In recent years, the United States has been plagued by an opioid epidemic. Tens of thousands of people die of drug overdoses every year. According to the CDC, in 2015 at least 33,000 people died of an opioid overdose. (CDC, 2017) To put the prevalence of opioid deaths into perspective, consider that in 2015 the total number of drug overdose deaths was estimated at 52,000 (VOX). This means that 63.4% of fatal drug overdoses in 2015 were caused by an opioid. According to the National Institute of Health, over ninety Americans die of an opioid overdose every single day. The consequences of this epidemic are staggering. Life expectancy of Americans has decreased for the first time in over twenty years (Vox), and the financial costs associated
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Cigarette addiction that examines the effects of opiate use, both short and long term. The authors postulate when a stimulus causes an arousal of emotion a negative feedback loop occurs, causing the opposite of what the stimulus elicited. An example of this would be (A) intense fear followed by (B) intense relief. As part of this experiment they examined data on IV opiate users to see test this theory. During the first few exposures the participants initially experienced a “rush” and a mild euphoria followed by cravings for the drug and mild withdrawal symptoms. As exposure increased, they found that the initial effects (Stage A) were lessened and the subsequent effects (Stage B) were intensified, meaning that the “rush” and euphoria were felt much less intensely but the cravings and withdrawal were much more severe. The brain takes much longer to return to baseline after it has been exposed to a stimulus repeatedly. A person who is experiencing heightened craving and withdrawal would find it very challenging to abstain opiates for a long enough time to return to their baseline. This theory does explain why opiate users continue to use drug even when this use comes with harsh consequences, however, it does not explain why relapse often occurs after long periods of
Cigarette addiction that examines the effects of opiate use, both short and long term. The authors postulate when a stimulus causes an arousal of emotion a negative feedback loop occurs, causing the opposite of what the stimulus elicited. An example of this would be (A) intense fear followed by (B) intense relief. As part of this experiment they examined data on IV opiate users to see test this theory. During the first few exposures the participants initially experienced a “rush” and a mild euphoria followed by cravings for the drug and mild withdrawal symptoms. As exposure increased, they found that the initial effects (Stage A) were lessened and the subsequent effects (Stage B) were intensified, meaning that the “rush” and euphoria were felt much less intensely but the cravings and withdrawal were much more severe. The brain takes much longer to return to baseline after it has been exposed to a stimulus repeatedly. A person who is experiencing heightened craving and withdrawal would find it very challenging to abstain opiates for a long enough time to return to their baseline. This theory does explain why opiate users continue to use drug even when this use comes with harsh consequences, however, it does not explain why relapse often occurs after long periods of