An interesting report was recently published on the abuse of drugs that poses an interesting question. Is it possible to have a subconscious craving for drugs, that is, a craving that you are not even aware of? The American National Institute on Drug Abuse recently performed a study and published a report that shows that those who have been addicts in the past can be made to crave the drugs they have given up by simply being shown pictures of them. If you consider that we often don’t know why we have cravings, this makes a lot of sense.
The institute began their study to try and assist rehab centres in helping those with addictions through them by giving them the chance to understand why they craved drugs, alcohol or in fact any substance they were addicted to. What this does for rehab centres is allow them the opportunity to understand the chemistry of the brain in more depth and an understanding of the brain allows for a better way to heal those with addiction.
Think about it this way. A century ago, women with depression were said to be hysterical and often had to undergo hysterectomies in order to treat the disease (which we now know makes no logical sense). However, as a human race we have progressed and now understand different reasons for depression and for addiction. However, the mind is like space, that is, a territory that mankind has tried to explore for a long time, made a little bit of headway in, but largely uncharted.
With new knowledge comes new ways of treating addiction and this could mean less recovery time for addicts and treatment that is more effective, that is, that allows those who were addicts to stay off drugs for the rest of their lives. This research is exciting and though it has not borne any physical fruit yet, the potential for understanding more about addiction is huge. The more we understand, the more we can treat, and the effectively those with addictions can recover and live happy, productive and full lives, the exact goal of rehab.