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Internet addiction and personality disorders

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The internet is a wondrous thing that we have at our disposal, to be able to search up and connect with anyone or anything on the planet. One of its downsides is that internet/social media use can have the ability to act neurologically similar to gambling, which can have an addictive quality to it. With gambling, pulling a slot lever is an action taken that will be rewarded, but only maybe. This ambiguity is what makes it appealing psychologically, where the reward can come at any moment, with any pull of the lever, but you need to actually pull the lever in the first place to get the reward. Pulling the lever usually comes to some detriment: in the case of gambling, a loss of money, and with video games, a loss of money or time. The synonymous action here would be having a really good performance within a video game, or getting more likes on your latest post on insta compared to your last one. These are both results that are unpredictable in some sense, as they are out of your control, but start with you taking action. They come with the reward of feeling good, but there could always be more of it, there could always be something better with how the result ends up. And thus the addictive nature is there, where maybe you didn’t have the best performance (or had a good game or post but still could do better) and so you’ll just try again in order to get that rush of feeling good, or chasing the high, as drug users call it. 

Classical substance abuse disorder patients have many physiological and behavioral signals that tend to characterize the disorder. Many of these same links were found with what several researchers have phrased, “internet abuse”, or “internet usage disorder”. For instance, participants that have internet abuse behaviors had higher impulsivity, or in other words, a lower response inhibition. They had a more difficult time inhibiting a natural response to wanting to play a game or browse social media. These participants also had a heightened activation of brain regions that deal with reward response. The responses seen through MRI were positively correlated with self-reported urges to game. The correlation here to drug addicts would be that not only are the same brain regions activated, but these urges are similar to drug users experiencing cravings, which are neurological in nature but manifest to influence behaviors. Another way in which this addictive quality can be seen with chemical changes in the brain is through looking at the dopaminergic system. In drug addicts, the binding capacity for dopamine receptors is diminished, which means that drug users need more of that drug (or higher doses) to feel the same amount of high as they have before. This is also referred to as tolerance. This reduced dopamine capacity was also found in internet abuse participants. In participants that were identified as having gaming related addictions, their binding potential (or ability to feel good while playing their game) was diminished in ways that rivaled an injection of amphetamines, a highly addictive (and psychoactively responsive) drug. 

Now that we’ve established that the internet, and specifically certain parts of it, can have the same properties as a substance abuse disorder (or drug addiction), another interesting correlation has been discovered in relation to personality disorders. Drug addiction has been found to positively correlate with a number of personality disorders, such as Antisocial PD and Borderline PD. An observation with both of these PD’s is that they contain the symptom of impulsivity, which as noted above, is present in drug addiction as well. It was found that internet addicts were found to have higher rates of PDs as well, with most of the correlations found in women, like with Borderline, Narcissistic, Avoidant, and Dependant PD, and in men, Narcissistic PD. The main question then that comes up amid these findings is: Does addiction simply correlate with personality disorders (due to behavioral tendencies), or does one cause the other, or do they both have similar neurological bases for developing and so then arise together? Some researchers theorize that substance use disorders and Cluster B PDs may share neurobiological, cognitive, and environmental risk factors that contribute to their individual and joint manifestations. This information cautions even more against obsessive internet use then, as there are even more cognitive abnormalities that can arise. But from this information as well it can be discerned that the environment is also at play to develop both of these, and that personality disorders and internet or substance abuse may arise together. To restate the beginning of this blog, the internet is a wonderful tool, but should be used as such. 

 

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The Consequences of Addiction: A Neurochemical and Behavioral Story

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How do you picture addiction? Based off their personal experiences and knowledge people have an innate ability to paint their own image of addiction. For some it could be an alcoholic family member or friend who can’t seem to shake the habit. Personally when I think addiction baseball players who always seem to have some chewing tobacco in their bottom lip comes to mind. For others they think of tragedy, such as an overdose which has been running rampant in recent years. The prevalence and dire consequences of addiction has led to an abundance of research in recent years. While addiction looks different on the outside, some very distinct and fascinating neurochemical processes are taking place inside the brain manifesting in addictive behaviors that cause chaos for both addicts and the people who love them.

