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The Secrets of Addiction

Dr_Hays
Mayo Clinic
4 3 496

I would like to recommend a very informative article recently published in National Geographic Magazine titled “How Science is Unlocking the Secrets of Addiction”.  If you are interested, you can access the article online.

 

Our understanding of the complexity of addiction is improving considerably.  Research, using scanning technologies, is identifying more specifically the physical changes that occur in the brain as regular use of drugs gradually hijacks our natural reward mechanisms. 

 

As addiction develops, habits become hardwired and preoccupations to use a drug can override more rationale decision-making areas in the brain.  And, as recovery happens, healthy habits are relearned, the brain can ‘re-wire’ and a person can regain their ability to make healthy choices free from craving and preoccupation.

 

The article, illustrations, and video available at the National Geographic link do a wonderful job of summarizing a vast amount of research into addictions.  While the research is on a variety of drugs in addition to tobacco, it is all quite applicable to tobacco addiction.  I hope you find it useful in your recovery!

Let us know what you think in the comments.

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About the Author
An expert in tobacco use and dependence, Dr. Hays has authored and co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed scholarly articles and book chapters on various aspects tobacco dependence and its treatment. Since joining the Nicotine Dependence Center in 1992, he and its staff have treated more than 50,000 patients for tobacco dependence.