I don’t buy it.
Read why: Do social networking sites turn teens into substance abusers?
Early in human history, there were probably few alcoholics or addicts because the alcohol content available in fermented fruit was low, and plants that produced other intoxicating substances were relatively scarce. The development of agriculture made it possible to insure supplies of grain for beer production, and enabled organized farming of other plant producers of mood-altering substances. …
Previously we mentioned that the pleasure center is a portion of the brain over which we have no conscious control, and that it can be stimulated by a variety of chemicals — some of them produced inside our bodies and some that we introduce from outside. We said that the pleasure center rewards us for activities that it interprets as contributing in some way to our survival, whether they be social interactions, exercising, or more prosaic things such as eating. We also stated that these pleasurable feelings, when pursued too far or for too long can create problems. Now we need to examine how that happens….
http://sunrisedetox.com/blog/2011/08/24/addiction-alcoholism-compulsion-2/
Early in human history there were probably few alcoholics or addicts, because the alcohol content available in fermented fruit was low, and plants that produced other intoxicating substances were relatively scarce. The development of agriculture created food surpluses, especially of grain, the major ingredient in beer, and a class of workers that was not tied to food production. These specialized occupations — brewing and raising non-food crops among them — allowed a gradual increase in the organized production of mood-altering substances.
Thought I’d link to this article on the Sunrise Detox Blog:
Both of my faithful readers will by now have noticed that I’m not posting very regularly on this site. It’s not though lack of interest, and I didn’t relapse (in fact, I just celebrated my 21st sober anniversary on 9/14/10).
Thing is, I’ve taken a part-time job writing for a recovery site, and I don’t have time to maintain both blogs. Since the other (paid) job covers the same territory, and since I have the potential to reach more people, it was a no-brainer. I’ll continue to post here from time to time, but it will be irregular at best.
I invite you all to subscribe to my posts at the Sunrise Detox Blog. (Click the thingy at the bottom left of the page.) Thanks for visiting WhatMeSober.Com, and thanks for your interest.
Keep on keepin’ on,
Bill
Want to know why relationships are the number one cause of relapse?
Of course you don’t. But here’s the reason, anyway:
…love is comparable to a drug addiction: It activates the parts of the brain associated with motivation, reward and addiction cravings, according to new research from Stony Brook University.
Researchers were able to show a connection between romantic rejection and a cocaine craving via brain images….
So…we fall in lust, our addiction center is stimulated again, something goes a little bit wrong — or we feel the need to celebrate — and boom, there’s Mrs. Jones.
Addiction occurs in the “primitive brain” that evolved long before the relatively recent development of the cerebral cortex and its ability to reason. These parts of the brain are not amenable to coercion, logic, willpower, or thinking problems away. They are the parts that control the functions below the level of thought — in a sense, below even the subconscious….
No matter where you go, there you are.
Reeves: Is drug abuse covered by ADA? » Knoxville News Sentinel
When exactly does an employee with an alcohol or drug problem cease to be just a problem and become protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act? The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently addressed this issue in a case involving an intoxicated police chief.
New alcoholism research identifies five types of alcoholics and shows that young adults account for more than half of U.S. alcoholics. MORE…
Cool blog. Check it out: http://guineveregetssober.com/
Huffing kills McHenry County teen – Chicago Tribune
Dale Hunt spent part of his Sunday trying to revive a 1987 Pontiac Trans Am with a blown transmission. It was supposed to be a project he shared with his son, Aaron. It turned out to be a memorial.
Aaron Hunt, a Wonder Lake teenager with a magnetic personality and a charming smile, died Friday night, four days after he apparently chased a dangerous high by huffing propane fumes.
His death was a sign of the frightening but often little-known power of inhalants. They are one of the drugs most widely abused by teens, and while they are capable of killing with a single use, many parents aren’t aware of their popularity or danger, experts say.
Fatty foods may cause cocaine-like addiction – CNN.com
A new study in rats suggests that high-fat, high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug addiction, the study found.
