Realizations Inc

Acupuncture

Acupuncture can help to relieve some types of pain, and may also reduce symptoms of withdrawal from drug addiction. (Benson, Herbert, MD., with Marg Stark. Timeless Healing. NY: Scribner, 1996, pp 108-109)

Addictive Brain

Definition: a brain that has been altered by a drug to the point that it is no longer in command of its own operation. (Bragdon, Allen D., and David Gamon, PhD. Brains that Work a Little Bit Differently. NY:  Barnes and Noble Books, 2000, pp 28-32)

Addictive Behaviors

Symptoms of addiction include dependency and cravings. Elevated levels of dopamine are associated with all major addictions. (Fisher, Helen. The First Sex. NY: Random House, 1999, p 53)

Addictive Behaviors and Substances

Explains how some addictive substances are likely designed to work (e.g., LSD blocks serotonin receptors). (Brynie, Faith Hickman. 101 Questions Your Brain Has Asked About Itself But Couldn’t Answer, Until Now. CT: Millbrook Press, 1998, pp 150-151)

Addictive Personality

Definition:  A person who substitutes another addiction for the one he/she is giving up. Lists 5 steps for getting out of an addictive relationship, and 7 stages for moving from addiction to love. (Schaeffer, Brenda. Is It Love Or Is It Addiction? CA: Harper & Row, 1987, pp 25-26, 94-95)

Addictologia

A term coined to describe alcoholic thinking plus other addictions that have are similar to alcoholism (e.g., eating disorders, sexual addiction, compulsive gambling). It describes distorted thinking, is not affected by intelligence, and usually must be identified from outside the addict. (Twerski, Abraham, MD. Addictive Thinking. CA: Harper & Row, 1990, pp 4-13)

Adolescence and Addiction

Overcoming addictive behaviors is especially difficult during adolescence. Because of incompletely developed prefrontal lobes, the braking mechanism isn’t in place. Thus, consequences can’t be foreseen, and momentary pleasure trumps any thought of future consequences. (Restak, Richard, MD. The Secret Life of the Brain. Washington D.C.: The Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press, 2001, p 85)

Alcohol

Children of alcoholics are 4 times more likely than other people to become addicted to drink, even if they are brought up away from their natural parents. (Carter, Rita. Mapping the Mind. CA: University of California Press, 1998, p 69)

Alcohol and Sugar

Study by Dr. Ruth Adams: There seems to be a correlation between sugar addiction and alcohol addiction. (Appleton, Nancy, PhD. Lick the Sugar Habit. NY: Avery Penguin Putnam, 1996, pp 112-118)

Anger

Anger is often a habit, an addiction. The reason is never the reason (e.g., people are rarely angry for the reason they think they are angry). (Fox, Arnold, MD, and Barry Fox, PhD. Wake Up! You’re Alive! FL: Health Communications, 1988, pp 174-176)

Anti-depressants

Discusses the appropriate use of antidepressant drugs as merely stimulants to jumpstart individuals at a difficult time in life. Without simultaneous therapy to induce personal changes the individual may become dependent on the antidepressants for life. (Glenmullen, Joseph, MD. Prozac Backlash. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000, p 253)

Bliss, Opiate

The bliss perceived by taking opiates is not generated by the brain, but by receptor-bearing cells all over the bodies (e.g., blood, organs, muscles, tissue, bones). Bliss registers in these cells at the same time as it registers in the brain. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Brain

Studies over 3 decades:  Structural and functional brain changes occur with repeated drug abuse. Extensive brain changes can include damage to nerve cells and altered biochemical mechanisms in communication pathways. (Zickler, Patrick. Acute Dopamine Surge May Erode Resolve to Abstain. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 1, April, 2004, pp S1 – S16)

Early experiences (nurture) in early life affects gene expression, neural pathways, and brain function. This shapes:

• Temperament and social development
• Language and literacy capability
• Perceptual and cognitive ability
• How we cope with our daily experiences
• Physical and mental health and behaviour and addiction in adult life
• Physical activity and performance (e. g., skiing, skating, swimming)

(Mustard, J. Fraser, MD. Early Childhood Development: How does experience in early life affect brain development? 2008. P. 15.)

