Science and Addiction

Do-It-Yourself Drugs

Drugs have existed in the natural world for millennia, but the idea of isolating the powerful chemical components of those drugs is where the science comes in. For example, the opium poppy was called the “flower of joy” by Sumerians, one of the oldest civilizations in the world; but when the opium is mixed with lime in boiling water, filtered, boiled, and reheated with ammonia, what was once a pretty purple flower is now a brown paste – morphine, which can then be further processed to make heroin.^[2] PBS explains that the first recorded instance of heroin production took place over a basic oven stove. Today, the creation of heroin requires “a complicated series of steps in a good laboratory.”

The development of heroin may have been a surprising discovery, but some drugs are not made by accident, and they’re not made with good intentions; some drugs are made for no other purpose than to dive deeper into the depths of substance abuse. That’s the story behind a drug that decays skin cells to the point where they make an addict’s flesh looks like the hard, brittle scales of a crocodile, which is probably where the drug got its name — “krokodil.” Drug addicts in rural Russia, too impoverished to obtain regular heroin, throw codeine and paint thinner, gasoline, and alcohol together and inject the mixture directly into their veins.^[3]

Crack cocaine isn’t that different. As with most drugs, cocaine was developed with a number of legitimate applications in mind: anesthetic, medicine, tonic, etc.^[6] When the reality of its addictiveness and negative effects on health became evident, cocaine was driven from the mainstream, but it remained a popular poison for those who could afford it. After the hippie movement of the 1960s, cocaine enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970s and 1980s, forcing drug manufacturers to come up with a cheaper alternative because they could not keep up with demand.

The solution required nothing more than a basic understanding of chemistry. Creating crack, says Salon, is “very simple,”^[7] and in the same way household items can cook up a lethal dose of krokodil, all it takes is sodium bicarbonate – baking soda – to strip cocaine of its purity and make it cheaper to manufacture.^[8] With the simplest of tools, a new drug epidemic was unleashed.^[9]Crystal Meth By Psychonaught (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

For the production of methamphetamines, “anyone,” says Vice magazine, “can be taught to cook meth, regardless of chemistry education.”^[10] Perhaps for that reason, meth labs do not have to be pristine and clinical; they can be filthy, dirty places, found in every type of neighborhood on the socioeconomic spectrum. Meth labs can even be set up in the trunk of a car or a recreational vehicle, such is the “accessible” nature of the science of creating methamphetamine.^[11]

The Science Against Addiction

Fortunately, for all the nefarious applications of science, there has been an equal amount of effort put forward in developing a greater understanding of the mechanics of addiction, and how they can be countered with pharmacology and psychology.

For instance, knowledge of how the different parts of the brain function and communicate proves crucial in seeing how different drugs go about wreaking havoc. The cooks in illegal drug labs may not know the difference between neurotransmitters and receptors, but doctors do. Thanks to advances in brain imaging, doctors and scientists can see what a drug-infected brain looks like and derive insight that will lead to new approaches of treatment and prevention.^[16]

When we experience something we enjoy – anything from a sexual encounter to a glass of wine – the brain activates the dopamine transmitters. We feel good, positive, and rewarded for engaging in those experiences. After a while, the dopamine activation ceases so we can go on with life, but we remember those feelings. The next time the opportunity to enjoy those experiences arises, we are inclined to partake because of what we felt the first time – and what we felt were the dopamine neurotransmitters at work.

Because of brain imaging, we know that most drugs target the brain’s reward center by forcing the dopamine neurotransmitters to stay active for longer periods of time than is normal and healthy.^[17] Laser-scanning microscopy – high-resolution optical images – tells us that continued consumption of these drugs changes the chemical composition of the brain, effectively cutting off any other way a user can experience pleasure.^[18]

When drug addicts experience cravings or withdrawal, brain imaging techniques show relevant changes to the brain’s chemistry, allowing for the doctors to prescribe the right medications, in the right dosages, that will properly and efficiently alleviate the symptoms.^[19]

Addiction Medicine

There is even an entire field of medicine dedicated to the prevention, screening, intervention, and treatment of substance abuse problems.^[26] Addiction medicine covers two approaches to treating substance abuse disorders: the medical approach, which deals with the pharmacological element of rehabilitating a patient, and addiction psychiatry, which covers the psychological dynamic of treatment. Addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry often overlap: the medicine specialist will initiate the detoxification process with an eye on preparing the patient for psychotherapy; a psychiatrist will have to be knowledgeable of the kind of drugs prescribed during the detoxification process.

Understanding more about human thought patterns and behaviors is the last scientific checkpoint on the road to sobriety. It could also be the most important checkpoint. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is very clear on the importance of behavioral-based therapy following detox, saying that treatment is incomplete without that step.^[27]

The science of psychology plays a determining role in safeguarding the mental well-being and sobriety of an addict when he steps out of the umbrella of formalized treatment. Take that away, and the patient has no idea how to respond to the triggers that might have once driven him to taking a drink or snorting a line of cocaine, and the patient has no idea how to control his thoughts and behaviors when temptation inevitably comes calling. Mental health disorders and substance abuse go “hand in hand,” according to The Fix,^[28] and this is where psychotherapy can play an even greater role: helping the patient understand that relationship, and teaching him coping skills to take control of his life.^[29] With the danger of relapse a constant shadow on the horizon, the resources and strategies that established and clinical psychotherapeutic methods bring to the table make this a critical element of treatment.