Neurochemical Mechanisms

In the brain addiction manifests itself one apparent pathway. Dopaminergic neurons (DA) stretching from the Ventral Tegmental Area of the Midbrain to the Nucleus accumbens (NAc=brain reward center) have been identified as a primary neural circuit in addiction. Every time you have a “feel good” feeling it is most likely there has just been a dump of dopamine into your nucleus accumbens. You got an A on a test? You get a shot of DA. You’re starving and you finally eat food after not having anything all day? Another shot of DA. Now let’s say you shoot up cocaine and have been for a while…well you just earned yourself a massive amount of dopamine into your NAc. You have just caused your body to release so much dopamine some very real, and a little scary, changes in your brain are about to take place.

Neurochemically speaking, there are several changes that are now going to take place. The synapses, or area where your brain communicates with other brain cells, can both increase and decrease in size in response to chronic drug use. Long term depression (LTD) occurs immediately in response to drug use as the synapse size decreases to the high concentration of chemical messengers. Over time this synapse increases (Long Term Potentiation) without the drug and can almost be thought of with the metaphor of synapse getting bigger and “craving” the drug.

Behavioral Learning

These neurochemical changes have behavioral manifestations. Your body becomes accustomed to taking drugs in certain situations, whether that be with people, places, or even in the presence of certain objects. As your body encounters these items a physiological response can take shape in the body. If you always do drugs in your car, every time you go to your car you might feel cravings, or maybe even start to feel your heart being faster. Your car has now become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned fear response that increases the likelihood that you will begin to take the drug.

The neurochemical and behavioral consequences of addiction are numerous, and one could spend a lifetime studying them. Perhaps the moral of the story is your brain changes in several ways with taking drugs, and the changes that take place are most likely not going to be pleasant.

 

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Gateway Drugs: Psychology or Physiology

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As most people know, a gateway drug is a drug that may lead to the use of other, possibly more addictive drugs down the road.  What many incorrectly assume however, is that a gateway drug is simply of behavioral consequence.  Of course, it makes sense in a vacuum.  A person drinks, then maybe they try smoking a cigarette, then possibly they are more likely to move into illicit substances as they progress.  While this is not untrue, it only paints part of the picture. The physiological changes that occur during the use of “gateway drugs” also can play a huge role in the progression of, and addiction to, these substances. These two parts of the picture added into the role that environments and genetics play in the occurrence of substance use and abuse, give us a clearer idea of the causation behind addiction.

Nicotine

Studies on nicotine have given us tangible evidence of the changes a “gateway drug” can make in the brain. Early research has shown that FosB expression levels in the brains reward centers can be linked to cocaine addiction.  A study of mice published in 2011 compared FosB expression in mice under various treatment methods.  The experimental group was treated with Nicotine for 7 days, while the control group was not.   The findings showed a 61% increase in FosB expression over the control group.  As a stimulant, which is also addictive, this adds up.  However, when both groups were then treated with cocaine, the experimental (nicotine) group had an additional 74% increase in FosB expression over the control (cocaine only) group.  The “priming” by nicotine of the receptors also responsible for cocaine is what is believe to cause this effect.   Further, cocaine is known to affect the expression of FosB via altering chromatin structure, typically near the FosB promoter.  What was found is that nicotine causes accelerated acetylation of histones H3 and H4.  Cocaine was only responsible for increases in acetylation in H4.    It is believed that this hyper-expression/acetylation is due to the nicotine acting as an HDAC (histone deacetylase) inhibitor.  When HDAC was inhibited, and cocaine administered, there was again a 71% increase in FosB expression, consistent with the previous study done with nicotine and cocaine.

Marijuana

The research on marijuana as a gateway drug in a physiological sense is still ongoing.  In rodents, early exposure to cannabinoids resulted in a change in the dopamine receptors in the brains reward centers later in the brain.  This finding is concurrent with the studies of people who began marijuana use at a young age and later developed substance-related problems.  Another fact which puts marijuana into the gateway drug category, is that animal experiments have shown that THC has a similar ability to nicotine to “prime” the brain.   This priming leads to an enhanced response when the body is exposed or subjected to a new drug. While much of the argument surrounding marijuana is circumstantial, there are certainly some parellels to the effect of nicotine on the brain’s reward center.