Rehearsing a new alternative with emotional intensity creates a new highway in the brain. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 136-140)

Brain Reward System

All drugs of abuse impact the mesolimbic reward system, activated by dopamine. Romantic love stimulates parts of the same pathway with the same chemical, dopamine. (Fisher, Helen. Why We Love. NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2004, pp 182-186)

Drug addiction is a brain disease, based on the power of substances to fool the brain into responding as it would to natural neurotransmitters. Drugs of abuse impact the pleasure centers of the brain including the mesolimbic reward system. (Restak, Richard, MD. The Secret Life of the Brain. Washington D.C.: The Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press, 2001, p 82)

The pain pleasure center in the limbic area transfers information (e.g., opiate bliss) to the frontal cortex. It is only at this point that conscious ideas are formed about what is being felt. The experience itself occurs at a preconscious, physiological level. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Bulimia

Bulimia is believed to affect 4% - 5% of college women but only 1 in 300 men. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. NY: Broadway Books, 2004, p xiii)

Caffeine

Caffeine is addictive and it is easy to become dependent on it. Withdrawal symptoms include headache, fatigue, lethargy, mood changes, muscle pain, stiffness, flu-like feelings, nausea, and cravings for caffeine. (Carper, Jean. Your Miracle Brain. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 2000, pp 178-190)

Carbohydrate Addict

Carbohydrate addicts may gravitate toward different foods at any given stage in the addictive process, Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3. By changing number of times per day carbohydrates are ingested, the individual can reduce cravings and increase the body’s tendency to lose weight. (Keller, Rachael F., PhD, and Richard F. Heller. The Carbohydrate Addict’s Diet. NY:  A Signet Book, 1991, pp. 40-47, 66-70)

Catharsis

Catharsis can be addicting (because of the molecules that are released in the process).

(Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Cellular Memory

Refer to Cellular Memory and the Brain for additional information related to Epigenetics

Cocaine and Newborns

Studies: Cocaine-exposed babies show signs of addiction at birth. As with prenatal exposure to alcohol, these babies have a lower birth weight, are shorter, and have a smaller head. They cry, often piercingly, shake, show erratic sleep-wake cycles, have trouble feeding, and are difficult to comfort. (Karr-Morse, Robin, and Meredith S. Wiley. Ghosts from the Nursery, Tracing the Roots of Violence. NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997, pp 72-73)

Communication

Refer to Communication and the Brain for additional information

Conditioned Response

Any pattern of emotion or behavior that is continually reinforced will become an automatic and conditioned response. What is not reinforced will eventually dissipate. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 136-140)

Core Issues

A craving can be triggered by exposure to drugs (that used to be used/abused), by a stressful event, and/or by an environmental cue associated with past drug taking. (Zickler, Patrick. Addictive Drugs and Stress. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 18, No 5, Dec 2003, pp 1, 6-7)

Study: There appears to be a male-female difference in selected key brain regions in relation to cocaine craving. Provides a helpful table listing 5 brain regions and differences between men and women. (Whitten, Lori. Men and Women may Process cocaine Cues Differently. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 4, Dec 2004, pp 4-5)

Whatever people link pain and/or pleasure with shapes their lives. People can override the brain’s pain and pleasure centers temporarily, but if they don’t deal with the root (eliminate the cause of the problem) it will likely resurface. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 56-62)

Definition

Addiction is an imbalance or unease within the body/mind. Typical characteristics of the addition-prone individual includes extreme anxiety, restlessness, insecurity, and reaching outside for satisfaction. (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1992, pp 273-276)

Dopamine

Studies of biological basis of desire to take drugs: fluctuations in dopamine (brain chemical) levels in the nucleus accumbens. This can occur by drugs itself or by an encounter with someone/something associated with past drug-taking. (Zickler, Patrick. Acute Dopamine Surge May Erode Resolve to Abstain. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 1, April, 2004, pp 1, 6)

