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News&Publications
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The
Nature of Addiction |
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Article
Robert was addicted to heroin for 16 years. In a
spiral of decline he lost his wife, his children,
his job and his self esteem. He would wake up feeling
sick and spend the day stealing and begging for
money to support his habit. He'd started taking
the drug because it gave him pleasure - he'd get
a tremendous high, an amazing rush and an escape
from the world around him. Like many users he thought
he was in control - until finally he was forced
to accept he was addicted.
Brain reward
No-one sets out to be an addict - to be dependent
on a particular drug. Unfortunately with many substances
the process is inevitable, and it's only recently
scientists have started to understand what's going
on when a drug user becomes hooked. Clare Stamford
of University College London, who studies the biochemical
process of addiction, says: "People continue
to take drugs because they like what the drugs do
and want to keep on taking more. “Unfortunately,
people keep taking drugs because if they don't,
they get plummeted into a withdrawal syndrome which
can be uncomfortable and life threatening."
Drugs like morphine and heroin work by entering
a "reward system" in the brain. They attach
themselves to custom-built receptors into which
the drug molecules fit like a key into a lock.
Vulnerability
Dr David Best from the UK's National Addiction Centre
explains: "People experience an hedonic rush
but over a period of time the brain develops a tolerance
to the drug, it demands it more and more."
The quicker the effect of a drug wears off, the
more addictive it tends to be. But the issue of
drug addiction goes far deeper than just a biochemical
process in the brain, says Adam Winstock, a lecturer
in Clinical psychology at Kings College London.
"It has its roots in both the biology of the
individual, how susceptible they are to addiction,
but also in the environment they live in. "Dependency
is always going to be an interaction of opportunity
and vulnerability." Take Carol, for example,
a member of Narcotics Anonymous in Nairobi, who
started taking heroin when she was at college. She
was away from home, lonely and vulnerable. Her friends
took heroin, she soon started enjoying it, then
she found she couldn't stop.
Addictive personalities
Modern treatments for addiction don't just involve
telling people to stop. In many countries heroin
addicts are given the drug methadone as a replacement.
In theory users gradually reduce the dose until
they're no longer addicted to anything, but many
remain on methadone, replacing one addictive drug
with another - albeit a legally controlled one.
Dr David Best says: "If we could successfully
re-house people in a distant community with a job
and a successful relationship then we'd be pretty
confident of them staying off drugs." However,
it's a sad fact that with even the most effective
and enlightened drugs policy, many people slide
back into drug use. There's evidence to suggest
that some people have an "addictive personality"
and they just can't stop - the same people might
become addicted to chocolate or sex. There are success
stories and even if someone can't give up completely,
by being able to seek treatment they're at least
regaining some self esteem and an alternative to
spending the day trying to get the money for the
next quick fix. |
| Source:
BBC News 09, June 2007 |
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