 

Other Possibilities

While these substances are shown to have a correlation, and there is a physiological change to back it, it is vital to remember the other possibilities involved. The impacts of environments, and genetics cannot be overlooked.  It is well-known that addiction, and addictive behaviors are a largely heritable genetic predisposition, not just a behavioral phenomenon.  Some people are environmentally more likely to engage in drug use, and some are genetically more likely to develop an addiction of some sort.  The next phase of this research can hopefully expand into a human model.  Comparing the brain activity and expression of an addiction-predisposed individual to a person who likely has no predisposition could give the gateway drug hypothesis verity.  Or it could show that while a gateway drug “primes” the brain’s reward centers, it does it completely differently in varying types of people.  While there may be no definitive answer yet, there is certainly a consequential future in researching this conversation.

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Getting Your Mind Right

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Western v Nonwestern Treatments

A common theme seen in Western medicine is prescribing and occasionally over prescribing pharmaceuticals to anyone with any sort of condition. Sometimes used as a co treatment with counseling or therapy medicinal drugs can be prescribed to help people who have addictions to other harmful substances. For those with substance abuse problems with alcohol they can be treated with Naltrexone, Acamprosate, or Disulfiram. For opioid addictions treatment medicines include Methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone. For other illicit drug addictions medicinal treatments include benzodiazepines, or Clonidine. All of these medications are supposed to support with relapse and withdrawal symptoms, but with taking any medication, there comes along side many diverse side effects. Although, in other cultures, it is more common to try to treat addictions or disorders with non medicinal ways. For instance, the Hindu practice of Ashtang yoga in combination with the act of mindfulness meditation have been shown in clinical trials to reduce the craving a drug and decrease stress related relapse. If there is any possibility of replacing medicinal treatments with a non-medicinal treatment, it may be worth looking into, especially in the case of addiction.

Addictions and the brain

When a person consistently abuses a drug to the point of addiction, the brain is experiencing a multitude of changes morphologically and chemically. Drug exposure can induce synaptic plasticity that would not normally occur in the brain of a person not addicted to drugs. The changes often times occur in the brain’s dopamine reward system pathway: activation of the Nucleus Accumbens by the Ventral Tegmental Area. When these neural cells are stimulated, they can send a cascade of events that lead to gene transcription caused by CREB or delta-FosB. Through this cascade of events leading to gene transcription, neurons can become altered whether that be in size or shape, or even in the amount of receptors that are found on the synapse. These changes are what lead to the effects of addiction: sensitization, compulsive drug-seeking, loss of control, reward, dependence, withdrawal, tolerance, and relapse.

Ashtang yoga and mindfulness meditation; what it entails

Ashtang yoga is a practice that was created in the second century BC by Hindus and focuses on the ethical principles of living. These principles are known as the eight limbs. The eight limbs include ethical disciplines, individual observances, posture, breath control, withdrawal of senses, concentration, meditation, and self-realization or enlightenment. This is quite different than the act of yoga through a western lens which usually only includes using postures or meditation to get a work out in or have some quiet time. When yoga and meditation are used as a therapy or treatment for addiction, it practices focused attention and open monitoring. Here a person can clear their mind by starting on focusing on specific thing ie. their breathing, but then they can work into the awareness of their mental and begin to reflect back on the process or on their quality of life. This also includes Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs). MBIs are diverse programs that can help with getting over addictions, halting cravings, and negative side effects of quitting. The programs are often times multi-week programs that are group based. The idea is that after completing the program, there will be biological changes in one’s brain. These changes have been clinically shown to include amplifying the activation of the prefrontal cortex, decreasing limbic system activation, increasing frontostriatal connection, and improving autonomic regulation. With all of these changes comes addiction changes as well: decreased drug craving, reduced substance use, enhanced well being, and decreased stress correlated relapse. While this form of treatment may not directly change the brain on the molecular level like some pharmaceutical treatments can, with time and practice the addiction caused morphological changes in synaptic plasticity and connectivity can return to a state of normal and allow people to start their life over and leave drug addictions in their past.

