need to add title here

The most dangerous drugs?

April 29, 2012 4:00 PM

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, reveals which two drugs cause the most fatalities nationwide.

Hooked: Why bad habits are hard to break
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by AddictionMyth August 1, 2012 7:38 AM EDT
Of course drugs are dangerous, but that does not mean they are addictive. All so-called addictions are caused by underlying emotional issues. Plus, many drug addicts have a long history of lying and manipulation that precedes their drug use -- suggesting the possibility they are just faking an addiction. This "addiction science" is more like science fiction. AddictionMyth.com
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by durf786a May 3, 2012 1:07 PM EDT
There is an implication that if other drugs were legalized their harmful effects would approach those of nicotine and alcohol, but it is incorrect. Nicotine is addictive and it's negative effects are widely known. Alcohol is also addictive to a degree and, of all the drugs I've consumed on many occasions over the last 45 years, alcohol is the one I find most difficult to control. Fortunately, marijuana helps me deal with my alcohol dependency.
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by pehnmarques May 3, 2012 10:30 AM EDT
At least the rhetoric has changed somewhat. She still said "illegal drugs" as it is part of her campaign. People are still wondering how come BIG TOBACCO, AND ALCOHOL is still legal, but the authorities still paint the picture across the board for smearing a drug that is , in fact, harmless, compared to the legal dispensaries that will continue to deliver MORE DEATH and heartache to people wanting some type of common treatment for ailments. I also noticed the comments left by the majority of sufferers still get's overlooked as it has been in Congress for more than 30 years now. Your message Doc, goes in one ear and out the other, just like the messages the public give you and you decide NOT to hear it.
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by AnotherOpiateAddict999 May 3, 2012 4:56 AM EDT
Opiates? I have been prescribed opiates for 15years and I never had any problems with them or got "High" from them - I strickly took them for severe back pain and RA. But 3 years ago, at the age of 37 I decided to try Heroin.... My life has never been the same! Heroin unlocks a door that can never be closed! I am not your typical drug addict - I have 3 college degrees including a masters degree and I great job! I never tried drugs before.... EVERYDAY I regret my decision to 'try' Heroin.... I dont know what the right or wrong answer is or what causes some people to be Opiate Addicts... But it can happen to anyone! Trust Me! I dont want to do drugs everyday - I HATE IT! But there is something that Herion changed in my brain and it just calls my name. I take them just to take them - I dont even get high anymore. I was able to quit once for a few months... but it came calling again. Please look up the stats - There is a 95% Failure rate to stay clean AND Millions of people in this country are stuck fighting this! Rehabs/AA dont really help with powerful opiates. I pray that the govt does some more research and come up with something to help us win the battle over Opiates! But the drug companies make so much money off of the scripts! Maybe they can start by reforumulating the legal meds cuz more than 50% of Opiate Addicts are on Legal Scripts (Ex: Vicdin, Oxycontin)... We need to do more research on dopamine and how the brain handles opiates...... Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired!
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by rmholt1 May 3, 2012 3:59 AM EDT
Interestng that the legal drugs are so much more detrimental to health than the illegal ones given proper preparation and administration.
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by SOURKREME2012 May 3, 2012 1:23 AM EDT
I take opiate's prescribed by the Veteran's Administration. I am required to sign an agreement that my medication will only come from them and I am drug tested at least one time a year. I must admit it is a terrible life I lead sleeping away almost all of everyday. I live alone and I am afraid to use my appliances because I went into a fire and saved 3 people years ago and know I cannot stay awake long enough to cook a simple hamburger without fear of burning the place down. They wanted me to take Bupropion which made me very violent and then Prozac to take it's place which had me thinking about suicide all day long while I was already taking Citalopram, Effexor, Venlafaxine. I wanted off these drugs because I felt like a drug addict. I have panic attacks 2 to 3 times a week and now they will not even give me an appointment to see a doctor for the panic attacks at the Cincinnati Veterans Hospital. I don't want to walk around in life not knowing who my own mother is and sister and daughter. Since I don't want to be a drug addict, which I think I am from other medication including Methadone they have turned their back on me. Surely a person outside of the Veteran's Hospital would not be on so many medicines, would they ?
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by sferd26 May 1, 2012 10:07 AM EDT
Not everyone gets a "pleasurable" feeling from dopamine. It can also cause a variety of maladies. Anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive-complulsive disorder, Tourette Syndrome, to name a few. Dr. Volkow takes a view that we are all seeking the "pleasant" effects of dopamine. I argue we take drugs to avoid the unpleaseant affects of dopamine. The ones who most abhor their brain's reaction to dopamine become drug addicts.
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by sferd26 April 30, 2012 1:19 AM EDT
I think the Doctor is so close on her model for addiction, but I disagree about one aspect. I too am an expert on dopamine and addiction. I have Tourette Syndrome, and I am a chronic marijuana user. Tourette Syndrome is believed to be caused by dopamine. It is due to either an over-abundance of dopamine in the brain, or else very senstive dopamine receptors. I hate dopamine! It causes me tics, innapropriate behavior, and makes one appear crazy to some people. When I smoke pot, my tics diminish, my behavior is more civil - I become "more normal". The Doctor seems to imply that this is bad behavior. Why wouldn't I take something that makes me feel and act "more normal."

Drug addicts are not "normal" people. We have all kinds of physiological and psychologic problems. I also think we may all have dopamine issues. I argue that we are not trying to replicate the effects of dopamine, as the Doctor suggests. Rather, I think we take drugs to BLOCK the effects of dopamine on our brains.
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by Tom_Yes April 29, 2012 11:38 PM EDT
Interesting her view of a pill that would work like an antibiotic and prevent the dopamine receptors permanently from reacting to various addictive substances. In addition to curbing drug use overall wouldn't psychiatrists be powerless to addict their patients to various SSRI's? Wouldn't all opiate based pain killing drugs also be rendered useless? Otherwise, I'd be happy to save on my monthly latte bill. Would I need a separate antibiotic in each instance?
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by stevecastleman April 29, 2012 10:58 PM EDT
For a website that discusses the science of addiction in accessible English (what makes it a chronic, progressive disease; what parts of the brain malfunction; why that malfunction results in addict behaviors; how addiction skews learning, memory and motivation; why some get addicted while others don't; how treatment works; why relapse is common; what family and friends of addicts can do; etc.) please click on www.AddictScience.com.
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