addiction
We’ve known for a while that genes play a role in addiction in general and that nicotine is addictive at least in part because it activates receptors for a chemical called Acetylcholine (ACh) that are found all over the brain and body. Nevertheless, finding the specific mechanism for the genetic predisposition has been difficult. Some […]
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It’s in your genes: The connection between addiction and other disorders
I think it’s common knowledge that children are more likely to develop a psychiatric disorder when one of their parents is diagnosed with one. Just in case it isn’t, as much as 80% of the likelihood that a person will develop a mental health disorder is genetically determined. The genetics of mental health and addiction […]
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Addiction is a disorder of control, not choice – A response to Heyman’s book
I was working on the first chapter of my book today and the issue of choice plays a prominent part in it. I’m a little pissed at Dr. Heyman, whose name sounds like something a stoner might say, about his book, “Addiction – A disorder of choice”. The thing is that at its most basic, […]
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Crystal meth and cocaine, Agassi and Gasquet- The reality of drug use in our society.
After Andre Agassi’s recent confessions in a tell-tale book about his use of crystal meth during his playing days, Richard Gasquet, who recently made it to the Wimbledon semifinals has just tested positive for cocaine. He says he was contaminated with the drug when he kissed a woman who was using it. Right. Unless the […]
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Proteins and cocaine: Addiction is a disease, not a question of morality.
While there are some people who still argue about whether drug addiction is a disease or a condition that results from the moral failing of an individual, most of the scientific community has long agreed that there are at least some influences on it that are far beyond a person’s control. I’ve mentioned the genetic […]
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Addiction causes – Drug addiction as a chronic disease makes sense
The stigma of addiction is alive and well. Whether you believe in the disease model or not, it seems that people’s judgments regarding what it means to be an addict are well entrenched. I’d like to work on that a bit. Why is addiction a disease? In numerous posts on this site I’ve addressed issues […]
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About addiction treatment – Genetics, the new recovery frontier
Genetics are making their way into every facet of research nowadays, and addiction treatment is no slouch in that area. What is pharmacogenomics? If you haven’t heard of pharmacogenomics yet, you are sure to soon. The idea that medications affect individuals differently based on their unique genetic makeup has picked up a lot of steam […]
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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 […]