Curing one’s addictions can only start when a person is completely motivated to change their lifestyle. Every treatment for substance abusers is unique and depends on a multitude of variables, but if a person is completely motivated and ready to change their life, they may want to consider trying mindfulness meditation as a non-pharmaceutical way to help alleviate the struggles of withdrawal and cravings.

Health

Which Comes First? Mental Illness or Addiction?

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We all recall the impossible question of “What comes first, the chicken or the egg?” This questions causes those to spiral in the possibility of both scenarios where the egg to needs to bring the chicken and the chicken needs to lay the egg. There is no cohesive answer.

Another form of this question currently is a major topic of interest in research. Does mental illness bring about addictive tendencies or vice versa, addictive tendencies bring about bouts of depression and anxiety?

One study found that roughly 37% of alcoholics and 53% of substance abusers have at least one mental illness diagnosis or meet the diagnostic criterion for a mental illness. Though seems like a straight shot answer, keep in mind that it was also found that 29% of those diagnosed with at least one mental illness also abused alcohol or other substances.  Even extending into adolescent study, 60% of individuals in a substance abuse rehabilitation facility either have a diagnosis or meet the diagnostic criterion for a mental illness.

The most common mental illnesses to be seem in a comorbid relationship with substance abuse are those that appear to have a dysregulation in dopamine signaling and/or excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, physiologically represented by depressive episodes. These mental illnesses include Bipolar Disorder, Depression, ADHD, and Schizophrenia. If any of the previously listed disorders significantly impact the quality of the life of the individual, they are more likely to fall into substance abuse to satisfy the lack of serotonin and get a sense of “euphoria.” 1 in 4 diagnosed with serious mental illness abuse some substance.

Figure 1: Rate of Dual Diagnosis between substance abuse and serious mental illness.

As you can see, this poses a major concern about going about treatment. If someone has a serious mental illness, psychiatrists may begin to lean to stronger medications, such as Xanax. However, unless it is openly addressed about addictive tendencies of the individual, they may accidentally begin a downward spiral of prescription medication addiction. Addictive tendencies can have a hereditary nature, so having open communication with patient and practitioner is vital to prevent a spiral into addiction when treating serious mental health disorders.

Vice versa, when treating addiction, you need to be sure that an open and trustworthy support system is available to prevent mental illness development in those in rehabilitation. Unless a support system is available, treatment seems to take progressively longer.

One question this poses, is “Does behavioral addictions, such as phone usage or exercise, exhibit the same level of risk toward mental health disorders?” Though behavioral addictions are not to the diagnostic criterion level of addiction, they still pose immense threat to the quality of life of those already experiencing maladaptive neurotransmission and improper neuroplasticity regarding memory and learning. Phone and social media addictions are more prevalent than ever and exposure to nicotine and other substances are at an all-time high. Behavioral addictions can have damaging effects to physical and mental health to the same degree as substance addictions. If we do not take behavioral addictions to the same extent as substance addiction, we are likely to see an increase in mental illness diagnosis as more and more children grow up in the age of social media.

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Addiction: Risk Factors for Relapse

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Relapse prevention skills are important for living a happy life in recovery. In order to learn these prevention skills, one must know what the risk factors for relapse are. Relapse can occur at any stage of the recovery process and is considered a normal part of the recovery process. It is believed that 40-60% of addicts relapse at least once during their recovery. In order to understand relapse risk factors, it is important to understand why people become addicted in the first place.

Why Do People Become Addicted to Drugs?

During drug use, the reward pathway (mesolimbic dopamine pathway) becomes impaired, especially within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This happens when there is prolonged drug exposure. In chronic drug use, repeated exposure activates CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) which involves D1 and D2 spiny neurons within the NAc. ΔFosB is a protein in the CREB pathway that increases production in the NAc during chronic drug exposure. ΔFosB affects D1 spiny neurons, increasing the sensitivity to the drug, creating more rewards. It suppresses dynorphin (an opioid peptide) in CREB, allowing for more reward effects. ΔFosB also creates more reward effects by targeting the c-Fos protein and repressing it.

