Answer Addiction

Tag: cocaine addiction

  • Are Chocolate Chip Cookies As Addictive As Cocaine?

    Are Chocolate Chip Cookies As Addictive As Cocaine?

    Researchers examined the ingredients in chocolate chip cookies to determine why they are so addictive for some.

    Science has turned in a humdinger: studies indicate that sugar and sweetness can induce reward and craving that are comparable to those induced by cocaine.

    Research giving laboratory rats rewards of sugars and sweets shows that these goodies can not only replace a drug, but can even surpass the drug in the rats’ preference.

    CNN reports there are a variety of reasons for this powerful effect, including an emotional connection to good memories of baking. Kathleen King, founder of Tate’s Bake Shop in Southampton, New York, and maker of a top-rated chocolate chip cookie, shared with CNN, “If I’m celebrating, I can have a couple of cookies, but if I’m sad, I want 10 cookies. While the cookie is in your mouth, that moment is happiness—and then it’s gone, and you’re sad again, and you have another one.”

    The study shows that at a neurobiological level, the qualities of sugar and sweet rewards are apparently stronger than those of cocaine. The study indicates evolutionary pressures in seeking foods high in sugar and calories as a possible reason for this.

    In addition, according to CNN, chocolate contains trace amounts of the compound anandamide. Anandamide is also a brain chemical that targets the same cell receptors as THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. So there may be another chemical basis for the intense pleasure that many people get from a chocolate chip cookie.

    This also explains the insane popularity of “marijuana brownies” which combines THC and the chemical hit of chocolate. These chewy treats are so beloved that guru Martha Stewart even has a recipe for pot brownies.

    Salt is an important element to the chocolate chip cookie’s addictive quality.

    “It is what adds interest to food, even if it’s a sweet food, because it makes the sugar and other ingredients taste better and come together better,” Gail Vance Civille, founder and president of Sensory Spectrum, told CNN. “A pinch of salt in cookies really makes a difference, and it enhances sweetness a little bit.”

    Gary Wenk, director of neuroscience undergraduate programs at the Ohio State University and author of Your Brain on Food, notes that cookies high in fat and sugar will raise the level of anandamide in the brain regardless of what other ingredients are in the cookie.

    “The fat and sugar combine to induce our addiction as much as does the anandamide,” Wenk told CNN. “It’s a triple play of delight.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Lady Gaga Reflects On Drugs, "Loneliness" Behind Stardom

    Lady Gaga Reflects On Drugs, "Loneliness" Behind Stardom

    “There was a buffet of options. When I first started to perform around the country doing nightclubs, there was stuff everywhere.”

    Six-time Grammy-winning singer Lady Gaga makes her feature film debut as an aspiring performer who falls for a rocker (Bradley Cooper) with dependency problems in the upcoming A Star is Born.

    The confluence of substance abuse and fame is an issue with which Gaga (born Stefani Germanotta is familiar, having battled cocaine dependency early in her career. And in an interview about the film with the Los Angeles Times, Germanotta recalled how she traveled a path similar to that of her screen character, where drugs were frequently offered as a panacea to the emotional turmoil of striving to achieve your dreams.

    In the film—which is the third remake of the 1937 film, with previous iterations starring Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand in Germanotta’s role— Cooper is musician Jackson Maine, whose career is in crisis due to his drug and alcohol dependency. He finds what appears to be creative and emotional salvation in Germanotta’s Ally, a gifted singer. But as her star ascends, his substance issues threaten to upend their happiness. 

    In her interview with the Times, Germanotta said she fully understood the emotional turbulence that was part and parcel of the pursuit of a career in front of an audience. “It’s very lonely being a performer,” she said. “There’s a certain loneliness that I feel, anyway—that I’m the only one that does what I do. So it feels like no one understands.”

    Feelings of isolation and insecurity can spur some aspiring performers to seek comfort in the substances that can proliferate behind the scenes. “There was a buffet of options,” recalled Germanotta. “When I first started to perform around the country doing nightclubs, there was stuff everywhere, but I had already partied when I was younger so I didn’t dabble. I was able to avoid it because I did it when I was a kid.”

    As Us Weekly noted, Germanotta has spoken often about her struggles with cocaine in the past. The publication quoted her 2011 interview on The Howard Stern Show, where she said, “I think that I was lonely and there was something about the drugs that made me feel like I had a friend. 

    “I did it all alone in my apartment while I wrote music. And you know what? I regret every line I ever did.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Kirstie Alley Talks Cocaine Addiction on "Celebrity Big Brother"

    Kirstie Alley Talks Cocaine Addiction on "Celebrity Big Brother"

    “I went through the ’60s and most of the ’70s – I never did drugs. And then I did coke and it was all over for, like four years.”

