Reference no: EM133263775

Psychoactive Drugs and Addiction

Janna Raine became addicted to heroin two decades ago after taking prescription pain pills for a work injury. Last year she was living in a homeless encampment under a Seattle freeway. Patrick Perotti, who is 38 and lives in Genoa, Italy, began snorting cocaine at 17, a rich kid who loved to party. His indulgence gradually turned into a daily habit and then an all-consuming compulsion. He did an eight-month stint in rehab and relapsed 36 hours after he left. "In a sense, addiction is a pathological form of learning," says Antonello Bonci, a neurologist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Addiction is a disease, not a moral failing. It's characterized not necessarily by physical dependence or withdrawal but by compulsive repetition of an activity despite life-damaging consequences." (Adapted from National Geographic, 2017)

C1. Explain Dr. Bonci's statement that addiction is a disease which doesn't necessarily entail physical dependence (refer to at least one alternate theory of addiction).

C2. Why have cases such as that of Janna Raine's heroin addiction become so commonplace in the U.S? Explain your answer based on the effects of opiates on both the central and peripheral nervous systems (CNS and PNS).

C3. How can someone who is committed to recovery from addiction relapse in less than two days after spending months in rehab? Explain your answer by referring to the mechanism of action of stimulants such as cocaine at both the behavioral and synaptic levels, and to at least one common factor that influences the likelihood of relapse.

C4. What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist? Explain by providing specific examples of agonist and antagonist substances AND neurotransmitters (be sure to use correct terminology!).

C5. Why is it generally a bad idea to attend class (or study) while high on marijuana? Explain relevant behavioral effects of this psychoactive substance.