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Funny that an article inventorying the effects of alcohol fails to discuss how it addicts some people. [edit: I meant failure to discuss mechanisms of addictio

by davi 16y ago

Funny that an article inventorying the effects of alcohol fails to discuss how it addicts some people. [edit: I meant failure to discuss mechanisms of addiction to alcohol, which are at least as interesting the biochemical pathways by which alcohol is metabolized, if not as well understood.]

darklajid 16y ago
Quote (emphasis mine) from the beginning of the article: We're taking a few things for granted here: that you understand some of the basics of alcohol consumption, blood alcohol content, legal limits, what it feels like when you've had too much to drink, and the serious illness of alcoholism. [Edit: Responding to your edit: Agreed. As far as I know, alcohol detoxification(?) is far harder (and needs to be done more careful) than getting off of even some of the hard drugs (heroin, lots of meds, etc). It would have been intesting to see this "myth" of mine to be confirmed or busted in an article like that as well.]
- Perceval 16y ago
  The article intimates at the answer to why alcohol withdrawal can be more difficult and dangerous than hard drugs. Recall the part where they explain how cocaine and heroin and speed only work on one neurotransmitter principally, whereas alcohol works on a large number (dopamine, seratonin, GABA, norepinephrine, etc)—scalpel vs. hand grenade. So in withdrawing from cocaine or heroin or nicotine you can prescribe someone a drug that works on the relevant receptors, blocking or even reversing the effect of the drug. For example, I recall that buproprion is prescribed to treat nicotine addiction because it blocks nicotine's effect on norepinephrine receptors. The strategy with heroin or cocaine withdrawal might be similar, targeting the opioid or dopamine receptors respectively. Contrast this with the wider effects of alcohol, influencing half a dozen or more neurotransmitters. There's no easy strategy to target the chemical dependencies your brain has built up because there're too many. So while heroin and cocaine are more immediately addictive than alcohol, withdrawal from alcoholism (once it has developed) can be just as dangerous and sometimes more so.

by davi 16y ago

darklajid 16y ago

Quote (emphasis mine) from the beginning of the article: We're taking a few things for granted here: that you understand some of the basics of alcohol consumption, blood alcohol content, legal limits, what it feels like when you've had too much to drink, and the serious illness of alcoholism. [Edit: Responding to your edit: Agreed. As far as I know, alcohol detoxification(?) is far harder (and needs to be done more careful) than getting off of even some of the hard drugs (heroin, lots of meds, etc). It would have been intesting to see this "myth" of mine to be confirmed or busted in an article like that as well.]

Perceval 16y ago
The article intimates at the answer to why alcohol withdrawal can be more difficult and dangerous than hard drugs. Recall the part where they explain how cocaine and heroin and speed only work on one neurotransmitter principally, whereas alcohol works on a large number (dopamine, seratonin, GABA, norepinephrine, etc)—scalpel vs. hand grenade. So in withdrawing from cocaine or heroin or nicotine you can prescribe someone a drug that works on the relevant receptors, blocking or even reversing the effect of the drug. For example, I recall that buproprion is prescribed to treat nicotine addiction because it blocks nicotine's effect on norepinephrine receptors. The strategy with heroin or cocaine withdrawal might be similar, targeting the opioid or dopamine receptors respectively. Contrast this with the wider effects of alcohol, influencing half a dozen or more neurotransmitters. There's no easy strategy to target the chemical dependencies your brain has built up because there're too many. So while heroin and cocaine are more immediately addictive than alcohol, withdrawal from alcoholism (once it has developed) can be just as dangerous and sometimes more so.