Drugs that increase dopamine, or events that produce a flood of it, speed up the brain clock and time may then seem to slow down. The individual may perceive he/she is thinking more clearly. (Carter, Rita. Exploring Consciousness. CA: University of California Press, 1998, pp 260-267)

Downshifting

Refer to Downshifting and the Brain for additional information

Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a brain disease, based on the power of substances to fool the brain into responding as it would to natural neurotransmitters. (Restak, Richard, MD. The Secret Life of the Brain. Washington D.C.: The Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press, 2001, p 82)

Study: evidence that at least some of the negative brain effects related to methamphetamine abuse may be reversible with 9-17 months abstinence. Describes technique using positron emission tomography (PET). Web site: www.drugabuse.gov (Zickler, Patrick. . Long-Term Abstinence Brings Partial Recovery from Methamphetamine Damage. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 4, Dec 2004, pp 1, 6)

Drug addiction is caused by a chain of events that are similar to hunger. Lists examples of neurotransmitters that are impacted by a variety of drugs. (Carter, Rita. Mapping the Mind. CA: University of California Press, 1998, 69)

Summarizes the effects of substances on the brain (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, opiates). (Greenfield, Susan, Con. Ed. Brain Power, Working out the Human Mind. Great Britain: Element books Limited, 1999, pp 90-94)

Estimates

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), in the USA there are 47 million smokers, 8.2 million alcoholics, and 3.5 million illicit drug users. All three types of drugs stimulate production of dopamine in the pleasure centers of the brain. Levels of serotonin, GABA, and norepinephrine may also be increased. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003, pp 287-290)

Extroversion

An extreme form of low gain (extroversion) is sensation seeking. Sensation seekers want more of everything and tend to: use recreational drugs (e.g., marijuana, amphetamines), smoke more cigarettes, prefer more intense taste experiences, engage more often in physically risky activities (e.g., parachuting, motorcycling, scuba diving, fire fighting). (Ornstein, Robert, PhD. The Roots of the Self – Unraveling the Mystery of Who we Are. NY: HarperCollins Publishing, 1995, p 57)

Food

People can become addicted to food, or at least to eating. It can be difficult to change this habit because food can’t be completely eliminated (as can be done for cigarettes, alcohol, or other drugs). (Bost, Brent W., MD, FACOG. Hurried Woman Syndrome. NY: Vantage Press, 2001, pp 90-91)

It can be a huge challenge to help people who are addicted to food or alcohol overcome a sense of despair when they lose the highs associated with the addictive behaviors. (Woodman, Marion. Addiction to Perfection: Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books, 1982, pp 24-30)

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a gift to yourself, a way to stop harboring destructive feelings that sap health and happiness. It allows the body to turn down the manufacture of catabolic chemicals, and instructs the subconscious to banish negative feelings. Forgiveness has little to do with others and everything to do with you. (Fox, Arnold, MD, and Barry Fox, PhD. Wake Up! You’re Alive! FL: Health Communications, 1988, pp 102-107)

Gambling

The Variable Schedule of Reinforcement helps push people to keep gambling. Once they’ve gambled, been rewarded, and linked pleasure to the reward, the excitement and anticipation pushes them to go forward. When they haven’t won for awhile, often they have an even stronger sense that maybe this time they’ll win. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 142-143)

Pathological gambling tends to resemble alcoholism (e.g., lack of impulse control that may be related to ADD). EEGs showed abnormality in alternating between right and left hemispheres and some reversals (e.g., left activated during nonverbals). (Bricklin, Mark, et al. Positive Living and Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1990, p 471)

Hard versus Soft

What holds true for hard addictions holds true for soft ones, too (e.g., workaholism, perfectionism, procrastination, sugar, coffer, nicotine, unhealthy relationships). (Padus, Emrika, et al. The Complete Guide to Your Emotions & Your Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1992, pp 273-275)

