Drug abuse isn’t relegated to a youthful demographic. The public perception is that older folks have either never had a drug problem or have dealt with it in their youth and moved on. But grandparents and great-grandparents of the millennial generation are popping pills in larger numbers than ever, and it’s not over-the-counter meds, it’s illicit and prescription drugs.

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Since 2005, nine people have died at the Narconon Arrowhead center in Oklahoma, and three of them have been in the last year. The rehab center helps clients through withdrawal according to the “Purification Rundown” procedure developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. This is a scientifically-challenged, non-medical approach to detoxification, and the entire rehabilitation process has been widely criticized for indoctrinating individuals into Scientology. The three recent deaths at the premier Narconon center have spawned an investigation and a spate of lawsuits, and the results may spell doom for the unproven and ineffective school of rehabilitation.

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When children are growing up, their grade schools and high schools attempt to deter drug use. The anti-drug committees collaborate, in many schools, to create a presentation outlining the effects of long-term drug use by showing a few intimidating videos of someone overdosing in an attempt scare the urge to try drugs right out of us. Our parents warned against drugs, compelling us to focus on school and disregard invitations for drugs use, as it would inevitably lead us to destroy our plotted futures. On some children, this works. On some children, the urge to experiment with substances has been frightened out of them and they continue their lives on a straight and narrow path. Unfortunately, with skyrocketing statistics reporting drug use in the United States, warnings just aren’t enough for hundreds of thousands of people. The truth is, for those of us who received our thrills by disobeying authority, these talks only intrigued us to explore drugs.

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When children are growing up, their grade schools and high schools attempt to deter drug use. The anti-drug committees collaborate, in many schools, to create a presentation outlining the effects of long-term drug use by showing a few intimidating videos of someone overdosing in an attempt scare the urge to try drugs right out of us. Our parents warned against drugs, compelling us to focus on school and disregard invitations for drugs use, as it would inevitably lead us to destroy our plotted futures. On some children, this works. On some children, the urge to experiment with substances has been frightened out of them and they continue their lives on a straight and narrow path. Unfortunately, with skyrocketing statistics reporting drug use in the United States, warnings just aren’t enough for hundreds of thousands of people. The truth is, for those of us who received our thrills by disobeying authority, these talks only intrigued us to explore drugs.

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Mental health issues are an integral part of overall health. Mental health problems are not limited to any particular age category, racial group or geographical location. Mental illness affects all people everywhere.

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Some patterns of behavior, such as overeating, smoking, and drug addiction are very difficult to overcome. While success is often possible through strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy, some individuals require multiple treatment types. Many studies have shown that some of these behaviors are related and are controlled in one area of the brain.

A new study from the Yale School of Medicine provides new information about the neurons responsible for controlling hunger. The study shows that the neurons are also linked with disordered behaviors beyond just overeating. They are also responsible for behaviors like drug addiction and novelty seeking.

The study, published online in a recent edition of Nature Neuroscience, was led by Marcelo O. Dietrich, a postdoctoral associate, and Tamas L. Horvath, who is the dean and David W. Wallace, Professor of Biomedical Research and chair of comparative medicine at the Yale School of Medicine.

The researchers were building on information gathered by previous studies, showing that in patients with obesity and diabetes, food may become an addictive substance due to the way that the brain’s reward circuits function. However, the study authors report that their findings were instead contradictory to earlier studies on the subject.

The researchers found that among patients with an increased appetite for food, there is actually a decreased tendency toward novelty and a decreased risk of using cocaine. The reverse is true as well, with less interest in food predicting an increased interest in cocaine.

Horvath and colleagues examined two groups of transgenic mice. The researchers eliminated a signaling molecule in the first group of mice that is responsible for controlling hunger in neurons located in the hypothalamus. In the other group, the researchers manipulated the same neurons using a selective elimination by introducing diphtheria toxin.

The researchers then administered non-invasive tests to determine how the mice responded to anxiety, novelty and the introduction of cocaine.

The tests revealed that the mice that were less interested in food were more interested in drugs like cocaine and novelty-seeking opportunities. The implication is that there may be patients who have an increased level of activity in the reward circuitry but are not overeaters. The researchers explain that this trait is complex and stems from the development of basic feeding circuits. This then affects the adult responses to novelty and drug cravings.

Horvath and colleagues posit that the hypothalamus is responsible for higher brain functions, as well as impacting such functions as body temperature and hunger.

The findings are different than those previously determining a connection between overeating and drug addiction. The researchers believe that there may be a group of people who are not prone to overeat but may be at an increased risk for drug addiction.

The findings of the study provide new information about the connections and screening information that may be useful for detecting both overeating and drug addiction patients in need of treatment.

If you or someone you love is struggling with an addiction to alcohol or drugs, chances are you’ve heard a lot of conflicting things about your "problem". Unfortunately, this is frequently an emotionally charged topic. The lines between reality and fiction get very blurred when so many well-meaning people are quick to offer their opinions – often presented as facts – based on their own personal experience, the experience of someone they know, or something they read or saw on TV.

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Raising a teenager may be one of the great challenges of your life. Many parents watch their adorable little girl or boy turn into a surly, argumentative, erratic, and downright mean teen. While much of this behavior is perfectly normal and can range from mild to extreme depending upon the child, as a parent you also need to be aware of signs that it indicates drug use. Your teen is exposed to more substances than you can imagine and peer pressure is a powerful force that can lead otherwise good kids down the wrong path. It can help to know the difference between normal teen behaviors and those that may be related to drug use. Keep in mind, that trying drugs as a teen does not necessarily lead to abuse and dependence, but the slope is slippery and experimentation should be taken seriously.

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