Neuroscientific approaches to drug addiction traditionally have been based on the premise that addiction is a process that results from brain changes that in turn result from chronic administration of drugs of abuse. An alternative approach views drug addiction as a behavioral disorder in which drugs function as preeminent reinforcers. Although there is a fundamental discrepancy between these t...

It is increasingly well accepted that addiction can be viewed as a form of neuronal plasticity, even as a type of very powerful, albeit maladaptive, learning. On a behavioral level, this can be conceptualized as the transition from experimentation to compulsive drug-seeking behavior. This view of addiction has been strengthened by many recent studies demonstrating commonalities between mechanis...

Opiate analgesia, tolerance, and addiction are mediated by drug-induced activation of the mu opioid receptor. A fundamental question in addiction biology is why exogenous opiate drugs have a high liability for inducing tolerance and addiction while native ligands do not. Studies indicate that highly addictive opiate drugs such as morphine are deficient in their ability to induce the desensitiza...

The last decade brought a considerable progress in pharmacotherapy of addiction. Basing on recently gained knowledge of mechanisms of development of addiction and the physiology of the brain reward system, several therapeutic strategies have evolved. The strategies aimed at targeting the basic mechanisms of addiction rely on the premises that addiction is caused by adaptive changes in the centr...

abstract background: simultaneous occurrence of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse isorders have widespread effects and are associated with worse prognosis. addicts should be treated in accordance with the requirements of each of these people. this study aimed at investigating the simple and multiple relationships between morningness/eveningness, anxiety sensitivity and addiction potenti...

Introduction It is widely believed that addiction entails a loss of free will, even though this point is controversial among scholars. There is arguably a downside to this belief, in that addicts who believe they lack the free will to quit an addiction might therefore fail to quit an addiction. Methods A correlational study tested the relationship between belief in free will and addiction. Fo...

Most people can describe at least one instance of how alcohol and drug addiction has had a negative impact on their own lives or the lives of people they love. Children today, regardless of age or ethnicity, grow up in a society where access to drugs and alcohol is extremely easy. Parents who misuse alcohol and drugs also influence how their children perceive and understand the use of alcohol a...

aims: drug addiction is a mental, social, and economic problem that comes from abnormal and illicit consumption of substances such as alcohol, opium, hashish, and etc., making the addict psychologically and physiologically dependent to those substances. this study was designed and performed to evaluate the pattern of drug abuse change in the addicts visiting addiction treatment centers of kasha...