Humor

Humor can be useful in addiction therapy to help express negative emotions in a positive light and relieve feelings of despair and hopelessness. Humor doesn’t necessarily build self-esteem but an ability to laugh at oneself can be crucial in the basic recovery stages. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20 / 20 Thinking. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003,  pp 104-105)

Laughter

Refer to Laughter and the Brain for additional information

Love Addicts

Love addicts need love desperately but are also desperately afraid of it. There are more female than male love addicts. The females tend to fall in love with unattainable or totally inappropriate men who will hurt them. (Stump, Jane Barr, PhD. What’s the Difference? NY: William Morrow, 1985, p 120)

Love is addictive in the sense that many use erotic love as an attempt to fill a void or relieve the fear of loneliness. Lists 20 characteristics of addictive love. Intensity is often directly proportion to one’s sense of unmet childhood needs. (Schaeffer, Brenda. Is It Love Or Is It Addiction? CA: Harper & Row, 1987, pp 22, 38)

Love

You can be addicted to being in love. We’re addicted because we get a psychological, physiologic and/or a social “lift” from our behavior. (Fox, Arnold, MD, and Barry Fox, PhD. Wake Up! You’re Alive! FL: Health Communications, 1988, pp 174-176)

Love, Romantic

A person can become addicted to romantic love, as it affects parts of the same pathway as do drugs of abuse. Dopamine can trigger frantic efforts by a lover when the affair appears to be in jeopardy, as levels increase when the reward is delayed. (Fisher, Helen. The First Sex. NY: Random House, 1999, pp 53, 182)

Marijuana Smokers

Studies:  marijuana dependence, like dependence on other addictive drugs, is associated with withdrawal symptoms (e. g., irritability, anger, depressed mood, headaches, restlessness, lack of appetite, cravings) that appear to be as severe as those associated with tobacco smoking. Website: www.drugabuse.gov (Zickler, Patrick, Staff Writer. Study Demonstrates that Marijuana Smokers Experience Significant Withdrawal. National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Volume 17, Number 3, pp 7-10)

Mind-Altering Substance

Tobacco, marijuana, alcohol, cocaine are mind-altering substances that interfere with the body/mind’s ability to regulate its own moods. Chronic use will eventually cause the cells to stop manufacturing “feel-good” peptides, leading to a craving for higher doses of the artificial stimulant. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Motivating Force

Virtually everything we do is to change the way we feel…Everything we do in life is either out of a need to avoid pain or a desire to gain pleasure. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 26, 53-55)

Obsession

An obsession (e.g., psychic energy is focused in one area of the personality) is the main symptom of the pursuit of perfection. (Woodman, Marion. Addiction to Perfection. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books, 1982, pp 51-52)Opiate Receptor Sites

Opiate receptors are densest in the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex of the human brain, although they occur in every other part of the body. There is also a dense concentration in the limbic system (pain/pleasure center). (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, pp 123, 134-135)

Opiates

When morphine or opium enters the body, its molecules are attracted to opiate receptors on cell surfaces. The opiate and receptor molecules bind together, transferring information into the cell. The cell responds by experiencing bliss. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Patriarchy

Patriarchal cultures emphasize perfection and specialization. Consequently, many people in those cultures, especially unhappy females, exhibit addictive behaviors with food, alcohol, cleaning, perfectionism, etc. (Woodman, Marion. Addiction to Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books, 1982, pp 8-10)

Recovery

More than simple abstinence is required to achieve real recovery from addictive behaviors. Healthy thought patterns must be adopted and pathological thoughts systems relinquished. (Twerski, Abraham, MD. Addictive Thinking. CA: Harper & Row, 1990, pp 79-80)

Addictions can be reversed with time and patience. When tempted to light a cigarette or a joint, ask yourself what you are feeling at that moment. Try to identify the discomfort that the drug typically masks. Encouraging a free flow of emotions will lessen the need for an external boost and reinforce your body’s ability to get high all by itself. (Pert, Candace, PhD. Your Body is Your Subconscious Mind (audiocassettes). CO: Sounds True, 2000)