The consistent intake of drugs, and heightened reward effects, causes long-term depression of the NMDA receptors on the dendritic spines, ultimately changing them. This increases the presence of AMPA receptors and creates long-term potentiation. The change takes place at the postsynaptic site and adapts to the amount of drug use. This in turn reduces the sensitivity to a drug, so they can become more tolerant and dependent to the drug, and require a higher dosage for the reward. Tolerance creates a vicious cycle of relapsing and withdrawal. This means that chronic drug use starts out as positive reinforcement and then turns into negative reinforcement throughout prolonged exposure. To simplify, repeated drug use –> plasticity in the brain –> vulnerable brain –> compulsive drug seeking behaviors –> loss of control of drugs use.

Risk Factors for Relapse

There are two types of risk factors: external and internal. Both risk factors can create the urge to use drugs again. The top internal risk factor for relapse is stress. Other internal risk factors include, but are not limited to:

  • Mental illness
    • Mental illness can greatly increase the risk of relapse if left untreated. For example, people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are at a much greater risk of alcohol addiction relapse, compared to those who do not have a mental disorder. Also, up to 50% of people with bipolar disorder also have an alcohol or drug addiction.
  • Overconfidence
    • People who become overconfident in their ability to stay sober may put themselves at risk by decreasing recovery meeting attendance, exposing themselves to triggers or trying to recreationally use the drug instead of abstaining. Relapse is less likely if one attends rehab, dedicates themselves to a recovery plan and avoids becoming overconfident in their ability to prevent relapse.
  • Persistent negative mood
  • Powerful cravings
  • Depressed mood
  • Genetic predisposition to or family history of addiction
  • Depression
  • Sadness
  • Fatigue
  • Self-pity
  • Loneliness
  • Feeling rejected
  • Guilt
  • Fear of withdrawal symptoms or fear of life without the drug
  • Insomnia
  • Relapse justification
  • Loss of motivation
  • Decreased ability to feel pleasure
  • Physical pain

External psychological or social stressors can play a part in bringing on a relapse as well. These external risk factors tend to be very individualized. The leading external factor for relapse is returning to an environment associated with drug use. Such as, being at a place where people are using the drug, where they once used the drug, or around people they used with. This may trigger cravings and cause a relapse. Other external risk factors include, but are not limited to:

  • Losing a job
  • Problems in their personal life
  • Bad weather for a couple days
  • Health-related issues
  • Academic problems

Conclusion

During addiction the brain is physically changing. The physical changes can make it very hard to become and stay sober. People who are recovering from drug use are at the highest risk of relapse during the early recovery stages, when they return to an environment associated with drug use, in the immediate moments after a traumatic event or during times of transition in their life. If one relapses, know that it is normal. With further treatment and dedication, sobriety can be maintained. For more information on how to maintain sobriety go to: https://www.banyanpompano.com/2018/03/26/how-to-maintain-sobriety-after-treatment/.

Sources

https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/alcohol/relapse/#:~:text=Relapse%20can%20occur%20at%20any%20stage%20of%20the,a%20traumatic%20event%20or%20during%20times%20of%20transition.

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/alcohol-abuse/stages-of-drug-alcohol-relapse/

https://www.everydayhealth.com/addiction/understanding-addiction-relapse.aspx#:~:text=Internal%20risk%20factors%20include%20a%20persistently%20negative%20mood%2C,the%20risk%20of%20addiction%20relapse%20if%20left%20untreated.

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Wait… Do I have an Addiction?

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Are you an addict? I know, the term “addiction” is quickly associated with a sour taste in our mouths, but it is quite more diverse than with substances as many may have initially imagined. How many times do you check your phone per day? Ok, too many to keep track. How about per hour? Still too many? Ok what about every 10 minutes? Do you hear little voices in your head telling you just 5 more minutes on Instagram or how you just need another new pair of shoes or how you get so antsy about not having been to the gym yet today that your throat starts to tighten, sweat runs down your forehead and your mind seems unable to concentrate on anything until you’ve finished your daily workout? Addiction comes in many forms, and so I ask the question again, are you an addict?