    Actress Kirstie Alley spoke frankly about her cocaine addiction while appearing on the UK edition of the popular reality series Celebrity Big Brother.

    In a candid conversation with three of her “housemates,” Alley discussed the divorce from her first husband, Bob Alley, which she said led to her dependency on the drug, as well as an incident involving cocaine use while babysitting a niece and nephew which she claimed was her motivation for ending that dependency.

    Alley, who has often spoken about her past drug use, told the Big Brother that cocaine use “just kills your soul, somehow.”

    Alley, who is appearing on the 22nd edition of Celebrity Big Brother, told her cast mates that she began using cocaine prior to her film and television stardom, when she was living in Wichita, Kansas and divorced from her first husband, Bob Alley in the late 1970s.

    “I did drugs for about four years,” she said. “I went through the ’60s and most of the ’70s – I never did drugs. And then I did coke and it was all over for, like four years.”

    Alley added that after using cocaine, she told herself that she would “do this every day for the rest of my life,” which prompted Ben Jardine – a UK TV personality known for his appearance on Married At First Sight – to ask if that was how the drug affected those who use it.

    Alley noted that while everyone’s reaction to cocaine was different, the overall response to the drug was “horrible.” She added that after a period of two-and-a-half years of constant use, “it just snagged my soul. It just kills your soul, somehow.”

    When asked by housemate and television personality Sally Morgan if there was an incident that she would consider her lowest point during her dependency, Alley said that she found herself using cocaine while babysitting her young niece and nephew. 

    “I thought, ‘My God, I’m [upstairs] snorting coke and then coming down and taking care of these babies. This is horrible,” said Alley. She called her sister to retrieve her children before facing an unpleasant fact: “I just went, ‘You’ve lost your soul, totally. “I’d stepped over the line. Now the cray [sic] was running me, instead of me running wild.”

    When asked by Morgan if she’d ever used cocaine again, Alley declared, “No, and I’ve never wanted to, which is good.”

    In previous interviews, Alley has said that the end of her first marriage was the launching pad for her cocaine dependency. She told Howard Stern in 2013 that after her divorce from Bob Alley, she began spending time with a friend whom she claimed had a “lot of druggie friends,” which led to her first experience with cocaine. 

    “I had heard that cocaine made you peppy and happy, and I was sort of depressed because I had gotten a divorce,” she told Stern. “So I thought, ‘I’m gonna try this.’”

    Casual use soon led to dependency and instability; as she told Entertainment Tonight, “I thought I was going to overdose almost every time… I would do so much at a time that I would snort the coke and I would sit there, I would take my pulse, thinking, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying, I’m dying.’”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Can Exercise Prevent Cocaine Relapse?

    Can Exercise Prevent Cocaine Relapse?

    Researchers used animals to model the effects of exercise on addictive behaviors for a new study.

    According to researchers, the possibility of a cocaine relapse can be reduced with exercise.

    The discovery comes thanks to research at the University of Buffalo led by Panyotis Thanos.

    “Cocaine addiction is often characterized by cycles of recovery and relapse, with stress and negative emotions, often caused by withdrawal itself, among the major causes of relapse,” said senior scientist Thanos.

    In the study, Thanos and his team used animals to model the effects of exercise on addictive behaviors.

    To this end, he and his team observed that test subjects who did regular aerobic exercise (one hour on a treadmill five times a week) were less likely to exhibit “stress-induced cocaine-seeking behaviors.” Not only were they more likely to be drug-free, they also changed the way they responded to stress, both behaviorally and physiologically.

    Cocaine addiction causes these behavioral and physiological shifts in response to stress. Thanos’ research found that physical exercise can change the mesolimbic dopamine pathways in the brain. These pathways are the same ones that cocaine acts on, creating the rewarding feeling that makes cocaine so addictive.

    Exercise can also help boost mood and cut down on the hormones responsible for stress, which could keep those mental formations that tempt relapse at bay.

    There are also the other known benefits to aerobic exercise, including the prevention of heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis, that make regular aerobic exercise worthwhile.

    “Our results suggest that regular aerobic exercise could be a useful strategy for relapse prevention, as part of a comprehensive treatment program for recovering cocaine abusers,” explained Thanos. “Further research is necessary to see if these results also hold true for other addictive drugs.”

    The use of exercise has helped at least one person: country superstar Tim McGraw. He previously used alcohol to help with pre-show jitters, but in his recovery, replaced that with a long run instead.

    “The ritual now is to run,” McGraw explained. “Me and a few of the guys in the band—I do my meet and greet and right after the meet and greet, we take off and run for 4 or 5 miles. It is literally timed so I run straight into the dressing room, get ready and hit the stage.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dennis Quaid Revisits "White Light" Moment That Spurred His Recovery

    Dennis Quaid Revisits "White Light" Moment That Spurred His Recovery

    “I was basically doing cocaine pretty much on a daily basis during the ‘80s.”

