Intermittent excessive behaviors can lead to, or deepen, addiction. The literature does not support claims that the quantity of use of a behavior equals the degree of addiction. Bingeing Rats: A Model of Intermittent Excessive Behavior? (2006) (L) Sugar Can Be Addictive: Animal Studies Show Sugar Dependence (2008) Impact of Problematic Internet Use on the […]
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COMMENTS: You can read the lay articles below for a better understanding. As the conclusions say, those who score high on a food addiction test had brain responses to food similar to drug addicts response to drugs. The two similarities were: 1) Excessive activation of the reward circuitry we given cues (pictures of food) 2) […]
Read More… from Neural Correlates of Food Addiction (2011)
“Interesting factoid: I just did some calculations… Assuming an average of an hour and half a day of pornography from age 12 to 27, means I’ve watched roughly A YEAR of porn. Quite possibly significantly more. I’ve been off here and there but had my share of 6+ hour days.” […]
Read More… from What are the symptoms of excessive Internet porn use?
COMMENTS: This review is full of important addiction concepts and findings.The 2 main points – when sugar is given intermittently:
(1) rats it consume it like they would addictive drugs,
(2) the rats behavior and brains undergo changes that mimic substance abuse.
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Read More… from REVIEW – Evidence For Sugar Addiction: Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Intermittent Excessive Sugar Intake (2008)
COMMENTS: According to this paper, bingeing rats are a good model for human addictions – both behavioral and chemical. Feeding rats really yummy food on intermittent schedules encourages bingeing behavior. Study on the brains of these bingeing rats reveals the neurobiology of addiction for humans.
Full Study: Bingeing Rats: A Model of Intermittent Excessive Behavior?
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Read More… from Bingeing Rats: A Model of Intermittent Excessive Behavior? (2006)
COMMENTS: This study demonstrates sensitization in lean adolescents at risk for obesity (parents are obese). Sensitization means that their reward circuitry releases more dopamine when exposed to food cues than their “normal” counterparts.
LAY ARTICLE
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Read More… from Youth At Risk For Obesity Show Greater Brain Activity In Response To Food (2011)
It may not make you go blind, but Italian scientists have identified a worrying side-effect of watching too much pornography.
Researchers said Thursday that young men who indulge in “excessive consumption” of Internet porn gradually become immune to explicit images, the ANSA news agency reported.
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Read More… from (L) Scientists: Too Much Internet Porn May Cause Impotence (2011)
Cortisol Secretion Patterns In Addiction And Addiction Risk
William R. Lovallo*
Int J Psychophysiol. 2006 March; 59(3): 195–202.
William R. Lovallo, Behavioral Sciences Laboratories (151A), Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73104, United States;
* Tel.: +1 405 270 0501×3124; fax: +1 405 290 1839. E-mail address: [email protected]
Abstract
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Read More… from Cortisol Secretion Patterns In Addiction And Addiction Risk (2006)
Getting help for issues related to excessive porn use is a fine idea. However, many therapists have no conception of how addictive today’s hyperstimulating Internet porn is. Many were trained when static, softcore Playboy was porn, and before the recent brain science that is helping to explain the close parallels between extremely stimulating substances and […]
Read More… from Educating Your Therapist