Addiction - Decipher the mystery and the solution

Addiction is an entity disease (physical cause) or is it just a social evil (depressive lifestyle, personality)? Answering this question will help us have a more scientific way of looking at addictions and addicts, and also open a way to find drugs and other anti-addiction solutions .

Material evidence of addiction

Addiction includes alcoholism, opium, heroin, estasy; sexual addiction or gambling, internet addiction; shopaholic…

Since 1950, the American Medical Association has identified: ' Addiction is the hallmark of a disease that includes specific symptoms and a predictable process that leads to disability and death . '.

Over the past decade, with modern technologies (fMRI imaging testing, PET) scientists have made significant progress in understanding the physical mechanisms of addiction. Accordingly, direct the research into: visualizing what happened in the addict's brain? Which neurotransmitters lose balance? What effect of addiction to the brain? Which medicine can block addiction?

Many people suffer from shopping addiction. (Photo: pharmas.co.uk)

Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the Institute for Drug Abuse Research (NIDA) commented: Since civilization, people wanted to try things that made them comfortable. Memory systems, conditional reflexes of people themselves tend to operate excessively, leading to addiction. In this respect, addictive substances are like an enemy aimed at weaknesses of the body. But why are there people who are not addicted to drug addiction, have drug addicts and can be cured? Someone who can't quit, falls down, becomes an addict?

By many clinical comments and similar brain scanning techniques, scientists envisioned: At first, not all but only people whose brains have their own traits (temporarily called nature) but sensitive to pleasant things, pleasure (specific or abstract - collectively referred to as addictive) and fall into addiction. Subsequently, addictive substances, in turn, affect the changing physical structures, brain reflexes, make the person desire, desire comfort, pleasure (addiction), no can get out, become an addict. Thus there is a relationship, physical interaction on the phenomenon of addiction.

To the new research direction

According to Frank Voice, in dopamine neurotransmitters, there is a special dopamine receptor group, D3. D3 receptors can multiply when there are presence of addiction. The multiplication of D3 receptors makes the drug more easily penetrate and activate nerve cells. In this respect, the D3 receptor as a ' amplifier ' makes ' addiction intensity ' increase.

In the body, there is a dynamic balance of glutamat-GABA. Glutamat increases appetite. GABA resistant to glutamate also means to resist craving. When glutamate predominates, it is also when dopamine increases, along with increased comfort and pleasure.

For some people, it is possible that from the beginning of exposure to addictive substances, dynamic equilibrium is immediately changed, glutamate prevails, D3 receptors are multiplied, dopamine is formed so it is easy to fall into addiction. It is also possible, after use, the addictive substance again makes the brain change, balancing glutamate dynamics - Gaba is always in a state of loss, glutamat prevails, making it easy for people to arise. lust, relapse. No matter how causal, there is an obvious fact: if a therapeutic effect on the glutamate dynamic equilibrium system is used - GABA makes GABA prevail, the D3 receptor drops, dopamine decreases, it will definitely against being addicted.

In this direction, scientists use some new anti-addiction substances. First of all, use the anti-seizure drugs topiramat, vigabtrin. These two agents work to prevent GABA degradation (increase in the amount of GABA), reduce glutamate secretion (reducing glutamate levels). With such effects on both ends, they make the glutamat- GABA dynamic balance change in a way that is beneficial, GABA dominates and fights addiction. In the US, many physicians have used these epilepsy drugs to detoxify and get positive results. Now scientists also study other drugs including baclofen, an old muscle relaxant.

Replace the ending

If the addiction is considered as an entity, the addict is the sick, needing treatment. We have extended our arms of kindness, supported addicts, the desire to bring them back into the community. If we have a scientific solution, then obviously there will be opportunities and the ability to help them faster and more.

Of course, it should be differentiated from drug dealers. They know that substance causes addiction, is harmful to the community, but because of the profit, while deliberately disseminating, it must be severely punished.