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  • EADD Moderators: Pissed_and_messed | Shinji Ikari

What causes addiction?

F.U.B.A.R. said:
@Raas. It's not only bored people with nothing to do that take drugs ya know. Surprisingly, even affluent intellectual types with a fulfilling life also take drugs. The only difference is possibly the choice of drugs they take. Humans just seem to enjoy altered states of consciousness - always have, always will.
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Yes I know this. Comment wasn't entirely serious.
 
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are you saying rats don't have spirituality?

This is a very famous and well known study, and animal models have been used for a long long time in investigating human behaviour, the fact the results echo what we see in human populations just goes to show how useful rats can be.

In 2013, a similar study found socially isolating adolescent rats caused high rates of alcohol ... addiction in adulthood
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*hohum*
 
Ceres said:
are you saying rats don't have spirituality?

This is a very famous and well known study, and animal models have been used for a long long time in investigating human behaviour, the fact the results echo what we see in human populations just goes to show how useful rats can be.



*hohum*
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The problem is, Ceresy, psychology has a great part to play in human drug usage - how and why we use - and can determine why people develop addictions. You just can't draw comparrisons from rats as they don't have a comparable mental capacity.
 
Most drugs of abuse target the brain's rewarding system. Studies indicate that addicts need to keep this rewarding system ongoing. Idk, that's probably why some ppl say it´s a condition we have just like alcoholics. Other people may experience the same drugs and don't develop any addiction whatsoever.
 
Raasyvibe said:
The problem is, Ceresy, psychology has a great part to play in human drug usage - how and why we use - and can determine why people develop addictions. You just can't draw comparrisons from rats as they don't have a comparable mental capacity.
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I've met some pretty clever rats tho raas.
 
Raasyvibe said:
The problem is, Ceresy, psychology has a great part to play in human drug usage - how and why we use - and can determine why people develop addictions. You just can't draw comparrisons from rats as they don't have a comparable mental capacity.
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sigh, have you never heard of the Skinner box? Do you know what Operant Conditioning is? All behavioural studies done with rats that form the basis of a lot of our modern understanding of human behaviour and psychology. Animal models are very useful in psychology and the field of substance abuse research.
 
Ceres said:
sigh, have you never heard of the Skinner box? Do you know what Operant Conditioning is? All behavioural studies done with rats that form the basis of a lot of our modern understanding of human behaviour and psychology. Animal models are very useful in psychology and the field of substance abuse research.
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That's pretty accurate. In University I had to study 2 years on how diabetes and gastritis developed using lab rats to prove our theory.
We had also performed few behavioral studies to base some of our instincts responses to spontaneous daily responses, including motivation. Our Scientists have actually gone far when it comes to test vaccines amongst other substances in animals in order to be able to move from different phases until human tests are approved.

Indeed there are lot of groups against these studies such as animal protector groups and I understand their point of view.
Fact is, we would be far behind if the Scientific Society didn't use animals to back up most of the medicines men use nowadays.
 
^ Sad, but very true - quite unfortunate.

Up to this date I believe some institutions make unnecessary human and animal tests simply in order to speed processes and sometimes to endorse and enrich pharmaceutical industries without following approved and controlled protocols.
 
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Why not? There are a number of researches which we are paid to be part of.
So in a way it's about trading and accepting the consequences. Sure.
 
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Ismene said:
Why is it most people are immune to addiction tho? How do you "nurture" someone not to be an addict? Tell them "Just say no"?
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I don't know, it's all a messy wet blurred (fractal) grey area - but i think the fixed genetic component is always overstated so i just chuck in my 'new genetic paradigm' waffle whenever i can). We should understand our genes not as a code that destins us to a predetermined fate, but as a set of adaptive tools that grows, adapts and evolves according to what is needed; the genes are constantly interacting with the world in the normal processes of biology - with genes being switched on or off according to what's happening/has happened (ie experience) - biologist have now found that these switches can be passed to the sex cells - this turns neo-darwinism on it's head really (so they're keeping it quiet, muttering epigenetics). But while we're wating for the zeitgeist to catch up, it's probably worth adjusting some of those easy gene-determinism memes that have been knocking about. There was something in all that gene-determinism that gave a hard on to a certain kind of calvinist right-wing nutjob (gotta love 'em (because it was all meticulously planned in advance ;)

There's also a simple point about being or doing - when telling off a child you (should) say "That's naughty!" rather than "You're naughty"(works for racism too)
 
I would disagree that "most people are immune to addiction".
Sure, heroin addicts and daily crack users are in the minority in society, but who doesn't start their day with a cup of caffeinated beverage or indulge daily in a glass of beer/wine etc?
Smoking rates may have dropped a great deal in the last few decades in the developed world, but millions of people are still addicted to tobacco.
A lot of people, by my reckoning at least, have addictions of one form or another, but would never consider themselves drug users let alone addicts.
 
Ceres said:
sigh, have you never heard of the Skinner box? Do you know what Operant Conditioning is? All behavioural studies done with rats that form the basis of a lot of our modern understanding of human behaviour and psychology. Animal models are very useful in psychology and the field of substance abuse research.
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Yes, I've studied operant conditioning at Uni. Animal models provide a similar make-up to human neurology, and we can determine basic facts - as exemplified in this study (boredom is a reason for taking drugs) . Getting to the surface of drug problems/abuse/addiction caused from a variety of personal psychological complex's is something we cannot really determine from looking at rats. Even the clever rats who do tricks. iI you can't accept that, give up now 'coz this will go on forever.

spacejunk said:
I would disagree that "most people are immune to addiction".
Sure, heroin addicts and daily crack users are in the minority in society, but who doesn't start their day with a cup of caffeinated beverage or indulge daily in a glass of beer/wine etc?
Smoking rates may have dropped a great deal in the last few decades in the developed world, but millions of people are still addicted to tobacco.
A lot of people, by my reckoning at least, have addictions of one form or another, but would never consider themselves drug users let alone addicts.
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Is there a person who isn't addicted to caffeine? I once managed about a year without caffeine, but have succumbed to it for the other 30 of my life. Problem for me being, if you live with someone else, 99% chance they'll have some tea and coffee in the house. it's impossible to escape!
 
No its the drugs, yes people in not so well off environments are more likely to try drugs and continue to do them but I know of plenty of well to do people with fancy homes, jobs and lots of money who still score in shitty areas -most street level addicts don't often come across them as they tend to try and score from their 'own kind' where possible.
 
spacejunk said:
I would disagree that "most people are immune to addiction".
Sure, heroin addicts and daily crack users are in the minority in society, but who doesn't start their day with a cup of caffeinated beverage or indulge daily in a glass of beer/wine etc?
Smoking rates may have dropped a great deal in the last few decades in the developed world, but millions of people are still addicted to tobacco.
A lot of people, by my reckoning at least, have addictions of one form or another, but would never consider themselves drug users let alone addicts.
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Not to mention addiction to sex, gambling, and food to cope with frustrations.
 
I have yet to meet any person who has spent three months in a hospital bed, being drip fed opiates for pain relief, who hasn't developed a physical dependence to their drugs. If we are talking recreational habits that develop into full blown addiction, only a small number do not heed the warning signs before they fall victim. Most people know how to choose life over drugs
 
Very interesting point of view.
If you had meant 'choose life over drugs' after becoming addicted - I would bet on it anytime. After all that is what most people are trying to do here.
But if you really mean like most people would not choose addiction then I'm both surprised and happy.
 
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