A National Directory of Drug Treatment Centers and Alcohol Treatment Centers, Therapists and Specialists. A free, simple directory providing assistance and guidance for those seeking help regarding alcohol addiction, drug addiction, dependency and many other conditions that affect the mind, body and soul.
Call 800-580-9104 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.

Who Answers?

Gene hooks smokers at first puff

Puffing on a first cigarette is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but whether it is enjoyable may be partly down to genetics, researchers suggest.

University of Michigan scientists have identified a gene variant found more often in people who said their first cigarette produced a “buzz”.

These people were much more likely to go on to become regular smokers, the journal Addiction reports.

The researchers say the finding may help development of anti-smoking drugs.

A person’s decision to smoke for the first time, or carry on smoking, is not thought to be governed solely by his or her genes, but a mixture of genes, environmental factors and social pressures.

However, scientists are hoping that by cracking the genetic secrets of nicotine addiction, they could make it easier for people to wean themselves off cigarettes, or even stop them taking up the habit in the first place.

The gene in question, CHRNA5, has already been highlighted by other studies into nicotine addiction, and it has been suggested that it could increase a smoker’s chance of developing lung cancer.

The Michigan research, however, suggests that it could be at work from the very first instance of exposure to nicotine.

Genetic data was obtained from 435 volunteers, some of whom were regular smokers, and some who had tried cigarettes but were not currently smokers.

They were quizzed about how they felt about their first smoking experience.

Practical uses

Regular smokers were far more likely to have the variant version of the gene and more likely to report that their first smoking experience was pleasurable.

Professor Ovide Pomerleau, who led the research, said: “It appears that for people who have a certain genetic make-up, the initial physical reaction to smoking can play a significant role in determining what happens next.

“If cigarette smoking is sustained, nicotine addiction can occur in a few days to a few months – the finding of a genetic association with pleasurable early smoking experiences may help explain how people get addicted.”

Dr Marcus Munafo, from Bristol University, said that while the study was interesting, any treatments or tests based on the gene variant would be some way off.

He said: “It’s interesting to see research which helps us join the dots on the whole mechanism of nicotine addiction, but in practical terms, we have, for now, to carry on doing what we are currently doing to help smokers.”
_______
source: BBC News

More Treatment & Detox Articles

Diagnosing ADHD in an adult

Today, the psychiatrists are facing the problem of diagnosing ADHD that is the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adults. Many times, it does happen that the ADHD problem remains unnoticed and not treated in adults as this disorder is considered to be affecting mainly small children and therefore, it mainly focuses on the children. An….

Continue reading

Is Cocaine Addictive?

cocaine abuse

Cocaine is one of the most highly addictive drugs in existence. It increases energy and alertness and produces such an intense euphoria that, once tried, many find hard to resist. Cocaine Addiction We’ve all heard about the rat studies where rats are given the choice between food and cocaine and they always choose the cocaine….

Continue reading

The symptoms of dual diagnosis

The symptoms of dual diagnosis

Dual diagnosis, as the name suggests, can be defined as the diagnosis of a major mental health disorder along with alcohol or substance addiction at the same time. In a survey, it was found that around 50 percent of the Americans suffered from this problem. Dual diagnosis can affect an individual physically, psychologically and also….

Continue reading

Hit the books not the bottle: Reduce binge drinking

Despite the fact that more than 40 percent of college students are binge drinkers, do not let end-of-the-year stress drive you to hit the bottle instead of the books! Binge drinking is defined by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as the consumption of large quantities of alcohol in about two hours, leading….

Continue reading

Where do calls go?

Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline (non-facility specific 1-8XX numbers) will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed below, each of which is a paid advertiser:

ARK Behavioral Health

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW 800-580-9104Response time about 1 min | Response rate 100%
Who Answers?