Behavioral Addiction

Just like in substance addiction, behavioral addiction can be summed up by having or feeling any compulsive/repetitive involvement in an act that results in a rewarding experience. Interestingly, the individual will still seek this reward even if they are aware of the consequences to follow. Some examples of behavioral addiction include gambling, shopping, exercising, and pretty much anything technology-wise. With all of the spotlight on substance addiction, just how similar are behavioral addictions?

Similarities via Symptoms

Imagine this, someone is trying a drug for the first time and it makes them feel incredible, so they continue use in order to get that same pleasant feeling, until day after day, it starts to become less enjoyable and feeling more like a chore. This is the result of a shift in a positive reinforcement to a negative reinforcement, which can also be seen with a behavioral addiction, and can be explored more here. Have you ever downloaded a new app that was at first fun to play but then over time you found yourself only logging on to collect the “daily reward”, or how beginning your journey at the gym to relieve stress turned into going due to fear of returning to what you looked like from a time before. Just like substance addiction, behavioral addicts can suffer from

  • Strong sense of craving
  • Loss of control over their behavior
  • Tolerance build-up
  • Difficulty during withdrawal period and preventative relapse

Two similar forms of treatment for both cases of addiction include psychosocial and pharmacological, although since many behavioral addictions cannot be diagnosed the same as substance addictions are (except gambling), current issues include getting people properly diagnosed and treated.

Similarities via Neurochemistry

Would you believe me if I told you that your brain can change how it is “wired”? Well, it actually can, and this is referred to as neural plasticity. Individuals who are addicted have more than likely developed changes in their neural circuits that can give rise to new meanings and reward perceptions to drugs/shopping/technology/etc. Studies have actually shown that there is an increase in the dopamine “dump off” at the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which gives a more pleasurable feeling to the individual and is heavily involved in the reward system. These changes can alter the function and shape of neurons in the brain, which currently, seems like in an irreversible way.

Are you still there? How many times have you checked your phone since reading this blog? Ok, just checking…

An interesting study was performed with rats, where there were two groups. They were all provided with drugs in a cage and had the ability to self-administer them, except one group additionally had an exercise wheel they could run around in. What researchers noticed was that the rats who had used the wheel in their cage showed increased levels of dynorphin, delta FosB, and increased levels of dopamine at the NAc– all of which are seen in addiction! These rats also did not end up self-administering drugs after their run either. Is exercising a way to help with addiction? Did the wheel act as an environmental variable instead of an exercising factor? As you can see, there are still many questions left unanswered, but maybe researchers are on to something.

A Future Full of…

With the rise of technology, what is our world going to look like in 5,10, 20 years from now? What are we going to do to prevent this? Is anything actually needed to be prevented? It only seems like a matter of time before there are ways for diagnosing not only substance addictions but behavioral addictions too. Until then, we might just have to continue on with our days, checking our phones once they “ding” with a notification, briefly pausing, thinking, “Wait, do I have an addiction?”.

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Are Oreos More Addictive Than Cocaine? Unwrapping Food Addiction

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A recent study found that rats equally prefer Oreos and cocaine over control substances (rice cakes and saline). Not only that—the same brain regions are activated when both Oreos and cocaine are consumed, and are even more strongly activated by Oreos. Does this mean that Oreos are more addictive than cocaine? How does food addiction work on a neurochemical level? Why don’t we have “Oreo junkies” running around the streets? Read on as we “unwrap” food addiction.

Addiction On The Brain

First we need some background on what being addicted to a drug of abuse does to the brain. Drug addiction has several behavioral trademarks. People experiencing addiction tend to experience a loss of control regarding behavior and consumption of a drug, they become dependent on the drug, and they can easily relapse if they try to stop using the drug.

