“Some first take drugs to feel good. Most abused drugs produce intense feelings of pleasure. This initial sensation of euphoria is followed by other effects, which differ with the type of drug used. For example, with stimulants such as cocaine, the ‘high’ is followed by feelings of power, self-confidence, and increased energy. In contrast, the euphoria caused by opiates such as heroin is followed by feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.
CHINA ELEPHANT BEATS HEROIN HABIT WITH DETOX
BEIJING (Reuters) - A once drug-addled elephant fed heroin-laced bananas by illegal traders will return home after emerging clean from a three-year detox program on China’s tropical island province of Hainan.
The four-year-old bull elephant, referred to alternately as “Big Brother” or “Xiguang” in state media reports, was captured in 2005 in southwest China by traders who used spiked bananas to control him.
After police arrested the traders and freed Xiguang a few months later, the elephant was confirmed to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms and sent to a wild animal protection centre in Hainan for rehab, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
A year of methadone injections at five times the human dosage had helped wean Xiguang off his addiction.
Now clean, Xiguang was expected to arrive on Saturday at a wildlife park in Kunming, capital of the elephant’s home province of Yunnan on the mainland.
Xiguang’s return would cap a 1,500-km journey home, Xinhua said, and mark another step in the elephant’s triumph over addiction.
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“Many take substances to do better. The increasing pressure that some individuals feel to chemically enhance or improve their athletic or cognitive performance can similarly play a role in initial experimentation and continued drug use.
“Others first begin taking drugs out of curiosity and ‘because others are doing it.’ In this respect adolescents are particularly vulnerable because of the strong influence of peer pressure; they are more likely, for example, to engage in ‘thrilling’ and ‘daring’ behaviors.”
Whatever the original reasoning that leads a person to drug use, all drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The over-stimulation of this system produces the euphoric effects sought by people who abuse drugs and teaches them to repeat the behavior.
For the person predisposed to addiction—the individual who may eventually become an addict—drugs can take over and control his or her ability to manage personal actions. The person’s will is seriously weakened and he or she becomes “addicted.” The original decision to use drugs is replaced by obsession with the drug(s), uncontrollable cravings for the drug(s), and compulsive use of the drug(s).
Brain imaging studies reported by NIDA have shown that drug-addicted individuals show physical changes in areas of the brain critical to judgment, decision making, learning, memory, and behavior control. It is believed these changes alter the way their brains work and may help explain the compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction. Every drug leaves its own signature on the brain, and while all of the different drugs of abuse share a similar way of affecting the brain, each drug also has a unique way of changing how that special organ functions. They run the gamut from altering the memory and thinking processes, to changing a person’s motor skills, including walking and talking. In many instances, a particular drug can become the single most powerful motivator in an abuser’s existence. Once addicted, he or she will do almost anything for the drug. In effect, the addict has lost self-will and lives only to use drugs.
ALL DRUGS OF ABUSE TARGET THE BRAIN'S PLEASURE CENTER
“I take drugs because …”
At first, some who take drugs justify their behavior by identifying what they believe are positive aspects of drug use. They may also believe they can control their drug use. It usually becomes painfully obvious that those initial arguments and beliefs are flawed. In the majority of cases, drugs quickly take total control until, over time, the pleasurable effects of the drug weaken and excessive use and abuse become necessary for addicts to simply feel “normal.” They arrive at a point where they continually seek and take drugs, despite the tremendous problems caused for themselves and their loved ones. This is one of the major components of addiction.
It has been shown that many individuals who use drugs become addicted far earlier than once believed. Studies reveal many abusers began feeling the need to take higher or more frequent doses in the early stages of their drug use. In experiments carried out on rats, a team of American researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island showed that even a single dose of morphine physically altered neural pathways. The change persisted long after the effects of the drug had worn off. Other studies have shown that a single dose of methamphetamine has resulted in damage to nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing regions of the brain. While this reveals the severe toxicity of methamphetamine, it also may be indicative of how addictive the substance is.
Research supports the argument that not only do drugs interfere with normal brain functions, creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity. At some point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction—a chronic, relapsing disease.
Like many other illnesses, addiction can be influenced by environmental conditions, behavior, and the ability to respond to treatment, which nearly always includes long-term lifestyle modification. Studies on addicts reveal both environmental and genetic influences in the disease, as well as interactions between the two.
NIDA reports one biological/environmental argument for the disease of addiction includes having a family history of drug or alcohol abuse. This may genetically predispose a person to drug abuse. Another explanation is that starting to abuse a drug may lead to affiliation with more drug-abusing peers, which, in turn, exposes the individual to other drugs.
“Different patterns of drug initiation have been identified based on gender, race or ethnicity, and geographic location,” NIDA explains. “While most youth do not progress beyond initial use, a small percentage rapidly escalates their substance abuse. Researchers have found that these youth are the most likely to have experienced a combination of high levels of risk factors with low levels of protective factors. These adolescents were characterized by high stress, low parental support, and low academic competence.”
Costs for drug abuse in the US are nearly $500 billion per year. NIDA says this figure includes treatment and prevention, as well as other healthcare costs. Add to that the costs associated with reduced productivity or lost earnings and other costs to society, such as crime and social welfare, and one can see the enormity of this chronic and, if untreated, fatal disease. The costs of drug abuse are as substantial as that of other chronic conditions; diabetes costs society $121.7 billion and cancer $171.6 billion annually. This includes healthcare expenditures and lost earnings. Throw in the