WellnessOptions Magazine issue11

By Yee Jee Tso

The most frustrating aspect of any addiction, whether it’s drug, alcohol, cigarette, chocolate, or obsessive eating, is in the environment. Environmental cues trigger cravings and are major contributors to relapse. The tricky part is, only the addict can accurately identify and take precautionary measures against environmental cues, because they are unique to each individual.

Substance abusers might have unknowingly trained themselves to respond to environmental triggers in a Pavlovian fashion. When the strong, biochemical effects of addictive substances occur and dopamine levels in the brain increase, the surrounding environment is automatically associated with the pleasure and experience of the high.

A Brookhaven National Laboratory study published in the European Journal of Pharmacology, in March 2001 revealed that environmental cues themselves produce measurable increases of dopamine levels in drug-addicted animals. When lab rats trained to associate cocaine with a given environment were later exposed to such an environment, they showed an approximate 25% increase in dopamine levels as compared to the non-addicted control group, even in the absence of additional cocaine.

In the same study, the researchers also investigated the efficacy of the therapeutic agent GVG (gamma-vinyl GABA). The Brookhaven group found GVG effective in blocking the rise of dopamine levels resulting from environmental cues. A drug, brand-named Sabril or Vigabatrin, is already approved as an anti-epileptic in Canada, and is awaiting clinical trials for use in the treatment of addiction in North America.

However, even with the help of a therapeutic agent, recovering addicts should still avoid situations that may lead to environmental cues, and be prepared for when cravings do occur.

Things to consider for coping with environmental cues of addiction:

	It’s impossible to predict what and how many aspects of your life have been permeated by drug association. That’s why rehab centres and retreats are useful with the initial stages of recovery.
	Total avoidance may be impossible. Sooner or later environmental cues and cravings have to be confronted. KNOW that this will happen, and that it DOES NOT mean your resolve has failed. On the contrary, the fact that you are having cravings probably means you’re not high.
	BE PREPARED. When cravings occur, it’s easy to get tunnel-vision thinking about the substance. ACKNOWLEDGE that it’s a craving, REMEMBER that it’s temporary, and BE CONFIDENT that you’ll get through it. You’re in the process of recovery, which means that obstacles will occur, but it gets easier the longer you abstain.
	Sometimes it helps during cravings to think about all the things you hate about your addiction, for example: that horrible feeling of coming down, or the fact that you are giving all your money away to those cigarette companies or drug dealers, whatever the case may be. You can also try thinking about all the present and future rewards of not being addicted: the freedom to pursue your dreams and aspirations, the renewed strength and vitality of your body, control over your life, etc.
	The key is to divert your attention away from the craving and reassert how essential this process is to your ultimate well-being and happiness.

References:
Brookhaven National Laboratory http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/GVG/GVG.htm
EurekAlert, Proposed addiction treatment http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-03/BNL-Patb-0603101.php
CNET.com http://news.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-20536051-0.html
Science Today http://www.ucop.edu/sciencetoday/pages/archive/transcripts/2000/sci627.html#C