Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by towaway on Monday September 25, 2017 @09:53AM
(#15330450)
The article mentions naltrexone. Dr Eskapa's research of using naltrexone led to The Sinclair Method. His book is called The Cure For Alcoholism. He has made it available for free download here, https://www.dropbox.com/s/60fs7gmvbyzs1kk/Cure%20for%20Alcoh... (please do support him and buy the book if it is of use to you and you have the means)
The Sinclair Method shows that for many people alcoholism is simple chemistry and the addiction can be "unlearned" by taking naltrexone (a cheap patent free drug) an hour before drinking.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by chrisp_dc on Monday September 25, 2017 @05:17PM
(#15334246)
In my experience, yes. I previously took it for alcoholism. I found it very broad acting. I stopped drinking compulsively. I also became indifferent overeating, smoking cigarettes, sex, and pretty much everything else compulsive.
I've heard of people using it off label to lose weight.
For me it is a very strong & powerful drug, but I also know of others where it did not seem to work. I've heard if you have a family history of alcoholism it is more likely to work.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by lubujackson on Monday September 25, 2017 @12:52PM
(#15332001)
Honestly, doing something "an hour before" doing something compulsive might be a placebo that trains people to delay doing something destructive. Once that happens, it is much easier to stop doing it completely. I imagine if there was a diet that said "drink a cup of water before eating that cupcake" it might be equally as effective for compulsive eaters.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by rabidrat on Monday September 25, 2017 @01:14PM
(#15332182)
Addiction is an "every minute" kind of thing. Sometimes you can put something off for an hour, or know that e.g. dinnertime is the time we open the wine, so you can wait. But then after an hour, it's still there, and another hour, and another, and then you break down and give in when it is late or you are alone. Which then negates/resets any value gotten from the initial delay. So I don't think this is a placebo at all.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by firethief on Monday September 25, 2017 @01:44PM
(#15332443)
Speculating about the drug's performance vs placebo is an argument from imagined evidence -- in this case contrafactual. As with most drugs, placebo is the benchmark naltrexone had to beat to demonstrate efficacy.
Also note when researching - many people prescribe naltrexone to be taken every day along with abstinence, and infact when taken this way it's shown to be no better than a placebo. When taken as per The Sinclair Method it has been shown to be over 85% effective.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by lastofus on Monday September 25, 2017 @01:04PM
(#15332105)
Many alcoholics are already quite adept at delayed gratification, whether it be waiting until they get home for the night before pounding 5-10 drinks, or even waiting for loved ones to go to sleep so they can "hide" their habit.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by pizza on Monday September 25, 2017 @04:36PM
(#15333904)
Addiction isn't a soft lack of will but an iron surplus of it despite perennial invectives; it's antifragile. Any cessation/treatment regimen/regime imposed on someone else merely reinforces their drive.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by rhizome on Monday September 25, 2017 @02:52PM
(#15332950)
And heck, "dry drunks" can go the rest of their lives pretending alcoholism isn't having a negative effect on their lives and the lives of those around them.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by sjg007 on Tuesday September 26, 2017 @11:23AM
(#15339441)
It's an AA term. The narrative is that you are still an "addict" even if you are sober if you haven't dealt with the underlying emotional and psychological issues e.g. worked the steps.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by towaway on Monday September 25, 2017 @03:57PM
(#15333560)
Interestingly, many prescribe naltrexone along with abstinence, and say the drug should be taken every day. In clinical trials when taken this way it is shown to be no better than a placebo, but in trials when taken as per The Sinclair Method (ie, pill only taken an hour before drinking) it is shown to be far more effective. Here's some links to some studied - http://www.c3foundationeurope.org/clinical-trial-evidence/
People undergoing The Sinclair Method often find there are two parts to their addiction - the chemical part, and the habitual part. Sometimes once the chemical part is extinguished they also have the habitual part to stop.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by ZeroGravitas on Tuesday September 26, 2017 @04:08AM
(#15336997)
The habit/chemistry dichotomy is also part of giving up cigarettes.
There are questionnaires you can take to reveal how much your addiction is chemical led e.g. do you smoke first thing in the morning (when the chemical levels are low) or do you smoke as part of some routine.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by pbhjpbhj on Monday September 25, 2017 @04:56PM
(#15334060)
>In clinical trials when taken this way it is shown to be no better than a placebo //
What levels of effectiveness is that. Placebo's are reported as being pretty strong medicine: no better than placebo is pretty good if your placebo is effective in 40% of cases for example.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by astura on Monday September 25, 2017 @01:14PM
(#15332179)
Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist, so it has a very plausible mechanism of action. It disrupts alcohol's effects on the brain when you drink after taking naltrexone. This disruption can cause the alcoholic to quit (or significantly reduce consumption) naturally over time.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by uptime on Tuesday September 26, 2017 @08:14AM
(#15337916)
From a lot of proximity to this behavior in all of it's forms, there is no one solution and alternative habit forming that creates a mindful pause is one of them.