On the molecular level, being addicted to a drug causes physical changes in the brain. Long-term consumption of a drug resulting in addiction can even change the way that our genes are expressed, meaning the way proteins are made based off our DNA.

These changes involve reward and learning pathways of the brain. Drugs elicit a positive “reward” response because they make us feel good. The brain learns that consuming the drug = having good feelings, so we turn to the drug with increasing frequency to feel good. The brain even becomes tolerant to the drug as it learns to expect a dose, having a less intense reaction when the same amount is consumed. The number of receptors for certain neurotransmitters that make us feel good, like dopamine, increases as drug addiction sets in. The amount of dopamine that our brain naturally produces decreases, especially in a certain brain region known as the nucleus accumbens. This means the brain requires a dose of the drug just to reach its normal level of dopamine, and then requires larger and larger doses to chase the “high” or good feelings—and if we stop taking the drug entirely, our brain is so accustomed to it that we can experience dangerous symptoms of withdrawal.

Is Food Addiction a Thing?

Experts have debated whether or not “food addiction” is a valid form of addiction. One argument against this classification is that food can’t be considered a drug since it is necessary for human life. However, there is a compelling argument that food addiction is valid, which we will focus on here—and whether it fits the bill of an ‘addiction’ or not in the long run, it is certain that food addiction is detrimentally affecting the lives of thousands of people daily.

Symptoms of food addiction are similar to drug addiction: losing control of what, when, and how much food is consumed and becoming dependent on food when experiencing stress or negative emotions. For people who try to break out of food addiction through diets and even medical procedures, relapsing into disordered eating habits is very likely.

The neurochemical similarities of food addiction and drug addiction are striking. The same reward circuit is activated when high-calorie, high-sugar food is consumed as when a drug is consumed. In the nucleus accumbens, dopamine levels decrease over time so the brain becomes reliant on food consumption to stimulate good feelings, like in drug addiction.

Are Oreos Really More Addictive Than Cocaine?

After getting some neurochemical background, now we can look at the “Oreos and cocaine” study. The study found that rats show an equal preference for Oreos over rice cakes as they do cocaine over saline. The researchers looked at the nucleus accumbens (the brain’s reward center discussed earlier) and found that Oreos stimulated even more reward neurons than cocaine or morphine.

Now, does this mean that Oreos are more addictive than cocaine, or that they’re even addictive in the first place? Not necessarily. Our brains do show a strong positive “reward” impulse when consuming high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sugar foods like Oreos, but this doesn’t necessarily mean we are forming addictive habits. First, everyone living eats food, and very few people become addicted. Additionally, food addictions don’t appear to be food-specific; people who are addicted to food don’t necessarily having a craving that can only be sated with Oreos, any calorie-fat-sugar blast tends to do the trick.

Although the study’s findings have interesting implications in relating neurochemical effects of food addiction to effects of drug abuse, we don’t have to worry about becoming Oreo junkies just yet.

Disease/Health

Addiction: Why Not Just Stop?

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Are You Addicted?

Everyone, take a moment to pull out your cellphone, go into your settings, and look at your daily average screen time. I’ll give you a moment as you pass through the five stages of grief. You are probably currently trying to justify the absurd amount of time you spend on the device. Think back to when you’ve missed placed your phone and the slight sense of panic that followed as you desperately searched for your device. We keep the little device on us at all times and everywhere you go you can find someone looking at the mesmerizing screen. We can’t seem to separate ourselves from these pieces of technology, depending on them to store information and remind us about it later, show us the way when going anywhere, solving problems, and run calculations for us and entertaining us. How many of you look at your phone while using the restroom? That’s what I thought, you may be addicted to your phone. Addiction can present itself in numerous ways such as drug, sex, food, caffeine, and technology addiction along with many other forms.

What Is Addiction?

So, what is addiction anyway? Addiction is experiencing a strong sometimes irresistible repeating impulse to pursue some behavior that triggers the reward pathway within an individual and creates a need or dependency for that reward sensation through repetition of the behavior. Addiction can be associated with sensitization, compulsive behaviors, loss of control, dependency, withdrawal, tolerance, and even relapse. One of the most common and well-recognized forms of addiction is drug addiction. Drug addiction can be very destructive and is a serious condition that shouldn’t be taken lightly alongside the many other forms of addiction.

