In a science lab in Ohio there are a set of rats who were turned into addicts. They get high by tapping a tiny bar in their cage, this sends a signal to electrodes that are inserted into the part of the brain that is affected by drugs. Each tap brings a jolt of pleasure or a high. The rats will keep tapping this bar over and over. They don’t stop for anything, not to eat, drink, rest or even have sex. They just tap the bar and feed their addiction until they die.
Scientists then made it harder for the rats to get high. They have the rats to cross an electrified grid to get to the bar. The result continued to be the same: The addiction overwhelmed their survival instinct. Obviously rats aren’t people but it’s the same principal: Addiction, without Ohio addiction treatment, addiction can be lethal.
Lander’s gave his presentation earlier this year to a packed house of judges, law-enforcement officers and treatment professionals during a statewide opiate conference in Columbus
Lander hopes that family member that see his study will no longer ask their loved ones “Why can’t you just stop?” His study shows how addiction makes chemical changes to a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, it is the pleasure center of the brain.
Lander tries to show and explain to family members that “the addict in front of you is no longer your son or daughter”. His or her brain has been substantively changed by addiction. Whether that addiction is to drugs, alcohol or something else.
In the addict’s brain their perception of the world is dramatically altered, much like that of the person who’s had too many drinks at a party but insists that he or she is sober enough to drive home. It’s obvious to those who aren’t intoxicated how moronic that person is being.
“Our biggest problem is not them; it’s ourselves,” Lander said. “We want them to just quit, and they can’t, so we become frustrated with how they behave.
“The blood-brain barrier, which normally does a good job of screening out harmful toxins, allows tiny molecules of alcohol, marijuana, opiates and other drugs to slip into the brain.
There, drugs affect two chemical messengers: They produce a flood of dopamine, which generates a feeling of euphoria and inhibits the brain’s ability to absorb serotonin, which helps control a wide range of emotions.
Even one dose of a drug affects the brain; continued use can produce devastating results.
“There’s no such thing as a little cocaine or crack use,” Lander said. “This is going to affect you for a significant period of time.”
Family member’s of addicts and alcoholics need to realize that their loved ones who are struggling with addiction or alcoholism need help to stop. With the help of an Ohio detox or an Ohio addiction treatment center sobriety should be easier to obtain. Getting sober and staying sober without the help of an Ohio addiction treatment center can be extremely difficult.
Think of addiction and alcoholism as a disease, which it has been proven to be. If a disease goes untreated it will only get worse. It will start impacting all different areas of one’s life and in some instances it can be deadly.
Please seek out Ohio addiction treatment centers and/or Ohio detox for yourself or a loved one if you are struggling with addiction or alcoholism. This disease doesn’t have to be a deadly one, seek out help today and change the statistics on addiction.