Unless this drug has a 100% success rate I take the placebo observation as a valid one. But it should not 100% discount the drug efficacy out of hand either.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by wallace_f on Monday September 25, 2017 @11:17AM
(#15331132)
tl;dr the thesis is that addiction is a learning process of reinforcing behavior->reward understanding. Targeted magnetic pulses look to be capable of altering the chemistry of the neural pathways where this understanding lives.
The article also notes how increasingly more behaviors are treated as addictions. Korea provides government subsidized gaming addiction treatment, which I think is interesting to consider if we are physically altering destructive behavioral patterns to reprogram people
Where will the limits be? Might a workaholic be treated? What about junk food, smart phones? An adolescent with a history of getting kicks out of tormenting others? Fanatical racists or nationalists?
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by scardine on Monday September 25, 2017 @02:08PM
(#15332630)
This line of ethical questioning is behind the plot of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel "A Clockwork Orange". The main character Alex is subject of an experimental aversion therapy for rehabilitating criminals but the method is flawed and leads to unfair consequences for him.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by rwnspace on Tuesday September 26, 2017 @10:36AM
(#15339005)
Well that's the major question, as far as I'm concerned. Does the punishment fit the crime? Are there punishments for which there are no fitting crimes?
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by Florin_Andrei on Monday September 25, 2017 @02:12PM
(#15332659)
Perhaps the line is quite blurry between addiction on one hand, and the general modifications that take place in the brain as part of the processes we call learning or even evolution on the other hand. Perhaps addiction is just those mechanisms gone awry.
Re:We're learning more about the craving that fuels self-def...
by ChuckMcM on Monday September 25, 2017 @01:26PM
(#15332278)
I think this is great research, and untangling the loops is something that has a disproportionate positive impact on so much of society.
From an anthropology perspective I'm always curious if there is a selective bias toward a given configuration. And in this case I wonder about what sort of selective bias would select for addictive reinforcement of a behavior over a lack of that reinforcement.
The Sinclair Method shows that for many people alcoholism is simple chemistry and the addiction can be "unlearned" by taking naltrexone (a cheap patent free drug) an hour before drinking.
If you're interested in finding out more we have a subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/alcoholism_medication/.
For me it is a very strong & powerful drug, but I also know of others where it did not seem to work. I've heard if you have a family history of alcoholism it is more likely to work.
Also note when researching - many people prescribe naltrexone to be taken every day along with abstinence, and infact when taken this way it's shown to be no better than a placebo. When taken as per The Sinclair Method it has been shown to be over 85% effective.
Having participated in a number of eating disorder groups and also having studied it, I feel sure that is not the case.
Edit: (Assuming that the prior commenters method _is_ effective)
Relevant: http://existentialcomics.com/comic/13
People undergoing The Sinclair Method often find there are two parts to their addiction - the chemical part, and the habitual part. Sometimes once the chemical part is extinguished they also have the habitual part to stop.
There are questionnaires you can take to reveal how much your addiction is chemical led e.g. do you smoke first thing in the morning (when the chemical levels are low) or do you smoke as part of some routine.
What levels of effectiveness is that. Placebo's are reported as being pretty strong medicine: no better than placebo is pretty good if your placebo is effective in 40% of cases for example.
Unless this drug has a 100% success rate I take the placebo observation as a valid one. But it should not 100% discount the drug efficacy out of hand either.
The article also notes how increasingly more behaviors are treated as addictions. Korea provides government subsidized gaming addiction treatment, which I think is interesting to consider if we are physically altering destructive behavioral patterns to reprogram people Where will the limits be? Might a workaholic be treated? What about junk food, smart phones? An adolescent with a history of getting kicks out of tormenting others? Fanatical racists or nationalists?
On another note, there are other theories about addiction to supplement this one: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg
...Or the insufficiently fanatical...
[0]: http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/02/an_exc...
https://www.ft.com/content/7af80630-c1a6-4833-9f39-dae093b34...
From an anthropology perspective I'm always curious if there is a selective bias toward a given configuration. And in this case I wonder about what sort of selective bias would select for addictive reinforcement of a behavior over a lack of that reinforcement.