Summarizes a variety of therapies to help recover from addictive behaviors. Lists pharmacological treatments for substance abuse. (Greenwood-Robinson, Maggie, PhD. 20/20 Thinking. NY: Avery, Putnam Special Markets, 2003, pp 287-305)

Reframing

The meaning of an event depends upon the “frame” in which it is perceived. Change the frame and the meaning changes, along with responses and behaviors. NOTE: reframing doesn’t work well with people who are severely dissociated (e.g., alcoholics, drug addicts, manic-depressives, multiple personalities, some smokers, some overeaters). (Bandler, Richard, and John Grinder. Reframing. UT: Real People Press, 1982, pp 1-2, 6-8. 15)

Relapse

Changes to nerve cells in the brain can impact a person’s susceptibility to relapse related to drug taking. (Zickler, Patrick. Addictive Drugs and Stress. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 18, No 5, Dec 2003, pp 1, 6-7)

Studies at UC San Francisco: Addiction is caused by more than the pharmacological effects of a given drug, Drug addiction is a life-long disease. Although drug-taking behaviors may be absent, the ‘memory’ makes relapse not only possible but likely. (Science News. Cocaine Addiction Linked To Voluntary Drug Use And Cellular Memory, Study Shows. 2008, Article)

Relaxation Response

Describes benefits of using the Relaxation Responses in decreased drug use (e.g., narcotics, nicotine, hard liquor, marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, hallucinogens). (Benson, Herbert, MD, with Miriam Z. Klipper. The Relaxation Response. NY: Avon Books, 1975, pp 149-157)

Repetition

Studies by Michael Merzenich of UCSF:  the more a person indulges in any pattern of behavior the stronger that pattern becomes. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 117-120)

Relationships

The less good or playful a relationship feels, the more it stimulates an appetite for external distractions (including alcohol, drugs, and food). (Goldberg, Herb, PhD. The New Male-Female Relationship. NY: Signet Books, 1983, p 187)

Replacement Behavior

Study: individuals who replaced addictive behaviors with a new alternative were much more successful long term than those who used external or internal pressure. And those who also rehearsed it with emotional intensity were the most successful. (Robbins, Anthony. Awaken the Giant Within. NY: Fireside, 1991, pp 136-140)

Rewiring

Your habitual attitudes form neural circuits in the brain. If you choose to maintain a specific attitude, the brain can literally rewire itself to facilitate that attitude. (Childre, Doc and Howard Martin. The HeartMath Solution. CA: Harper SF, 1999, pp 195-196)

Risk Addicts

Risk addicts take rash, rather than calculated risk. Typical profile: a male who is immature, impulsive, aggressive, resents authority, and thinks he is above ordinary mortals. (Bricklin, Mark, et al. Positive Living and Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1990, pp 406-408)

Risk of Addiction

Studies (genetic research and brain imaging): Social factors are more important in initial drug experimentation/use. Genetics, personality and certain mental disorders (e.g., untreated ADHD, conduct disorder, depressions, anxiety) are more important determinants in whether an adolescent moves from drug use to abuse/addiction. (Why are Some People More likely to Become Addicted to Drugs? MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 1, April, 2004, p S6)

Sex

Refer to Sex and the Brain for additional information

Sexual Addiction

Like gambling, sex can also be addictive in many respects. (Quartz, Steven R., PhD, and Terrence J. Sejnowski PhD. Liars, Lovers, and Heroes. NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002, p 147)

A sex addict is a person who has developed an addiction to the hormonal cocktail (e.g., serotonin, dopamine, phenylethylamine, norepinephrine) released during the infatuation stage, and who is trying to sustain a permanent high. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Have a clue and Women Always Need More Shoes. NY: Broadway Books, 2004, pp 226-230)

The excitement of sex is much like the high caused by a drug. It can include the product of fantasy, reaching for forbidden fruit, working to “please” the other, overcoming challenge and rejection, and gaining reassurance of being loved. (Goldberg, Herb, PhD. The New Male-Female Relationship. NY: Signet Books, 1983, pp 233-234)

