Drug and Alcohol Findings home page ONDCP: Office of National Drug Control Policy Prescription Drug Abuse Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem and has been classified as an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn more about this public health threat and comprehensive, government-wide actions being taken by the Administration to reduce prescription drug abuse. Read more Drugged Driving Americans are all-too familiar with the terrible consequences of drunk and distracted driving. Prevention Preventing drug use before it begins is a cost-effective, common-sense approach to promoting safe and healthy communities. Special Populations While drug addiction respects no geographic, ethnic, economic, or social boundaries, there are some specific populations that deserve focused efforts, including
booz&brain - Science of Addiction The Limbic Lizard The Physiological Basis of Addiction & Understanding how to Defeat Urges and Cravings People begin using alcohol and/or drugs for a variety of reasons. Our limbic system, or “lizard brain”, has been left with us from the lowest forms of animals out of which we evolved. The limbic system understands, learns and responds on the most primitive level and is vital at certain times. AlcoholDrugs Pleasure! On the other hand, the healthy, non addicted person has other pleasures and relief techniques to rely on, and generally says, « no I've had enough » or « no I don't use ». The first task of the alcoholic/addict is to break his/her underlying chemical dependency, which can only be done by drying out and going sober. “Closing the Gap”is not about ritualistic self-torture or guilt trips. Get Real > Close the Gap! SOS Clearinghouse.SOS Clearinghouse ( Save Our Selves) 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027 USA.
Welcome to the MTF Website The Lizard Brain Addiction Monster The Lizard Brain Addiction Monster by A. Orange Ah, okay. As Daffy Duck said, "And another thing!" In the back of my mind, I'm hearing someone ask, "Well, if it wasn't our natural desires warping us, why did we drink destructively? Isn't it insanity to drink until you are so sick that you are dying?" Fair question. I can't help but think you might have wanted to kill the pain, and just relax and feel good. Gee, how could I guess that one so accurately? But isn't that just what Bill Wilson said, "our desires warping us?" What goes wrong, what happened to us, is: we got confused about what would make us feel good. People can get high on many different things. Or a surfer may catch that perfect wave, and go into ecstasy, and for an instant, time stops, and the world crystallizes, and he is suspended on the edge of the entire Universe, with nothing but himself and the eternal perfect wave, the timeless ocean, the sky, and everything. It isn't bad to want to feel good.
Home Page Web of Addictions - What's New We're Back! It's Easier to ask for Forgiveness than for Permission It has been a darn long time since the Web of Addictions has been tended to. I'd like to ask for your indulgence, life just got in the way. However, I'm making a renewed commitment to the site, and will be getting it completely shipshape over the next several weeks. What About You? I am most interested in learning about the people who visit this site. Send your reply to Dick Dillon. The Future Future plans for the Web of Addictions include the introduction of bulletin boards and chat rooms for those interested in addiction issues. If you have suggestions for additional features which might be included here, please let us know. See earlier What's New Pages Home, The Web of Addictions pages Copyright © 1995 - 2000 by
Addiction as Disease: Policy, Epidemiology, and Treatment Consequences of a Bad Idea In J. Henningfield, W. Bickel, and P. Santora (Eds.), Addiction Treatment in the 21st Century: Science and Policy Issues. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 2007) pp. 153-163. The effect of conceptualizing addiction as a disease on policy and treatment has been predictably disastrous. We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. — Albert Einstein Policy amid the Consensus That Addiction Is a Disease The idea that addiction is a disease has become almost received wisdom among conservatives and liberals alike. These contradictions present fundamental dilemmas for conservatives and liberals. The Epidemiology of Addictive Drug Use There are two worlds of addiction: the one glimpsed through clinical dealings with addicts and the one viewed through broad population, epidemiologic studies (Room, 1980). There are many clinics but few massive epidemiologic studies, so we only periodically get the broad view the latter reveal. Table 20.1. Table 20.2. Table 20.3.