Question:
It occurred to me in my last posting (fairly recent) that I stated
that there is such a thing as mental addiction. I know they are certainly
more qualified people to lecture on this subject so I would like to ask
this question. Aren't all addictions mental at least to some degree? And
that even if you do have a physical addiction, to recover from this you
have undergo mental treatment as well as physical treatment. Any responses
are welcomed. Also does anyone know how good a 'zine High Times is? I
don't want to waste 30$ and up for something that is just a bunch of
pro-drug propaganda.
Answer:
Physical addiction produces pain upon withdrawal. An example would
be the physical pain caused by opiate withdrawal.
Psychological (mental) addiction produces cravings upon withdrawal. An
example would be the cravings caused by cocaine withdrawal.
Both types of addiction have physical origins at the cellular level.
The term "psychological addiction" is somewhat misleading, in that
it implies there is no physical basis -- there is.
With opiate addiction, the opioid receptor becomes desensitized
to opiates, producing tolerance and withdrawal.
Cravings are usually associated with desensitization of the dopamine
receptor, although the exact mechanism is not as clearly understood
as is with opiate addiction.
You may have heard of ibogaine, which is proported to reverse both
opiate and cocaine addiction. It is possible that ibogaine acts
at a level shared by both opiate and cocaine addiction. The
opiate receptor is in the same family as the dopamine receptor,
and they share some common mechanisms of activation and desensitization.
It is likely that even addictions such as Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder have a physical origin similar to cocaine addiction,
which is associated with the dopamine receptor
