Addition Smoking Alcohol

Smoking and alcohol addictions are very common in today's society. Addicting substances such as nicotine and ethanol, found in cigarettes and beer respectively, lead to addiction when consumed frequently or too quickly. While it is known that smoking can cause cancer and other lung-related problems, it is the addiction that controls the self-destructive behaviour associated with smoking.

 

Alcohol is considered a depressant and has many different medical uses; however, drinking alcohol excessively over time causes serious health problems including cirrhosis of the liver and several types of cancer. Addiction to smoking or alcohol often goes untreated due to a lack of knowledge surrounding these addictions. Addicts need to understand what factors such as genetics play a role in dependence upon their drug of choice.

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Addicts must be open about their addictions and willing to undergo treatment to become sober. Smoking and alcohol addictions are very common in today's society, but can easily be overcome with treatment from medical professionals.

Of the two addictions studied, smoking addiction is more prevalent across all age groups. In fact, according to a 2010 study published in Addictive Behaviours, ninety percent of smokers reported that they started smoking before turning nineteen years old.

 

Alcohol addiction is also prevalent worldwide; however, there is usually a greater percentage of adults who have struggled with alcohol addiction compared to teenagers struggling with smoking addiction. More research has been conducted on the topic of alcohol dependence than on tobacco use, which results in a greater amount of information regarding alcohol addiction. To better understand how these addictions affect the human brain, studies have been conducted using mice models.

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In a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, scientists explored how smoking affects the reward circuit region within the brain. When studying mice models, one group was given access to nicotine solutions while an untreated control group had no exposure to nicotine during their early years. Both groups of mice were then divided into two age-matched cohorts that received either saline or ethanol injections for ten days straight. The researchers used microdialysis techniques to monitor brain activity within the nucleus accumbens (NAc), part of the reward circuit located at the base of the forebrain.