A Step Closer to Drug Addiction and Phobia Treatment

Scientists are now looking into solving drug abuse cases by studying on a certain medication that could possibly be the most effective drug for treating addiction. This specific drug is also known to control phobias. The US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provides further evidence that a drug known as D- cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug abuse, or specifically, with the addiction to psychotropic drugs. Their study found that mice treated with D-cycloserine were less likely to spend time in an environment where they had previously been trained to expect cocaine than mice treated with a placebo.

A graduate student from Stony Brook University working under Brookhaven Laboratory, Carlos Bermeo said that since the association between drugs and the places where they are used can trigger craving and/or relapse in humans, a medication that could aid in the reduction or even extinction of such responses could be a powerful tool in the treatment of addiction.

The D-cycloserine was originally developed as an antibiotic. But this drug has also shown to extinguish conditioned fear in pre-clinical (animal) studies, and has been successfully tested in human clinical trials for the treatment of acrophobia or fear of heights. This finding led the researchers to wonder whether D-cycloserine could extinguish drug seeking behaviors as well. Last 2006, a group of scientists not associated with the Brookhaven Lab tested this hypothesis in rats. They found out that D-cycloserine facilitated the extinction of “cocaine conditioned place reference”-- in which the tendency for the animals to spend more time in a chamber where they had been trained to expect cocaine than in a chamber where they had no access to the drug whatsoever. This study builds on the previous work and adds information on the drug dose effect, the lasting properties of the treatment, and the locomotor effects of this compound.

In the study, the group worked with C57bL/c mice. The animals were first trained to receive cocaine in a specific environment. Once conditioned, place preference was established (animals willingly spent more time in a cocaine-paired environment than in a neutral environment), the mice were treated with either D-cycloserine or saline and were allowed to spend forty minutes in either the previously cocaine-paired environment in which the drug was no longer available, or the neutral environment. According to one of their researchers, this paradigm would be analogous to a clinical approach where the addict is returned to their natural environment where drug use was done, but this time with no drug available. He added that reduced seeking of the drug in the same environment—that is the extinction behavior—is a great indicator of future success in treatment and reduced chance of relapse.

However, these researchers said that it is important to remember that these are very preliminary results from a small animal study, and much further research will be required before testing this drug in humans. Nonetheless, it is inspiring to know that this drug may show promise in treating cocaine addiction that continues to take a toll on society and for which no pharmacological treatment currently exists. Such research studies would take us a step closer in treating phobias, as well as drug abuse.

Learn more about Addiction and Low Self Esteem

Find helpful ways to Stop Smoking Pot

How to Keep Your Goal of Drug Relapse Prevention

The goal of drug relapse prevention is to assist you in finding a successful rehab program or to find a way to stay clean in the outpatient context. The key to preventing relapse to alcohol or other drugs starts with a good foundation in a successful rehabilitation program. Keep in mind that each day has lots of tempting situations due to stress but you can do it and stay clean.

A good program will help you to address relationships and how to handle future problems with alternative solutions for life. There are also ways that you as a friend or loved one can help someone avoid the “drama” of having a relapse. Once you learn these tools, you will have a better understanding of why drug and alcohol relapse happens and how to prevent it.

Often relapse can occur when someone feels lonely, isolated, depressed, etc. If the person has gone through a drug rehabilitation center then he or someone he knows realizes there is a problem. The hardest part about being a friend to someone with this problem is staying quiet. When a user feels depressed and alone, she begins to look at the bottle of whatever and think it looks awfully friendly. Implementing successful drug relapse prevention tools can help -- and remember, you are not alone.

Be particularly aware that during challenges such as that when you know that your friend has lost her job, feels alone, is dealing with family issue etc., that it is a great time to intervene. Talk to your friend. Let her know that if she needs anything, she can talk to you. If she wants someone to hang out with, she can call you. Whatever the case may be, being there for your friend is a great way to prevent a relapse. If you yourself are the one dealing with drug temptations then turn to support during these times.

Offer to be available to talk with your friend if she feels like she may relapse. Invite her over to your house or out to dinner so her mind is on other things. Let her know that you\'ll be willing to take her to an AA or NA meeting if she feels compelled to relapse.