    Since kicking off his acting career in the ’70s, former Hollywood “bad boy” Dennis Quaid has come out on the other side of cocaine addiction—“my greatest mistake.” Quaid, now 64, revisited the height of his cocaine use and the turning point that made him want to quit, during a recent interview.

    “I grew up in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and there was a completely different attitude about it then. Even in some movie budgets. I kept roaring on,” he told Megyn Kelly.

    “I was basically doing cocaine pretty much on a daily basis during the ‘80s. I spent many, many a night screaming at God to please take this away from me, I’ll never do it again because I’ve only got an hour before I have to be at work.”

    But by the afternoon, the young actor would change his mind, and the cycle would continue.

    By the time he was filming The Big Easy (1986), he’d sleep for just one hour a night. “Doing blow just contributed to me not being able to handle the fame, which, at the time, I guess I felt I didn’t deserve,” he wrote in a 2011 Newsweek essay. “I was doing my best imitation of an asshole there for a little while, trying to pretend everything was okay.

    “Meanwhile my life was falling apart, and I noticed myself, but I was hoping everyone else didn’t.”

    Quaid struggled to quit until the late ’80s, when he finally sought help. “I had a white light experience where I saw myself either dead or losing everything that meant anything to me,” he told Kelly.

    He provided more detail about his moment of clarity in his Newsweek essay: “I had a band then, called The Eclectics. One night we played a show at the China Club in LA, and the band broke up… because it all got too crazy. I had one of those white light experiences that night where I kind of realized I was going to be dead in five years if I didn’t change my ways. The next day I was in rehab.”

    But even after rehab, Quaid recalled that things got worse before they got better.

    “It was one of those times when you think, ‘Well, if I do the right thing and clean up my life, it’ll get better.’ No, it got worse! In 1990 I did Wilder Napalm, which came out and went down the tubes. But that time in my life—those years in the ‘90s recovering—actually chiseled me into a person. It gave me the resolve and a resilience to persevere in life,” he wrote. “If I hadn’t gone through that period, I don’t know if I’d still be acting. In the end, it taught me humility. I really learn to appreciate what I have in this life.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Steven Tyler On Addiction: I Hurt My Family, I Hurt My Band

    Steven Tyler On Addiction: I Hurt My Family, I Hurt My Band

    “I went down the worst path. I went down the rabbit hole. I went chasing Alice.”

    In a new interview, Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler revealed that his drug use got to a point where nothing mattered more.

    “I have an addictive personality so I found certain drugs I loved and didn’t stop to the point of hurting my children, hurting my life, hurting my family, and hurting my band,” he said in a new interview with OBJECTified. “There was a point where I didn’t have a band and I didn’t care.”

    The 70-year-old rock star, who’s said he “snorted half of Peru” in his career, was once one-half of the “Toxic Twins” with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, a nickname earned for their rampant drug use.

    “I went down the worst path. I went down the rabbit hole. I went chasing Alice,” said Tyler. “I think rock stars… I felt like I had an obligation to keep that alive. I certainly had my way with women and women had their way with me.”

    Tyler once boasted that over his career, he “easily” blew $5 or $6 million on drugs. “I gotta tell you, if it wasn’t for cocaine, I don’t think the band would have played every state in the United States nine times in seven years. Because there was no MTV back then, Peruvian marching powder, it was like, ‘Iowa, three in a row?’ Give me that,” he said on Ellen in 2012.

    But, he added, “It’s what we did, but you know there is no end to that. It’s death, jail, or insanity.”

    In 2009, Tyler entered his eighth rehab stint, after relapsing on pain medication after more than a decade of sobriety. But he’s been very open and active in his recovery.

    In February, he was a special guest at a drug court graduation in Maui. “You’re my heroes here today because you have come from somewhere that I lived myself,” he told the graduates. “To come out through the wormhole like you’re doing today is a true beyond-belief miracle. I’m so proud of you, each and every one.”

    By talking about recovery, and reflecting on his past, Tyler has a platform to inspire others to value sobriety as well.

    “I want to be in touch with what it means to be in this band and stand for something in the rock and roll community or you fall for anything,” said Tyler. “I don’t want to do drugs anymore for that reason… That place lost me my kids, a marriage, a band, a lot of things and it’s for real. That’s how dangerous that is. So, I take it serious.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams On Past Cocaine Addiction: I Was A Functioning Addict

    Wendy Williams On Past Cocaine Addiction: I Was A Functioning Addict

    “A functioning addict has several alarm clocks, you’re organized. It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”

    After hosting a star-studded gala on Wednesday to benefit youth in recovery, TV personality and host Wendy Williams discussed her own experience with cocaine abuse, which began during her days on the radio.

