It seems that capsaicin, in green chillies has been found to have addictive potential. caffeine has been long known to have some of it. And apparenty all medicines, anti-depressants and laxatives included, produce some alterations in our body that makes the body want it more. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes a lot more. Probably the slow breeze from a fan.
It seems that the current definitions of what addiction has do with a state when u can't give up something, and it is causing you some distress. And the difference between our routine 'dependance' on some of our necessities, and alcohol-nicotine-street drugs seem to be the activation of a particular pathway in out brain. (Dopaminergic conenctions from VTA to the cortex, actually). Essentially that the 'dangerous' ones act of these pathways and modify your brain in a way that normal drives are altered. And hopefully our regular addictions don't. We don't know if they do, but till then, we can be paranoid. Or maybe feel good.
osho
8 comments:
Well well well.. lookit what we found in the wee lil corner of the net! Comments are reserved till next time. When you turn on anonymous Comments. And no tis not because people react too strongly. Its just that anonymous comments set you free
done.. :)
Hey,
Nice post :)
Got here from Dr.Blame it on the broken fan regulator's blog.
Osho, you unmentionable you owe me for both increasing traffic on your blog and apparently people comment. And chait what's all the morpheous talk that anonymous comments set you tree... like the red pill
thankee.. :) And will buy u coffee/booze for the link hon.
uff. not to sound pedantic. but. qualify "damage". is it just dopaminergic neurons misfiring? reasonably sure that psychological addictants as sapping as the physical ones. or am i very wrong?
anyway, the thing is, am going to say what i said before, again--in re ur old post. mind control/antidepressant addiction not a pleasant thought to contemplate because it takes control of ones life out of ones hands. and the /feeling/ of powerlessness that suggest should be sufficiently damaging. because it says hey we thought u couldn't be safely put in charge of ur brain without doing damage, so here, use a muzzle. or a strainer, to remove the bilgey thoughts from ur mind.
dunno if this is the unrealistic silly view to take (really--this isn't sarcasm) but can't help thinking it sometimes.
vk.
ps: hurrah for the 'anon. thingy btw. reason i'm using it is that i quite dislike the big blue vijay that would show up if i were to use my name. analyse that. :-/
One. i never said 'damage'. So.. dunno what you're talking about. yes, it is DA neurons misfiring, as I did say. psychological addictants 'sapping'? :) the question is rather un-answerable because you're using words which can mean different things for different people. Do psychological addictions produce as much dysfunction as physical ones? Difficult to measure in equivalent amounts. there must be studies to say that they're more/equal but difficult to say because 'behavioral' addictions are not well defined as yet, in comparison with the regular addictions. Attempts on the way, but still not there.
Agree with your idea on anti-depresant addiction. If it really exists, then it could be something for us to worry about. As I said, till then... Anyway, Its the same evident fear of losing control of your mind that i'm talking about. why aren't u afraid of losing control of yout Gut when you're taking a GI medicaiton.(if u can't take care of your GIT, won't u take a strainer to it?) Of course, the primacy of the mind/identity bit. But it shouldn't stop us form taking treatment for a pre-frontal cortex in need of help.(that would be like thinking that you can control the microbes in your gut with your mind/gut). And if then, if an anti-depressant addiction exists outside the realm of the paranoia of tom cruise-likes, then we should be looking for ways to deal with that. And maybe not give up antidepressants.
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