Keep a visualization for yourself of the life you want. If you are helping someone else through these challenges help them to keep a picture on their fridge of the ideal life they truly want.

Read more about Drug Relapse Prevention and check out the video on Drug Addiction Poetry to learn ways to get and stay clean.

Alcohol - Is there a comparison with hard drugs?

Alcohol is addictive. You will find many people who will argue with this statement, but alcohol fits all the definitions of a harmful and addictive drug;

1. You need to take more and more of it to get the same effect
2. Your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol.
3. People die from alcohol abuse

An alcoholic is someone who has become physically dependent on alcohol. Alcoholism is permanent, it can not be cured. An ex-alcoholic is simply one who has not had alcohol for a long time. If the "ex"-alcoholic has one drink they are hooked again and have to go through the whole drying out process again.

Alcoholism treatment centers allow the alcoholic to live in a supportive and alcohol free environment while giving up the drug. Psychological advice is available and group therapy sessions help many recovering alcoholics.

Alcoholics Anonymous are one group that holds support meetings for alcoholics. AA has groups in most towns and cities in most countries and many recovering alcoholics find the group sessions to be an essential part of STAYING a recovered alcoholic.

Given the toxic nature of alcohol, if the substance was discovered today, it would never be licensed as a drug or food. It is only the entrenched nature of the alcohol industry and the fact that so many jobs depend on it that make it politically unacceptable to ban alcohol. Does this sound similar to the excuses made by opium producing countries? Would there be pressure to legalize the opium if it was grown in USA, because of the jobs dependant on the crop?

Perhaps western governments need to grasp the nettle of alcohol before prosecuting the war on drugs abroad. Alcohol kills many more people on a daily basis than die of drug related crime or addiction.

Drug trafficking causes crime, as addicts try to get money to pay for their supply – Political issue

Alcohol abuse causes deaths of innocents by drunk drivers. Isn’t this a political issue, too?


Don't look lightly at Speed Drug Addiction issues but find a way to resolve them.

Alcoholism, Addictions and Friends of Bill: Post Holiday

Regardless of whether one believes alcoholism and addictions are diseases or not (It is a shame we are still having this argument in the 21st century), they are real problems for millions of people and millions upon millions of families around the world all through the year. But holiday seasons and other times of personal tragedy and importance such as the death of a loved one, a divorce date, etc seem to spur the dependence as well as the craving for self medication and chemically induced euphoria.

Having battled alcoholism and addictions most of my adult life (since Viet Nam), the care of those who have bottomed out and reached out are near and dear to my heart. Bill W, the founder of AA (alcoholics anonymous), understood that. Both of us, like millions of others the world over, have started over more than once, and along the way we have learned the painful truth of the Biblical teaching that no man lives unto himself.

Friends of Bill W know that they cannot make it alone. Just like the group conscience keeps a church, a club, a school, indeed a society going, growing and maturing it keeps the Friends of Bill W on the path to a successful and rewarding life.

The good thing is that everyday we live to see a new sunrise, we have the opportunity to start a new life and to help another enjoy a fresh beginning. That does not mean that all our baggage miraculously disappears. It does mean God has granted us new grace and mercy with which to handle our demons.

It means that those who are walking the walk have a special responsibility to be there for those who still suffer...not that we don't. But, we who have been lucky enough and blessed enough to grasp the deliverance of a power greater than ourselves must take that healing way of life to suffering mankind. After all, we can only truly keep that which we freely give away.

And, especially during this time of year there appears to be plenty of opportunity to reach out to and help our fellowman. During the end of the calendar year holidays more and more people fall off the wagon and need help getting back up. After all, we understand better than most that any excuse will do and that it matters little (if at all) how many times one falls, but how many times one can get back on his feet.

So as we start a new year, any new year, we often find that the numbers in our recovery communities seem to have decreased. Actually what has happened is that the numbers needing our guidance have increased ... significantly. Perhaps the bodies showing up for mutual support have declined, but that simply means the need for outreach has increased.

