Viewing last 25 versions of post by Elly Catfox in topic The Horrific Consequences of The War On Drugs (Discussion)

"[@darkdoomer":](/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
)  
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.


 
Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to "just stop doing drugs." There are treatments and techniques that must must be mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"
 
[The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

)
 
"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."



 
 
Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive. A culture that fosters tribal, anti-science mindsets is incredibly short-sighted and gravely damaging to our civilization. Be a part of the solution, not the problem. To Reduce the socioeconomic problems and illnesses both drugs and the _*war_* on drugs have caused our society to "just stop doing drugs, that simple" is to deny millions of people their humanity and is a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation we are all in.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to "just stop doing drugs." There are treatments and techniques that must must be mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive. A culture that fosters tribal, anti-science mindsets is incredibly short-sighted and gravely damaging to our civilization. Be a part of the solution, not the problem. To Reduce the socioeconomic problems and illnesses both drugs and the _war_ on drugs have caused our society to "just stop doing drugs, that simple" is to deny millions of people their humanity.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to "just stop doing drugs." There are treatments and techniques that must must be mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive. A culture that fosters tribal, anti-science mindsets areis incredibly short-sighted and gravely damaging to our civilization. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to "just stop doing drugs." There are trechniquatments and tecohnciquepts that must must be learned and mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive. A culture that fosters tribal, anti-science mindsets are incredibly short-sighted and gravely damaging to our civilization. Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to "just stop doing drugs." There are techniques and concepts that must be learned and mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuroligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to just stop doing drugs. There are techniques and concepts that must be mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb. or people who grew up in a family or culture that values drugs and never knew there was another way to live to begin with.

Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuraloligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans? Sheer willpower alone is not enough to just stop doing drugs. There are techniques and concepts that must be mastered in order to beat an addiction.

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive.

"@darkdoomer":/forums/dis/topics/the-horrific-consequences-of-the-war-on-drugs-discussion?post_id=5006#post_5006
Tell that to people who grow up literally addicted in the womb. Also, did you know that addictions are actually neuraloligical, pathological problems in the brain that can be seen with PET scans?

"The addicted human brain: insights from imaging studies":https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC155054/

"Imaging studies have revealed neurochemical and functional changes in the brains of drug-addicted subjects that provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying addiction. Neurochemical studies have shown that large and fast increases in dopamine are associated with the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse, but also that after chronic drug abuse and during withdrawal, brain dopamine function is markedly decreased and these decreases are associated with dysfunction of prefrontal regions (including orbitofrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). The changes in brain dopamine function are likely to result in decreased sensitivity to natural reinforcers since dopamine also mediates the reinforcing effects of natural reinforcers and on disruption of frontal cortical functions, such as inhibitory control and salience attribution. Functional imaging studies have shown that during drug intoxication, or during craving, these frontal regions become activated as part of a complex pattern that includes brain circuits involved with reward (nucleus accumbens), motivation (orbitofrontal cortex), memory (amygdala and hippocampus), and cognitive control (prefrontal cortex and cingulate gyrus). Here, we integrate these findings and propose a model that attempts to explain the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterize addiction. Specifically, we propose that in drug addiction the value of the drug and drug-related stimuli is enhanced at the expense of other reinforcers. This is a consequence of conditioned learning and of the resetting of reward thresholds as an adaptation to the high levels of stimulation induced by drugs of abuse. In this model, during exposure to the drug or drug-related cues, the memory of the expected reward results in overactivation of the reward and motivation circuits while decreasing the activity in the cognitive control circuit. This contributes to an inability to inhibit the drive to seek and consume the drug and results in compulsive drug intake. This model has implications for therapy, for it suggests a multi-prong approach that targets strategies to decrease the rewarding properties of drugs, to enhance the rewarding properties of alternative reinforcers, to interfere with conditioned-learned associations, and to strengthen cognitive control in the treatment of drug addiction."


Tl;dr,: It's not that simple, and it helps no one to be reductive.