This is a very interesting link
 

Memoirs of an Addicted Brain | A neuroscientist examines his former life on drugs.

I read his blog and there are some very interesting articles. This guy was an addict from age 16 to 30, then got clean and became a neuroscientist. He wrote his book to describe both the subjective and the physical things that go on in the brain with addiction.

I found the article within his blog on the tipping point extremely interesting.
Hope you all enjoy. I haven't read the book, but it looks like a good one.

I read his blog a while ago, too, but haven't ordered the book yet. Must get to that. It sounds like quite a story.

I love neuroscience :)

I once did a study with the University Of Chicago doing brain imaging with chronic alcoholics/drug addicts. Of course, I did it for the money but it was scary seeing my results. It had pockets of empty space where normal peoples didn't. Interestingly enough, alcohol seems to produce the most holes in the brain imaging.

Thanks for sharing. I'll have to spend some time and perhaps find the book. Very interesting!

gentle hugs
ke

I once started a thread about the damage addiction does to your brain, linking similar studies and scans--and many of the former and current addicts/alcoholics on the site jumped all over me and said the studies were flawed, the interpretation of what the images meant were flawed. They had a whole bunch of other studies that contradicted this study, blah, blah... and I got stomped on hard.

It got very ugly.

The book looks very interesting. However, it is written by someone who has not recovered enough to abstain from substance abuse. He's functioning well in society but admits he's still using. (of course that may have changed since the book came out)

Sadheart, I believe that chronic abuse of alcohol & drugs destroys your brain. I believe that even with sobriety it will never heal 100%. Sadly, seeing that brain image didn't stop me from using. I cashed my check from the study and got high the next day. :(