While others are making new years resolutions to lose weight, get a better job, go back to school, stop smoking or whatever; we should be making resolutions to make greater efforts to be there for those who still suffer, to reach out to those in pain, to find that member of our body who disappeared a week or two ago and then to be about that business today not tomorrow. Someone you love does not have a tomorrow short of your intervention.

Perhaps just showing them the Life Story of Bill W will do the job. It will certainly reinforce your convictions and strengthen your commitment to make it to, make it through, and enjoy sobriety this time ... one day at a time.


Get inspiration to change by looking at Poems About Drug Addiction and read Drug Addiction Stories

Drug Addiction And Withdrawal Symptoms

An addict is a person who has an uncontrollable compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its negative consequence. There are many drugs that can lead to a condition recognized as addiction. The common symptoms are a craving for more of the drug, increased psychological tolerance to exposure, and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of the stimulus. A risk of dependency exists in most drugs that directly provide pleasure or relief.

There are two types of dependency – physical and psychological. Physical dependency on a substance is defined by the appearance of characteristic withdrawal symptoms when the drug is suddenly discontinued. Opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, alcohol and nicotine are well known addictive drugs known for their ability to induce physical dependence. Cortisone, beta-blockers and most antidepressants are examples of similar such drugs, but they are not addictive. Some highly addictive drugs, such as cocaine, induce little physical dependence too. The main characteristic of an addictive drug is its ability to induce euphoria while causing harm.

The dependency of the mind leads to psychological withdrawal symptoms. Eating disorders are sometimes considered as psychological disorders and are sometimes treated as addictions. Withdrawal symptoms faced when the diet is altered suggests that food substances like chocolate, caffeine and sugar have the potential for addiction. Nicotine is considered to be the most addictive substance in the world.

Anxiolytics are used to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal in people with chemical dependency. In chronic opiate addiction, a surrogate drug such as methadone is offered. There are various models to treat dependency like the opponent-process model, the disease model, the genetic model, the cultural model, and the blended model. The term addiction is sometimes used loosely rather than as a medical classification. Endorphins are released as a result of pleasurable activity. This endorphin rush can become addictive. Opioids pose extreme risk of dependency because they are chemically similar to endorphins. Cocaine and amphetamines also pose risks associated with physical attenuation by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which acts indirectly to stimulate dopaminergic pathways in the brain.

Craving is the incredible desire an addict or alcoholic still feels for the substance. It takes often days, months or even years for recovery. It could be directly related to the long term changes in brain functioning. Relapse triggers can create powerful emotional and physical responses that can lead up to incredible urges to use drugs and alcohol again. It may result in the addict feeling angry, lonely, depressed or in self pity. Thus it becomes essential for individuals early into drugs to change their habit and different aspects of life.


Learn the facts about Alcohol Addiction Statistics and forms of denial.

Break Free from Drug Addiction

Death is nearly always accompanied with questions. Whether we are facing our own death or the death of someone we love, we seek for answers. But people seek answers differently. Some people ask for guidance, attend counseling sessions, go to bible studies, or seek support groups that would help them cope with a loss of someone.

All change that exists within the mind causes stress and most people at some stage try to avoid the pain of grief. They may search for a substitute for the relation that is lost, like if a woman lost a husband, they may marry again quickly, or adopt another child in place of the one they lost. But other people who can not cope with grief and who wants to avoid the pain turns into addiction.

Defining an addiction is tricky, and knowing how to handle one is even harder. An addiction is said to be an uncontrollable compulsion which provides temporary relief from “inner pain.” Addiction means a person has no control over whether he or she uses. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.

According to research, approximately 27 million Americans either use illicit drugs regularly. There are also around 70 percent of illegal drug users that are employed and contribute significantly to workplace absenteeism, accidents and injuries, decreased productivity, increased insurance expenses, employee turnover costs, and on-the-job violence. In 2001, the estimated total number of drug addicts had already reached 15.9 million Americans aged 12 or above. This estimate represents 7.1 percent of the population aged 12 years old or older. Almost 16 million are estimated to need immediate treatment for drug addiction.

Drug addiction involves compulsively seeking to use a substance, regardless of the potentially negative social, psychological, and physical effects. Certain drugs are more likely to cause physical dependence than are others. While not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted, many people do.

