Evidence

We were very fortunate to have Joe Thomas from SASI a Chicago methadone program. He is in the study for a Ph.D program and has been in the field for seven years. He described for us the program and who and how they assist their patients. He was very helpful by describing some of the bench marks his field requires as signs for success. The one point that had the strongest message for me was how some of his patients had been using drugs for over forty years.

This was so and its value for where I want for the show was introduced lifestyle in such a dramatic fashion.

We wished farewell to Joe and turned the show back to "Stories of the Day"

A Mother's plea - my son is addicted to economics

Dear Economist,
My son has become addicted to economics. The more diligently I confiscate his economics books, the more he steals from my purse. I'm determined that he should grow up to be normal, frequenting the pub like everyone else. What should I do? -- Stymied in Stratford

Dear Stymied,
You tell a sad story, but one that can be analyzed using the theory of rational addiction developed by economists such as George Stigler, Gary Becker and Kevin Murphy.


Addictive goods and activities have some interesting properties.

First, addictiveness itself: the pleasure produced by consumption is higher if past consumption has been high. In other words, the more heroin, alcohol or neoclassical growth theory the addict has consumed, the less bearable it will be to abstain now.

Second, past consumption will also have a direct bearing on the addict's happiness.

Typically, we think of negative addictions: past consumption of crack makes for a miserable junkie today.

But positive addictions are possible too. A progressive addiction to yoga or to reading may make for a happier and happier person. I am addicted to my wife - so far, with unambiguously positive results.

Your son's addiction is probably a positive one, which will make him ever more fulfilled. But even if it is a negative addiction, you must remember that rational addicts are utility maximizers. He may have been driven to addiction by circumstances - a desire to escape an over-controlling parent, for instance - but trying to frustrate his desires will make him more miserable...

Parental Drinking Stunts Brain Growth in Alcoholic Kids

Alcohol-dependent individuals with a family history of alcoholism or problem drinking exhibited reduced brain growth compared to alcohol-dependent people with no family history of alcohol problems, according to new research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Researchers said the findings showed that alcohol-related brain damage can be caused not only by heavy drinking but also genetics and environmental factors. "Our study is the first to demonstrate that brain size among alcohol-dependent individuals with a family history of alcoholism is reduced even before the onset of alcohol dependence," said study lead author Jodi Gilman of Brown University.

The NIAAA researchers used MRI scans to measure brain volume. They found that the average intracranial volume of adult alcoholic children of alcoholics was 4 percent lower than that of adult alcoholics with no family history of alcohol problems.

The study was published in the online edition of the journal Biological Psychiatry.

Reference:

Gilman, J.M., James M. Bjorka, J.M., Hommer, D.W. (2007) Parental Alcohol Use and Brain Volumes in Early- and Late-Onset Alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry, Article in Press; doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.10.029.

The long-term brain changes observed among cocaine and heroin users can also be found in the brains of smokers, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) say.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Feb. 21 that the changes to smokers' brains could be observed even years after they quit. Researchers led by NIDA's Bruce Hope found abnormally high levels of a pair of enzymes involved in the dopamine system.