    “I was a functioning addict though. I would report to work on time and I walked in and all of my coworkers, and including my bosses, would know but instead of firing me, you see, I would grab my headphones and arrogantly walk into the studio and dare them to fire me because I was making ratings,” said the host of The Wendy Williams Show.

    “[A] functioning addict has several alarm clocks, you’re organized,” she continued. “It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”

    On Wednesday, Williams hosted a fundraising gala in New York City to unveil the “Be Here” campaign, to benefit Facing Addiction with NCADD—which advocates for people who struggle with drug abuse as well as their families—and her own family’s organization, The Hunter Foundation, which supports young people in recovery.

    The gala landed on Williams’ birthday, July 18, and was attended by singer-songwriter Johnny Gill, singer Keri Hilson, rapper Remy Ma, actress Selenis Levya, singer Mario, and CNN host Don Lemon, among others.

    “I wanted to use the biggest day of the year (my birthday) to encourage family and friends to give to this cause which will, in turn, help those in need,” said Williams in a statement. “Instead of giving me gifts, I am encouraging everyone to donate.”

    The goal of the “Be Here” campaign is to raise $10 million. The event honored Chaka Khan with “The Survivor Award” to recognize the funk queen for her resilience in her own battles with substance abuse.

    “I have seen addiction up-close,” said Williams. “As a mother, wife, daughter, and friend, I cannot stand by and do nothing while there are people struggling to overcome substance abuse. Life is too short and we need to come together to help others.”

    The funds raised will specifically go to mentorship and counseling through the Youth Leader Program, and to fund clinical research on the effects of K2, also known as “synthetic marijuana.”

    According to the Hunter Foundation’s website, the family’s dedication to the cause of supporting recovery was deepened by their son, who was “given K2,” triggering the family to take action. “This personal experience deepened the Hunters’ life mission to fortify organizations that increase public awareness about addiction and abuse and help youths live healthy, drug-free lives,” the website reads.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Is Social Media As Addictive As Cocaine?

    Is Social Media As Addictive As Cocaine?

    One expert suggests that media-stoked fears about addictive technology only serve to divert attention from pressing problems like online privacy and user consent.

    Following a recent spate of headlines likening social media to hard drugs, some psychologists deny they’re similar at all. According to Business Insider, scientists from the Oxford Internet Institute believe it’s not only irresponsible to compare the two, but doing so actually distracts from far more serious problems plaguing the tech world.

    The media, though, makes it difficult to separate founded fears from the unfounded ones. The BBC recently reported that social media companies were actively addicting their users through a variety of psychological techniques—an alarming claim that, if true, makes social media addiction more controversial than it already is.

    “It’s as if they’re taking behavioral cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface and that’s the thing that keeps you coming back and back and back,” Aza Raskin, a former Mozilla engineer, said of the industry. “Behind every screen on your phone, there are generally like literally a thousand engineers that have worked on this thing to try to make it maximally addicting.” 

    Raskin says that he’s the one who conceived of “infinite scrolling,” where users endlessly swipe down through online content (think Instagram) without ever having to click anywhere. It’s a trick that keeps people glued to their devices, Raskin told the BBC, as it prevents a user’s brain to “catch up” with their impulses.

    Andrew Przybylski, however, doesn’t believe that Silicon Valley’s engineers can successfully incorporate psychology into any of their social media designs. Przybylski, the Oxford Internet Institute’s director, balked at the BBC story and labeled Raskin’s research as “very sloppily done.”

    He added that if Raskin “actually knew anything” about the psychology behind addictive technology, the much-reported dangers of social media would be frighteningly accurate.

    A number of stories continue to portray digital screens no differently than addictive chemicals. And while there is evidence that the brain releases dopamine when people check their Facebook account, Przybylski insists that it’s not remotely the same thing as getting high from a drug.

    “Dopamine research itself shows that things like video games and technologies, they’re in the same realm as food and sex and learning and all of these everyday behaviors,” he told Business Insider, “whereas things like cocaine, really you’re talking about 10, 15 times higher levels of free-flowing dopamine in the brain.”

    Przybylski suggests that media-stoked fears about addictive technology only serve to divert attention from pressing problems like online privacy and user consent. They also distract from the most important objective: good research.

    Przybylski is skeptical that enough research data exists in the first place, let alone social media companies regularly using it in their work.

    “The main takeaway here is that we don’t actually know these things,” said Przybylski, calling for more collaboration with research. “It is important for these large companies to share their data with researchers, and share their data with the public. This research needs to be done transparently. It can’t just be a bunch of Cambridge Analyticas and one-on-one relationships between social media companies and researchers.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com