Your Brain on Drugs

Dr. Regina Rei Lamourelle

4/2/2008 4:29:49 PM

It is refreshing to hear a scientist take a different approach that does not continue to blame the drug user. I do not believe that all drug users fully understand when they begin drug using just how these chemicals hijack normal brain function and, by the time they find out, it is often too late. I also believe that there is a genetic component that is underestimated.

My father smoked two packs a day for 30 years and he quit cold turkey. No cravings, no problems and has not smoked in 25 years. He also quit drinking at the same time with no side effects. A few years ago, I used Vicodin daily until I had surgery for a torn rotator cuff. I fully expected to have problems after my surgery but quit all pain medications one week later with no cravings or side effects. I must admit I did not get any euphoria from the drug just enough pain releif to function until I received surgery.

I have other famiuly members with similar stories. We are neither stronger nor more moral or better motivated than anyone else. We just do not seem to be affected by drugs like many others are. The long-term solution lies in understanding the chemical processes of drug addiction and how they alter the normal brain, then hopefully we can create treatments that undo the damage. Dr. Regina Rei Lamourelle