How Does It Happen

In the case of drug addiction, the addiction aspect arises from repeated use of the substance which generates a positive sensation. This repetition in use promotes physical changes to the individual’s brain making them more susceptible and more likely to continue seeking the substance. If this individual continues to use the substance, they may eventually lose control over the use of the drug creating a further perpetuating cycle of dependence. Because of the physical changes within the brain, addiction can be extremely difficult to overcome and can have serious long-lasting effects. As an individual uses a substance, they begin to alter the brain’s sensitization to the drug meaning the neurons change their shape and connectivity to either increase or decrease their engagement with the substance. The brain adapts by developing a tolerance to the drug which neutralizes its effects requiring the individual to continually consume larger and larger quantities of the substance to experience the same stimulation they had the first time they used it.

Once addicted the individual experiences a need and severe craving for the substance due to the physical changes within the brain. If the user attempts to stop using the drug they experience severe negative symptoms including withdrawal that make it incredibly difficult to stop using the substance.

Why Does It Happen?

In drug addiction, the drugs bind to specific receptors in the brain typically within the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA), and stimulate neural cells that interact with the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) which is a reward pathway within the brain. This activates a cascade of signaling within the neural cells which ultimately leads to the activation of important transcription factors abbreviated as CREB and delta-FosB, along with many others that regulate the transcription/production of genes within the cells. The neural cells function based on the genes that are transcribed and their quantities. These changes in gene transcription result in the cells changing shape and increasing or decreasing receptors on their membranes (makes it easier or harder for them to interact with the drug), which ultimately affects the desires and behaviors of the user.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3898681/

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction/what-is-addiction

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction

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Addiction Awareness: Binging vs. Chronic Use

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Addiction is a term that almost everyone seems familiar with. People can be addicted to a variety of things, whether it be substance use like alcohol or pills, a food addiction like sugar, or a behavioral addiction like gambling. One of the most common forms of addiction seems to be alcoholism, affecting approximately 14.5 million Americans age 12 and up and over half of all Americans have family history of alcoholism. This form of addiction is incredibly prevalent in our society and doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. Researchers have been looking into the action of binge drinking as it occurs within the younger generations, age 15-25, to see if it could possibly be a source of etiology for chronic alcoholism.

Chronic vs. Binging Alcoholism

Chronic alcoholism is defined as partaking in a long period of excessive alcohol intake in which a person develops a dependence for the substance, a high tolerance, and experiences severe withdrawal symptoms. In comparison, binge alcoholism is considered to be a drinking heavily in an episodic manner, but these drinkers do not have a dependence, tolerance, withdrawal, or increased preference for the substance after the drinking episodes. Binge drinking is incredibly common within high schoolers and college-aged students and is actually three to four more times common than chronic use; it also seems to add more risk to becoming a chronic user, with 15% of binge drinkers going on to become a chronic alcoholic. The biggest question is, why does binge drinking not have the same effects as chronic drinking? The answers lie within the neurochemical background of addiction.

What’s Going on in the Brain?

During addiction, the reward pathway (mesolimbic dopamine pathway) seems to be impaired, especially within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This happens due to excessive drug exposure. In chronic alcoholism, repeated drug use sensitizes the brain’s response to the drug, creating a vicious cycle of relapsing and withdrawal. When the drug is excessively being used, CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) is released within the NAc, which promotes a rewarding behavior. The chronic drug use causes the brain’s receptors to change so they can become more tolerant to the drug and require a higher dosage for the same pleasure. The constant intake of drugs causes long-term depression of the NMDA receptors on the dendritic spines to change and increases the presence of AMPA receptors instead and creates long-term potentiation. This conformational change that takes place at the postsynaptic site adapts to the amount of drug use and allows tolerance and dependence to form. To read more about this you can read here: https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_07/i_07_m/i_07_m_tra/i_07_m_tra.htmlContinue reading →

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