Continued physical or psychological dependence on a substance or behavior in spite of negative or even life-threatening physical or societal consequences. Can refer also to any of the many and varied treatments available for addiction, any of the many and varied explanations for the proposed ...
13
votes
1answer
400 views
Can you get addicted to cheese?
In the documentary "Super Size Me" an interviewee of Morgan Spurlock says:
If you look at the menu at a fast food restaurant, they use all of the addicting
components.
They'll take a slab of ...
13
votes
1answer
367 views
Drug addiction: “You can only help if the person wants to be helped”
"A drug addict can only be helped if he/she wants to be helped." - is a common advice/statement.
Have there been any studies/research which either confirms or rejects this statement?
Looking at for ...
4
votes
0answers
213 views
Are fish addictive to cats?
Today I found an interesting article that claims that feeding fish to cat is not a good idea:
Fish should be avoided, except for occasional use, for many reasons including: heavy metal ...
2
votes
1answer
374 views
Do people smoke only due to psychological reasons?
Many smokers have told me that smoking gives them immense pleasure - that they let go of all their worries when they smoke a cigarette. Their descriptions of the sensations produced are quite similar ...
11
votes
1answer
552 views
Can Marijuana use result in addiction?
From the drugabuse.gov website:
Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction; that is, people have
difficulty controlling their drug use and cannot stop even though it
interferes with many ...
4
votes
2answers
557 views
Are cigarettes addictive?
At least one person has published alleged doubts about whether cigarettes are addictive, with their doubt/claim being supposedly backed by at least one scientific study.
Is this a reasonable question ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
Does smoking under three cigarettes a day prevent addiction?
I heard that if you smoke at most three cigarettes a day you don't get addicted to smoking. A similar idea was introduced in a How I Met Your Mother episode. Is this true?
36
votes
1answer
2k views
Does decriminalizing drug use lead to less drug use?
While listening to the RSA talk Addiction: What to Do When Everything Else has Failed I'm reminded of an article in the Times from 2009 about Portugal's decriminalization of drugs.
The Cato paper ...
24
votes
1answer
911 views
Is Alcoholics Anonymous effective?
In my research I've found statistics for spontaneous remission from addiction: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10976668. The statistics for A.A. seem to be a little more difficult to ...
23
votes
3answers
987 views
Does addictive behavior exist?
There are widespread claims that you can get addicted to video games, shopping, internet, whatever, even sex. Not merely "like it very much", but addicted, as in addicted to alcohol.
According to ...
5
votes
1answer
403 views
Are there any viable shortcuts to stop smoking?
A variety of treatments are purportedly available to aid in quitting smoking.
What are effective, scientifically proven ways to quit smoking?
In particular, is any treatment significantly ...