Experts have theorized that some people, particular those addicted to drugs, may have deficiencies in their brain reward systems. Other drug users gravitate toward their “drug of choice” to “self-medicate.” Heroin, for instance, is remarkably effective at “normalizing” people who suffer from delusions and hallucinations (mostly schizophrenics). Cocaine can quickly “lift” depression, or enable a person with attention-deficit disorder to become better organized and focused. For these people, addiction is a troubling side effect to their adaptive attempts to relieve their own suffering.

Drug addiction treatment typically involves steps to help one withdraw from using a substance, it should also be followed by counseling and attending self-help groups to help one resist addiction again. There are many substance-dependent people who make it into therapy show a profound inability to calm and soothe themselves especially when they are experiencing stress.

A physician may prescribe narcotics to relieve pain, benzodiazepines to relieve anxiety or insomnia, or barbiturates to relieve nervousness or irritation. Doctors prescribe these medications at safe doses and monitor their use so that a person addicted will not be given too great a dose or for too long a time. Still, the best way to prevent an addiction to an illegal drug is not to take the drug at all.

Breaking a drug addiction is difficult, but not impossible. Support from the doctor, family, friends and others who have a drug addiction, as well as inpatient or outpatient drug addiction treatment, may help someone beat drug dependence. Recognizing the problem as soon as possible is critical. One should get help right away and should not be ever afraid to ask for guidance so that an addicted person boost their chances of staying drug-free.


No one intends to get addicted to prescription medications. Learn more about benzo addiction and ways to get free from it.

A Step Closer to Drug Addiction and Phobia Treatment

Scientists are now looking into solving drug abuse cases by studying on a certain medication that could possibly be the most effective drug for treating addiction. This specific drug is also known to control phobias. The US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provides further evidence that a drug known as D- cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug abuse, or specifically, with the addiction to psychotropic drugs. Their study found that mice treated with D-cycloserine were less likely to spend time in an environment where they had previously been trained to expect cocaine than mice treated with a placebo.

A graduate student from Stony Brook University working under Brookhaven Laboratory, Carlos Bermeo said that since the association between drugs and the places where they are used can trigger craving and/or relapse in humans, a medication that could aid in the reduction or even extinction of such responses could be a powerful tool in the treatment of addiction.

The D-cycloserine was originally developed as an antibiotic. But this drug has also shown to extinguish conditioned fear in pre-clinical (animal) studies, and has been successfully tested in human clinical trials for the treatment of acrophobia or fear of heights. This finding led the researchers to wonder whether D-cycloserine could extinguish drug seeking behaviors as well. Last 2006, a group of scientists not associated with the Brookhaven Lab tested this hypothesis in rats. They found out that D-cycloserine facilitated the extinction of “cocaine conditioned place reference”-- in which the tendency for the animals to spend more time in a chamber where they had been trained to expect cocaine than in a chamber where they had no access to the drug whatsoever. This study builds on the previous work and adds information on the drug dose effect, the lasting properties of the treatment, and the locomotor effects of this compound.

In the study, the group worked with C57bL/c mice. The animals were first trained to receive cocaine in a specific environment. Once conditioned, place preference was established (animals willingly spent more time in a cocaine-paired environment than in a neutral environment), the mice were treated with either D-cycloserine or saline and were allowed to spend forty minutes in either the previously cocaine-paired environment in which the drug was no longer available, or the neutral environment. According to one of their researchers, this paradigm would be analogous to a clinical approach where the addict is returned to their natural environment where drug use was done, but this time with no drug available. He added that reduced seeking of the drug in the same environment—that is the extinction behavior—is a great indicator of future success in treatment and reduced chance of relapse.

However, these researchers said that it is important to remember that these are very preliminary results from a small animal study, and much further research will be required before testing this drug in humans. Nonetheless, it is inspiring to know that this drug may show promise in treating cocaine addiction that continues to take a toll on society and for which no pharmacological treatment currently exists. Such research studies would take us a step closer in treating phobias, as well as drug abuse.


Learn how to get free of drug abuse patterns including valium addiction