Males = about 8% are addicted to sex. Females – less than 3%. (Pease, Barbara and Allan. Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps. NY: Broadway Books, 1998, p 203)

Smoking

Study: Among children who had smoked at least once, there was a 20% higher risk of addiction if mothers had smoked up to a pack per day while pregnant, and a 60% increased risk if mothers had smoked a pack a day or more. (Mann, Arnold. Smoking Exposure In Utero Increases Risk of Later Addiction. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 19, No 4, Dec 2004, pp 9-10)

Nicotine is very addictive – every effort should be made by pregnant mother to avoid smoking during pregnancy (for a smarter child with higher potential). The fewer cigarettes, the lesser the effects to the developing fetal brain. (Diamond, Marian, PhD, and Janet Hopson. Magic Trees of the Mind. NY: A Dutton Book 1998, pp 78-80)

Smoking can be a difficult habit to change and you must want to quit in order to do it. Four types of smokers: habit smoker, positive affect smoker, negative affect smoker, physical or psychological addicted smoker. (Bricklin, Mark, et al. Positive Living and Health. PA: Rodale Press, 1990, pp 290-292)

Stress

Refer to Stress and the Brain for additional information

Studies. There appears to be an interaction between stress and the start of drug use and/or in relapse (e.g., reawakening a learned behavior). Stress can induce long term potentiation in cells that release dopamine in the VTA (ventral tegmental area) of the brain. (Zickler, Patrick. Addictive Drugs and Stress. MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA NOTES, Vol 18, No 5, Dec 2003, pp 1, 6-7)

Substances

Refer to Substances and the Brain for additional information

Sugar

Refer to Sugar and the Brain for more information

Sugar

Sugar is a drug that can become addictive. It is analogous to, if not as dangerous as, shooting heroin. Glucose, the only fuel the brain needs to function, is produced naturally by the body. Sugar, although utilized by the body in the same way as the natural form, floods and desensitizes receptors, interfering with feedback loops that regulate the availability of instant energy (e.g., glycogen release from the liver). (Pert, Candace, PhD. Molecules of Emotion. NY: Scribner, 1997, pp 298-300)

Sugar and refined carbohydrates can produce a temporary high through an increase in dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Sugar, white flour, and refined carbohydrates are addictive substances that have effects on brain neurotransmitters that are similar to those of alcohol. (Appleton, Nancy, PhD. Lick the Sugar Habit. NY: Avery Penguin Putnam, 1996, pp 114-118)

Television Viewing

Refer to Television - Videos and the Brain for additional information

Television viewing is potentially addictive. Provides statistics about harmful effects that can weaken brain power (e.g., bypasses filtering functions of the frontal lobes). (Nedley, Neil, MD. Proof Positive. Published by Neil Nedley, Quality Books, Inc. 1998, 1999, pp 282-290)

Video Games

Dr. Daniel Amen has recommended to parents that children spend no more than 30 minutes a day playing video games. This is because (according to brain imaging studeis), video games impact the same area of the brain as cocaine and methamphetamine. When you play video games your brain really likes it because the process increases the amount of dopamine being released in the brain. "When you try to take those games away from them )the kids), they get really upset. In fact, some even go through withdrawal symptoms when they aren’t allowed to play.) According to Dr. Amen, this is because playing video games release much dopamine that there isn’t enough of the chemical available for the little things in life. Other activities and relationships that would normally make your children happy leave them feeling nothing at all. (Amen, Daniel, MD. (http://www.amenclinics.com/blog/3500/how-video-games-are-like-cocaine/)

Withdrawal Phase

Many phobias, anxieties, and obsessions can develop during the withdrawal phase of addiction. Brain allergies or inflammations in specific areas of the central nervous system can cause emotional reactions from minor to psychotic proportions. (Appleton, Nancy, PhD. Lick the Sugar Habit. NY: Avery Penguin Putnam, 1996, pp 44-50)